CONSTRUCTION

Known for building some of the world’s best architectural wonders, the services of Spanish construction companies remain highly sought-after across the world.

Alberto Aragonés CEO, GRUPO JOCA

GRUPO JOCA STARTED IN 1977 and slowly grew with the sector to become one of the main construction companies in the Extremadura region. After the boom of the Spanish construction sector, the previous management decided to expand into real estate and civil work. The company later separated the two sectors in 2015. At this point, we changed the scope of the company with a three-point strategy. One of our primary focuses is international markets, with a special focus on Latin America and the Mediterranean. In Latin America, we have been able to implement the second point of our strategy, which is to offer financing and the best technical capabilities. We have established a firm position in Bolivia, which we entered in 2015. Another important country is Panama, where we have increased our portfolio to USD120 million since 2015. We are also entering Colombia and building a hub in Latin American to operate in Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica. We have also expanded into North Africa and expect to start a project in Egypt in 2019. We are also analyzing opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Federico Ávila PRESIDENT - CEO, LANTANIA

WE ARE A NEW COMPANY but we inherited the capabilities and experience of a company that was almost 90 years old. We retained the machinery, systems, and key people from Isolux Corsán, which gave us a significant advantage. Lantania is structured around three main business areas: infrastructure, water, and energy. In 2018, infrastructure was stronger for us, though in 2019, 40% of our revenue comes from energy, 40% from infrastructure, and 20% from water. In infrastructure, we have many projects, including railroads, highways, and buildings. We have two segments: industrial and public buildings, and residential. We are currently constructing the expansion of the Guadalajara hospital, a huge project worth more than EUR80 million. Another project is the construction of truck boxes and a convention center inside the Jarama Circuit. We are also constructing 90 homes in Catalonia and 50 homes in Colmenar Viejo. We are also currently constructing the most important hydraulic project in the country, a dam in Huesca. In terms of energy, we do renewable energy projects, such as hydro, wind, and solar.

Pablo Bueno Tomás CEO, TYPSA

IN THE 1960S, TYPSA was a subsidiary of one of the main contractors in Spain. In 1976, the management organized a buyout, and TYPSA became independent. In the 1980s, Spain started to invest seriously in developing its own infrastructure. There was a need to design and supervise the quality of this infrastructure, and TYPSA provided the services. Most of our growth was organic, but in 2006 we acquired a company in the US that accelerated the internationalization of our operations. We also acquired a company in Brazil. We have been active in the Middle East since the 1970s, where we started with the Al-Imam University project in Riyadh. More recently, we designed lines 4, 5, and 6 of Riyadh Metro as part of a consortium. Also, in Saudi Arabia, we have been working on several desalination plants, wastewater treatment plants, water supply networks, and water supply tanks. We are participating in the design of the metro in Doha. We are also working in the UAE. In addition to our traditional presence in Latin America and some African countries, we have recently opened new markets in Asia and northern Europe.

Jorge Miarnau PRESIDENT, COMSA CORPORACIÓN

AFTER THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR, my grandfather started the company from scratch again. With the growth during the 1960s, we branched out into roads, buildings, harbors, and airports and became a global construction company. In the 1980s, we began to venture abroad. After the 2008 crisis, we merged with a company specialized in industrial engineering and focused on other countries. Today, our main areas are infrastructure, industrial engineering, and maintenance services, and we are present in more than 20 countries. Our main operations are in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. At present, over 50% of our work is outside of Spain. Some 70% of our revenue comes from the public sector and the rest from the private sector. We are focused on growing steadily by concentrating on our core businesses. We want to have the right people and procedures in place to succeed in the long term. We are also preparing for the new digital world. Our strategy is to focus on South America and northern Europe, an interesting region with growing economies where we have a strong presence.