From selling steel to manufacturing
Grupo Schussmuller: from a family business to a new factory
HIERRO MATT · INDUSTRIA METALÚRGICA SCHUSSMULLER
Based on public sources, without interviews or site visits for this article. We distinguish reported facts, plans and our editorial views.
Documentary review: 18 October 2026 · Seven chaptersFrom selling steel to owning a factory
Opening more shops is one decision. Starting to make the products is another. What does a business need before taking that step?
This issue looks at Paraguay's Grupo Schussmuller. In July 2026, the start of construction of a new factory in Capiatá was announced. [S01]
The article follows three questions:
- What kind of work started the story?
- How did the shops and manufacturing business grow?
- What should a company check before spending money on another factory?
We distinguish what the company and the press report from the ideas proposed by PARAGUAY INSIGHT.
The beginning: working with iron
An ABC Color article published on 23 May 2025 says Mario Schussmuller began weldingnote 1 work in San Lorenzo in 1970. [S02]
Hierro Matt's official website, meanwhile, dates the start of steel product sales to 1985. [S03] These are different milestones: starting a trade is not the same as starting to sell materials.
Mario also recalls that his father was a blacksmith. [S04] The sources reviewed do not establish what he first sold, who his first customer was or how much money he needed to start.
Our view: Experience working with materials can help a business understand the problems of the people who buy them. Further reporting would be needed to show which product decisions actually grew out of that experience.
Beyond price: making it easier to buy
In a Revista PLUS interview published on 25 December 2019, Mario described strong price competition. He explained that the company sought to stand out through customer care and service. [S05]
“We make the difference through good service.”
In ABC Color on 18 January 2020, he explained the idea behind the Villa Hayes shop: customers from the Chaco should be able to buy without having to travel into Asunción. [S06]
The official website reviewed on 18 October 2026 lists 18 locations, including the main branch. We have not checked in person whether every location is currently operating. [S07]
Our view: People buying materials care about price, proximity and receiving products when they need them. Opening more shops also requires working capitalnote 2 to keep products in stock, as well as money for distribution.
Alongside price, being able to ask questions and choose a suitable product can make buying easier.
This is not a photograph of an actual Hierro Matt shop, employee or customer.
Keeping products in stock means paying for them before they are sold. This is one reason a business needs working capital.
This is not a photograph of Hierro Matt’s actual shops or stock.
In the next chapters
- When there is not enough money to buy the machine
- Selling and manufacturing are different jobs
- What the new factory aims to do
- A difficulty is not the same as a failure
- Five things to check next
Term notes
Welding
Joining metal pieces using heat, pressure or other appropriate processes.
Back to the text ↑Working capital
Money needed to keep the business running day to day: buying materials, paying wages, rent and other costs. These payments may fall due before a sale is paid for. This article uses the term in that practical operating sense, separately from money spent on a factory or machine.
Back to the text ↑
Sources consulted
Documentary review: 18 October 2026. Sources include company information, attributed statements, the press, industry bodies and government records. Business features may include the company’s account; they do not mean that every figure has been independently verified.
- S01 UIP: investment and new factory announcement ↗
· 15 July 2026
Report by the industry association present at the event. Start of construction and announced project figures - S02 ABC Color: 40 years of Hierro Matt ↗
· 23 May 2025
Anniversary article in Empresariales. Early history only; attribution of the founding of IMS remains unresolved - S03 Hierro Matt: company information ↗
· update date not stated
Corporate source. Start of the sales business - S04 ABC Color: the founder's recollections ↗
· 23 May 2025
Statements in an anniversary feature. His father's trade and recalled difficulties - S05 Revista PLUS: interview with Mario Schussmuller ↗
· 25 December 2019
Attributed account. Competition, customer care and service - S06 ABC Color: expansion of a family business ↗
· 18 January 2020
Commercial supplement. Villa Hayes and customers' travel - S07 Hierro Matt: locations ↗
· update date not stated
Corporate directory reviewed; not an on-site operating check - S08 IMS: company information ↗
· update date not stated
Corporate industrial history and published capacity - S09 ABC Color: supply and manufacturing equipment ↗
· 24 September 2021
Commercial supplement. Account of plans and components; further corroboration is needed - S10 Revista Mandu'a: explaining the two businesses ↗
· issue 402, October 2016
Interview with Rodrigo. Roles and relationship of the companies - S11 MIC: visits to metalworking businesses ↗
· date not confirmed
Government source. Site visit and industrial processes; not an interpretation of current incentives - S12 Revista PLUS: new factory and management's explanation ↗
· 15 July 2026
Stated reasons for investment; not a guarantee of orders - S13 Agencia IP: construction begins ↗
· 16 July 2026
Government news agency. Corroboration of the announcement and planned environmental features