Mnza: lot done and much to be done in pursuit of the industrialized construction

Our companies manufacture prefabricated concrete elements, offering constructive solutions that enable the industrialized construction. This is the constructive method with the greatest projection for the future. Our solutions with precast concrete allow abandon traditional practices and incorporate all the advantages to the construction process that brings the industrialization.

Mnza began thanks to the initiative of a small group of businessmen with the desire to regularize and institutionalize our activity. During our more than 40 years of history, we have endeavoured to provide all those services that partners have been pointing out to perform its activity increasingly better with agility and efficiency. Our activities range from policy regulating national and European, passing through the promotion of our constructive to relevant actors solution and by promoting participation in r & d projects; the more difficult task, not forgetting the represent the sector before governments defending their interests.

In the beginning of our activity, the biggest challenge was the policy adjustment and the elevation of the standards of quality. Currently, we are proud to say that this objective was achieved more than and, today, our products and construction solutions are largely standardized.

As resistant elements, our solutions are calculated according to the Spanish investigation of concrete structural, EHE. In addition, almost all of the solutions has developed its corresponding European standard, which includes requirements and rigorous controls manufacturing precise for their CE marking that for elements with resistant nature, have to be audited by third parties. On the other hand, we have the technical building code and a lot of standards fire, antisismo, etc.

But there are still things to do, as an industry to the construction sector and as a same association.

In the first case, the industrialized construction is in the sector of the construction only 26% of the total volume; Thus, us there is still much to be done within the market. The natural process is progressively abandon traditional construction and imposed constructive progress already prevailing in Europe. It is necessary to industrialize--that is "light" Spain constructively speaking; and here is where the prefabrication with precast concrete is the key. Therefore, we must increase the participation of our solutions industrialized in the global building and construction, as they have done in the EU, especially in the category of construction of housing. Fortunately, we are now perfectly set as constructive solutions to major infrastructure and non-residential building.

We must continue the effort to demonstrate to the architects we have solutions which perfectly combine their creative ability with the inherent advantages of industrialized solution. Today, many are now companies that are working closely with important architecture firms to develop products and solutions more innovative and very advanced technologically.

We also have to further develop the export to other countries. Our solutions are the most developed in many fields and have a high international recognition. Although the truth is that our products travel little, unless our "know-how" it has to export is.

And as an Association we work for our companies and enhance its activity.

Conditions and payment terms are also a great challenge. When in the rest of the European Union speak payment 60 days after the delivery of materials them it already sounds like a lot, in Spain time of 220 to 270 days are the order of the day. These conditions which are imposed by construction companies represent an unattainable situation, because the manufacturers have to devote a significant amount of resources to finance the sales, to the detriment of investment in renovation of machinery, technology, etc. It is unacceptable that they forcing us replace banking.

The excessive rigidity in the labour legislation, that linked to that trade unions are showing a total disregard for the reality of the companies and their workers (only in our sector have disappeared more than 20,000 jobs in the past 18 months)makes it difficult to adapt our labour templates to demand. We can meet virtually all of our variable costs.... except the labour cost, even when almost activity was not taken and the backlog is under minimum.

Objective: distinguish the world of precast

Mnza, was, in origin, the Association of companies dedicated to the derivative of the concrete. However, the years and the industry itself did evolve to the Association to become the National Association of the industry of the precast of concrete. The reason: one of the problems of communication with which we were was the ignorance and lack of differentiation that operators in the sector of our industry with respect to our competitors.

And it is that our products are not a derivative of the cement but a product that uses one of its raw materials cement (if I may a very close analogy: a 8 grain bread is made with flour but the end result has nothing to do with another product also made with flour)(, as it would be the béchamel sauce).

For this reason, considered as a first essential step disassociate name Mnza of cement and use a more specific one to define what the prefabricated concrete are in fact, an independent industry, and to promote with greater clarity of messages the differences which provide these constructive solutions.

Also in October 2008 and within the framework of the monographic exhibition of precast concrete at Ifema (Madrid) approved the change of name of the Association to ' National Association of concrete precast industry. Mnza '.

However, also be agreed, that the acronym for the Association, Mnza, remained the same since, after 40 years of activity, he had become the trademark of the House with eigenvalues of experience and institutional strength.

Our development in design, technical innovation and execution of works is widely recognised and appreciated both in Europe and in the rest of the world. For more than 5 years, Spain was the second volume of production of precast concrete post, just after Germany.

Currently, there are increasingly more Spanish companies of prefabricated with international presence. This activity began a decade ago about exporting to nearby countries geographically, such as France and Portugal. Currently, companies now dare to go further as Denmark or United States. Another formula is to open plants in countries of origin, mainly to South America and North Africa. As our experience in construction is widely recognized, another tract has been exporting our "know-how" to other countries such as the Middle East area.

Unfortunately, despite these initiatives, we there is still much progress along these lines. We must not forget that the output of Spain of our companies is complex; in our specific case, by our own characteristics, and because we must also do so almost solo, there is little commercial support of public administration.

That is why we believe that it is the duty of the Government create business support structures to facilitate and ensure business activities abroad; as they have done the majority of countries of the EU such as the United Kingdom, France or Germany.

A sector committed to the environment

On the subject of environmental policies that are passing along in recent times, since Mnza are delighted that approval and especially to enforced. It is not an altruistic response but of competitiveness. The precast concrete have characteristics inherent to the product itself that 'in its purest form' already comply with the regulations, and we have multiple objective studies that endorse it as well.

First of all stress that the prefabricated concrete are recyclable and are also made with recycled aggregates. But actually this is only one of the advantages of our products to talk about sustainability, sustainable housing has to have a low environmental impact both in its construction as during their use and finally in the reuse or recycling of materials. The prefabricated concrete are elements that cover these three stages. First of all the raw materials are traditional products that are industrializan in controlled facilities. Its Assembly work is fast to avoid discomfort associated with traditional construction.

In the phase of use they ensure adequate thermal comfort, optimum indoor air quality and minimum energy consumption throughout this maintenance during the lifetime of the building.

As to the rest of the sector, the crisis has affected us so drastic, direct, since we are suppliers of constructive solutions. First of all, solutions for the construction of housing, and later, in an amount more than appreciable, the rest were: commercial and industrial buildings, infrastructure, sanitation and water treatment, paving...

What makes no sense is to drop the activity which has been the engine of our economy and that has been affected by factors alien to the very construction itself. The key is to find alternatives that take into account the relaunch of the investment and constructive activity in Spain.

Construction of the years 2006-2007 levels were totally disproportionate and did not respond to the real demand of the market, so the priority now is to readjust the activity to the real need. Currently, about 350,000 new housing units per year are needed, but the key is to build them beyond where the population needs them, not where benefit to third parties.

The speculative construction has slowed down, for the moment, but never of should allow, we must not allow to happen again.

With regard to developments in recent years, in 2007, the turnover reached record of 8.5 M euros, and at the end of 2009 it had already fallen to 4.4 m. The dramatic decline began in the second half of the year 2008. Since then, it reaches has been compared with the 2007 80% in materials for housing, more than 60 per cent in industrial and commercial construction and 40% in large civil works.