Avalco magazine, published by the National Association of Plumbing and Heating Stockists of Spain, has published an interview with Joaquim Feixas, Managing Director of ESPA EDE IBERIA, in its 12th issue.
Under the title "ESPA, more than 60 years innovating in water pumping solutions with a global reach", Joaquim shares the company's evolution, its commitment to innovation and sustainability, his vision of the impact of artificial intelligence and the importance of strategic alliances, such as the one it has maintained with the Avalco Group for more than 20 years.
WHAT TOPICS ARE COVERED IN THE INTERVIEW?
The main points raised by Joaquim Feixas are:
• Espa, founded in Banyoles (Girona) more than 60 years ago, has established itself as a global leader in water pumping solutions, with a presence in more than 100 countries.
• The company controls its entire production chain, guaranteeing the quality and reliability of its products.
• Its business model is based on continuous improvement, constant innovation and a strong commitment to sustainability and customer satisfaction.
• Adapting to the changing market is key, driving research and development to offer efficient, repairable and technological products.
• With regard to artificial intelligence (AI), Espa anticipates a major impact, foreseeing advantages such as more efficient pump design, optimisation of manufacturing processes through robotics and more effective supply chain management. However, it also recognises challenges such as high implementation costs, resistance to change and increased risks of cyberattacks.
• Espa's collaboration with the Avalco Group, which spans two decades, is a fundamental pillar, based on protecting the value chain between manufacturer, wholesale distributor and professional installer, and on generating local value as a manufacturer.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW!
1.- We cannot begin without knowing something about ESPA. What is ESPA and what do you do?
We are a company that is part of the GTE group. We are manufacturers with production centres in Spain and France, and we are dedicated to and specialise in the design, production, distribution, sale and innovation of pumps, systems and water management equipment for the domestic and residential sector.
In addition, we have an international presence and recognition, as our products are available on every continent and in more than 100 countries through our 16 distribution subsidiaries and professional wholesale and specialist distributors.
It should also be noted that our industrial and production model controls the entire production chain, from raw materials to the finished product, thus enabling us to control and guarantee the quality and reliability of our products throughout this process.
For us, the continuous improvement of domestic water pumping solutions is a fundamental value. For this reason, we have a value chain based on our human capital, corporate social responsibility and customer satisfaction, as well as a strategic definition based on product development and innovation and the incorporation of new product ranges to respond to current and present challenges and needs, but especially future ones.
2.- ESPA is a well-known brand in water pump design, with over 60 years of experience. How did your company get started?
The company was founded by a group of entrepreneurs led by Mr Josep Pagès, Joaquim Daranas and Lluís and Joan Fontfreda, in the town of Banyoles (Gerona), where we are still based today. They founded the company Talleres Espa and five years later it was renamed Bombas Eléctricas ESPA SA.
Since its foundation and to this day, our vision and focus have been on building a pumping portfolio and our own powerful and innovative industrial structure, in order to be a benchmark in the development of pumping solutions. All this is accompanied by an after-sales service management structure that combines the best experience for customers and professionals efficient use of water and energy resources to contribute to social well-being and care for the environment.
3.- For such a long-standing company, adapting to the ever-changing market is a necessity.
Adaptation is a key requirement, even more so in the current context. For this reason, at ESPA, innovation and research are not questioned or negotiated, as they are essential to achieving the level of excellence imposed and demanded by the market, in order to offer innovative products that meet the needs and demands of professionals, who require reliable, efficient, easy-to-install, but also repairable and technological, in order to guarantee sustainable treatment of energy resources in line with our environmental commitment.
4.- One of ESPA's pillars is innovation. As experts in the field, what role do you think AI or other similar advances will play in your business model?
I believe that AI will undoubtedly have a major impact on both manufacturers and distributors.
In any case, as manufacturers, AI could bring us advantages and opportunities such as:
• Facilitating the design of pumps, making them more efficient, as we will be able to better analyse and organise all performance data.
• Technology and robots in manufacturing processes will improve quality and reduce errors and production and labour costs.
• More efficient supply chain management, because we will be able to better plan demand and, with it, inventory levels, thereby improving working capital management, which is key in any company or business.
However, there are trade-offs in the form of risks and challenges, such as:
• AI will entail high investment and implementation costs, as well as resistance to change among our organisations' staff.
• Greater digitisation, greater risk of cyberattacks, connectivity failures, etc.
5.- ESPA's collaboration with Avalco has lasted for two full decades. How would you define this collaboration from your perspective?
The collaboration with the Avalco Group has always been good, because it has also been encouraged from the outset by the main players or partners in the group, who were already Espa customers and who saw our brand, but above all our business model, as a loyal ally, since, as we continue to do today, we base our model and our business proposal on a clear objective: to protect the value chain between the manufacturer, who is responsible for manufacturing, the wholesale distributor, who is responsible for storage and distribution, and the professional, who is responsible for installation. In our view, this is the value chain that we must continue to protect and promote, because it brings us value and business, and from our point of view, it should help us to overcome all the major challenges that lie ahead in the sector.
Furthermore, as an added value, and as a Spanish manufacturer, we contribute and generate local value, and I believe that distributors and professionals should highlight this value in order to collaborate and strengthen relationships with Spanish companies and manufacturers, for the benefit of all.