Interview to Jose Mª Díaz Munio, manager of Gestamp Biscay
The past month of October of 2013 Gestamp pertaining —Biscay to the
To start with, it could do us a small summary of his plants of production and capacity of manufacture?
Gestamp Is a global company, devoted to the design, development and manufacture of components and metallic groups for the car for his back sale to diverse manufacturers of original team. From the moment of his creation, in 1997, bet by the internationalisation, accompanying to our customers in his process of expansion. We are presents in the main cores of manufacture of trucks to world-wide level and work diverse technologies like the big —tooling tooling, small and average— the welding and the assembled of groups, as well as the development of matricería to internal level. Likewise, have tooling in hot in 55 lines, delivered in 20 plants of 11 countries.
As they informed recently, Gestamp Biscay will manufacture the metallic components of the new van of Mercedes Benz. Of which type of components are speaking?
The plant of Gestamp Biscay will produce the tooling and mobile parts of the new van that Mercedes Benz has foreseen to launch in spring of 2014 and that will manufacture in his plant of Vitoria-gasteiz.
They have had to fulfil with some very concrete requirements to be able to access to this commission?
Fundamentally, assume a new standard of quality in industrial vehicle Vans for his production in series in Gestamp Biscay, equating it to the quality of vehicle of Mercedes Class C.
Besides have had to carry out the incorporation of technology of welding laser in some parts manufactured, as well as the engatillados by roldana that, to date, were technologies no incorporated to our processes.
Which investment requires by his part the collaboration with the German signature?
To develop this new project, of big envergadura, the Group Gestamp foresees to carry out investments by value of 60 M€ in the period 2012-2017. These investments already have materialised in his greater part, with the end to adapt the installations of Gestamp Biscay, regarding new industrial means, systems of management advanced and configuration.
Gestamp And the German group Daimler keep a solid relation that translates in the diverse projects set up in several countries. This group has supposed 9% of the world-wide turnover of Gestamp in 2012.
Further of this project, in general, which type of pieces for car realizar in Gestamp?
Gestamp Manufactures a wide range of products, fundamentally from steel, that integrate in the bodywork of the vehicle, defining his structure. What defines the activity of Gestamp is precisely that integrates all the processes of the manufacture of the components. This, together with the capacity of development of the company, turns us into a partner strategic for the manufacturers of trucks, from the phase of design until the manufacture of matrices and coin, to arrive to the final phase, the manufactura.
The big lines of business of Gestamp are the metallic car body componentss (the essential structure of the vehicle creates soldering patterned metallic pieces); the chasses, that form the inferior part of the structure of the body of the vehicle and are essential for the global performance of the car, for his consistency and hygiene; and the mechanisms, like hinges for doors, hoods and gates, or electrical systems that allow to open and close the doors of the car by remote control.
The big lines of business of Gestamp are the metallic car body componentss, among others.
With which type of technology explain for this?
From his foundation, in 1997, Gestamp bets for incorporating new technologies in his processes of manufacture and for developing the traditional technologies. Like this, it has experienced an evolution, happening to be a company based exclusively in the tooling in cold for small pieces to a company multitecnológica.
The manufacture of our wide range of products carries out thanks to an extensive range of technologies and capacities along the chain of value as they are our capacities of internal manufacture of toolings and tools, the technologies advanced of setting —as, for example, the welding with laser by remote control— the technologies of finishing (painting in dust and painting of cataforesis) and technologies of conformed, that covers from the fimbriated and the hidro-formed to traditional processes of tooling in cold for diverse products and with distinct materials and the newest technology: the tooling in hot.
His speciality are the processes of deformation, but mechanise also pieces by start of shaving?
These processes are not, to day of today, incorporated in our plants.
Which degree of automation has his processes?
The automation of the processes has a fundamental importance in Gestamp, since it does that these have a guarantee in terms of quality and cost.
In addition to Mercedes-Benz, for what other marks work? They have changed a lot of his requirements in the last years? In which sense?
