Catalan company manufactures the torch for the Olympic Games in Rio 2016

Barcelona (CNA).- Recam Làser, a Catalan company specialized in laser cutting, will manufacture Rio 2016’s Olympic torch. The plant has already completed the final prototype and will start making the 15,000 units this October. 800 torches will start the tour in Greece and the rest will go directly to Brazil.  The torch weighs 1.5 kilos, is made out of recycled aluminium and it displays the colours of the Brazilian flag when lit. The president of Recam Làser, Pere Barrios stated that the order will project them “as the company which manufactured the torch in Rio 2016”. He added that although Brazilians weren’t happy with the idea of the torch being manufactured outside the country “we explained them that in Catalonia we have first class industrial technology too”.

The Catalan company, located in Caldes de Montbui, a small town 30 km from Barcelona, has a subsidiary in northern Brazil. Recam Laser was the winner of a competition to manufacture the torch and signed the contract late last year. “The committee wanted it to be a Brazilian company or a branch in the country,” said Barrios. This order “will project us as the company which manufactured the torch in Rio 2016” he stated.

Features of the torch

Recam Làser has been developing the project for the studio Chelles and Hayashi Design in Sao Paulo. The torch, white and recycled aluminum, has a main feature; when the flame is lit, it extends up to 70 centimeters and shows the colors of the Brazilian flag. The torch has some wavy lines representing the earth, the sea and the mountains, and there is a last line that symbolizes the promenade in Copacabana.

The torch weighs a kilo and a half and the flame is able to withstand gusts of wind up to 120 km /h. It is also able to keep the fire at 3,000 metres altitude. Barrios recalled how they had to fly it with an aerostatic balloon to test the resistance of the flame. Each torch will cost about 400 dollars and is usually bought by the same athlete who carries it during its journey.

Most important task in its 27 year history

Barrios admitted that this was the most important task in the 27 year history of the company "both in an economic aspect as well as for the company’s image." "We believe there will be a ‘before and after’ this order," he says.

Recam Làser has its headquarters Caldes de Montbui and has subsidiaries in the rest of Spain and South America. The company, with a total number of around 400 employees, has an annual turnover of between 35 and 40 million euros. Among other products, it is responsible for making Durex vending machines. It is currently working on launching a branch in Russia.