Interview to Rafa Sánchez, commercial director of Isaba Projects
Approximates the good time and with this the children's playgrounds restart the leadership of the familiar leisure. We take advantage of the presence of
Like specialists in the familiar leisure, which are the tendencies that see in the market?
More than of tendency I would speak directly of change, because in these last years has given a dump to the solutions that sues the market. In front of the traditional concept of childish park that came imposing in the past, now is the differentiation, the innovation, the originality, what wins presence in the market. The people that can invest in new projects, so much to public level like private, looks for something that was really different and the standard is dying little by little. In Isaba are convinced that the market will follow betting by this differentiation during the next years and thus our work goes in this line, in offering original solutions, no only in our traditional sector of equipment for childish park but also in other activities in which we come growing during the last years as they can be the parks of water.
Can say then that the market decants increasingly by the quality and no so much by the quantity, as it occurred before the crisis?
Himself. The customers now when they pose develop a new project look for that this contribute something different to his community, to his municipality… No longer voucher this to install a park because yes, it is necessary to look for the differentiation.
And this research of differentiation, appreciates more in the private sector or in the public?
In this sense it is necessary to signal that the private sector has a real need: or it invests or it dies. Therefore, has more need of innovation. But this does not remove that the city councils are increasingly liable to new designs, and show receptivos when you speak them of projects that can contribute a very social to his municipality. The problem that have is that, by the economic situation that suffer many of the public servicys, do not have today resources to face these investments.
Inside the private sector, where has today more presence Isaba?
I would say that, especially, in hotels. In the 25 years that carry in the market always have kept a very narrow relation with the installations hoteleras, has been a natural market and very important for us and, thanks to this, also have showed his confidence in the last solutions that have incorporated. Besides, it is necessary to take into account that the tourism is living a good moment in Spain and that the hotels look for to differentiate increasingly to attract to the visitors. Isaba Helps them to achieve it with solutions that fit very well in what it knows like familiar tourism.
To the margin of the hotels, in the private field, also work for sportive centres, campings, water parks, parks of attractions…
How they work in Isaba? They develop the design from a need posed by the customer? They try to avoid the standard product?
Our model of business goes through to give him to the customer what looks for, although it is true that many times the customer does not know what is what looks for. Therefore we are partícipes of the project at all times, with a team of professionals highly qualified that are in continuous communication with the customer to develop a solution that adjust to 100% to his requests.
I understand that for this have to have a powerful department of engineering, is not like this?
Yes, of course. But no only this, big part of the workers of Isaba are engineers and our real approach is in the customer, in helping him to develop technically the idea that has in his head.
In what work more now, in the equipment of leisure for water or in the childish park?
Although the childish park is and will keep on being important in our business, because we carry working in him 25 years, is true that in these last years where really have grown is in the world of the water. This is a market in which to go in require a specialisation and a specific knowledge, but that once obtained allow you give a jump regarding quality, size and types of projects.
There is some notable project that have executed recently in this field?
Among others, could stand out, to municipal level, the project of Palm of the River (Córdoba) with a park of water without depth and, in the sector of the sportive centres, the Sportive City Maya, in Pamplona. Regarding the hotels, have developed different projects in the Caribbean, for chains hoteleras like the one of Bay Prince, and in Spain in different hotels of Canaries and Balearic.
Now that comments his presence in the Caribbean, are growing to level of internationalisation?
Although in the last eight years have realizar important projects out of Spain, going in in unthinkable markets before for us like Qatar, Dubai, Europe, Sudamérica…, to day of today these international projects do not suppose our main activity, although the vocation is the one to keep growing in all these zones and improve our presence.
They manufacture the products that compose his installations or work with distributors?
The two things. We distribute marks like Vortex or Re-creates, with which carry long collaborating, and also have our own factory, that works from the projects that present them our engineers. Traditionally this factory used the wood like main material but now also employs other materials as it can be the stainless steel or the fibre.
Which paper plays the hygiene in the design and development of the projects of Isaba?
Always is fundamental the hygiene, but when we speak of installations for boys turns into an indispensable requirement. There are people that sells the hygiene like a value added, when I do not think that was like this. It is, first of all, a responsibility of the manufacturer. In Isaba, from 25 years ago, know very well the rules and the hygiene that require the boys in the children's playgrounds, and this experience have moved it also to the product of water, fulfilling equally with the most demanding rules to world-wide level.
It considers that the children's playgrounds that there is in our country are very dilapidated?
What has happened during the last years is that there has not been a real investment for the renewal of children's playgrounds. Although true that is situation is changing little by little, is not it less than the current investment goes more allocated to the maintenance that to the creation of new areas. This is carrying to situations in which the parks reutilizan more than the account.
With this fault of investment in new parks, can put in danger the hygiene of the boys?
Do not create it. To national level, the Spanish manufacturers have a quality and some requirements of hygiene very high. All are offering some guarantees in the very important market and will keep on being like this. The alarm can come of products of countries like China where the certificates of hygiene are not contrasted.
Inside his catalogue of products, what is the newest in Isaba?
I would stand out a product that loved me when I saw it for the first time and that go to have the luck to have it already installed in Spain in the next months. It calls ‘The Bubble' and is a semiesfera that installs inside a swimming pool with a determinate depth, and that supposes a flexible element where the together boy all the activities with which more amuses : trepar, jump and glide by a big cúpula. We trust that it goes to have an important success.
The product Isaba goes directed only to the childish public or also to people adults?
The aim and specialisation of Isaba is in the familiar leisure, in which they take part all the members of the family, so much the children like the parents. Although our tendency has been traditionally to boys until the 12-15 years, with the new products can offer also installations for teenagers and for more greater. We look for that interactúen parents and children.
‘The Bubble': innovation, game, challenge and maximum attraction
The Hotel Live Cala Mesquida, in Palma de Mallorca, goes to be the first in explaining in Spain with the revolutionary game of swimming pool called ‘The Bubble'. It treats of a cúpula done of a resistant vinyl that installs in a circular swimming pool, supporting in the centre in a structure of stainless steel. It can trepar by her thanks to some ropes of willing climbing by the perimeter, top his peak and jump once arrives to up, or leave fall freely until the swimming pool. As they signal from Isaba, “no only is fun to play in her, see the show from out also is a divertimento”.