Gestamp, thanks to the contribution of global solutions, has turned into provider of reference of the main manufacturers of trucks of the world. It supplies components for the manufacturers of trucks more important of the world in terms of volume of production. Some of these customers are: Volkswagen, Renault-Nissan, Peugeot-Citroën, Daimler (inside the cual is Mercedes Benz), GM, BMW, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata, Volvo, Hyundai, Toyota and Deep, among others.
Work with a wide range of technologies to satisfy the demand of the industry, that is centred in the reduction of weight and in the increase of the hygiene.
The pressesure on the prices of the car, allows sufficient margins? From the point of view of the processes of production, how have attained to be a competitive provider?
At present no longer have to speak of margins but of necessary internal costs (and that they have to adjust to obtain the clear-cut margin in the sale of the piece).
Regarding the processes of production, would stand out like factors of the success of Gestamp the innovation, the R&D and the technological command. For us, they are fundamental pieces of a strategy focused to the future. Besides, with them, Gestamp looks for the development of products with an innovative design to achieve vehicles increasingly safe and light and, therefore, better in relation to the consumption of power and environingingmental impact.
Another of the factors of our competitiveness is the vicinity between our plants and the centres of production of the marks of trucks, that comports a reduction of the logistical costs. Besides, in Gestamp use the system of production ‘Just in Time' that allows us fulfil with the requirements of our customers for fast deliveries at the same time that reduce our needs of storage and inventoried (and, therefore, the costs).
The customers every time collaborate more with the providers of components to design his models of trucks. Like this, we develop strategic relations with the manufacturers, what contributes us a big competitive advantage regarding our competitors.
After some very hard years for the sector of the automotive sector, have noticed some backstitch in the last months, taking into account the announcement of some investments by part of international manufacturers?
According to IHS, the western economies will recover in 2019 the volumes of 2007 regarding production of light vehicles. In 2012, in spite of the negative economic situation, the sales of light vehicles to world-wide level grew 5%, reaching the 79,4 million units. Regarding Gestamp, the figure of businesses consolidated of the Group Gestamp grew 21% with regard to the previous year.
According to his experience, the Spanish companies that follow to the foot of the cannon like Gestamp do it thanks to the export or is recovering the internal market?
If we speak of the industry of automotive sector, the business centres at present in the export. According to data of Anfac, from January to November of 2013 produced in Spain more than 2 million vehicles (experiencing an increase of 9,02% concerning the previous year), of which more than 1,7 millions have allocated to the external market.
On line with our strategy of internationalisation, the distribution of our sales has to be ranged with the production of light vehicles to global level. Western Europe still has a big weight in the sales (56% of our sales in 2012 has realizar in this region). The importance of the business in Spain has seen reduced, supposing something less than 15%, whereas they have increased the figures for the region Asia-Pacífico, that at present suppose 8%.
Gestamp Has also plant abroad. Where they situate and which is his current situation?
Gestamp Has a total of 96 productive centres, delivered in 19 countries (Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, Portugal, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Mexico, Korea, China, India, Slovakia and Czech Republic). The greater part of our centres —65— are located in Europe and specifically 24 of them, in Spain; North America has 8 plants and south America with 9. Finally, we possess 12 centres in Asia.
Besides, have 12 centres of R&D in Europe (2 of them situated in Spain), Asia and Latin America.
To finalise, which next projects can advance us that they contribute a true optimism to the sector?
If we speak of the Spanish market, the plants of the manufacturers in Spain have achieved replacement of business for the next 6-8 years. There has been a good growth of all they. This fact does that the industry of components also grow in production.
The industry of components has a series of Spanish groups that have achieved to consolidate like players of importance to world-wide level since they are able to implant in the markets of greater growth and be competitive, thanks to the development of product and own technology. Besides, they have an interlocución direct with the centres of decision of the manufacturers and a financial solvency that will allow them face new investments and manage the less profitable perimeters.
These groups of manufacturers are the key to keep an industry of competitive components, that facilitate the continuation of the presence of the manufacturers of production in Spain.
If we think to global level, the focus of Gestamp is clearly directed to emergent markets and Asians.
