GRI Conference - 28 May - Quintas - Learn About Transparency In The Supply Chain

Learn about Transparencyin the Supply Chain

About us

• Quintas & Quintas group is a Portuguese familiar based group, founded in 1925 by Mr. Francisco Alves Quintas;

• Cable manufacturers;

• Beginning of industrial activities on the ropes production

• Industrial activities are concentrated in Esposende, 50 km north of Oporto .Mr. Francisco Alves Quintas

Quintas & Quintas Group founder

Currently, business areas of Quintas & Quintas Group are organized as follows:


What We DoI. Low Voltage Underground Cables (0,6/1 kV)

• Aluminium conductors (solid / stranded, round / sector shaped);

• XLPE or PVC insulation;

• Polyester assembling tape;

• PVC outer sheath.

Applications

Power plants; Underground distribution networks; Industrial plants; The solid conductor cables are particularly

suitable for the LV circuits, between the transformers and main distribution boards.

II. Low Voltage Aerial Bundled Cables

• Round stranded and compacted aluminium conductors;

• XLPE insulation, UV resistant;

• Bare or XLPE insulated aluminium alloy neutral messenger.

Applications

Mainly used for the LV distribution networks, namely in the rural or suburban areas, due to

several specific advantages.

What We DoI. Medium Voltage Insulated Cables

• Round stranded and compacted aluminium or copper conductors;

• XLPE or HEPR insulation;

• Insulation screen (strippable or full bonded);

• Metallic screen (copper wires / copper tape);


• PVC or PE outer sheath

Applications

MV transport and distribution networks; Industrial plants; Power plants; Transformer units; Connection between lines and transformers; The cables can be installed in ducts, galleries, directly buried in the soil or in the open air; The armored versions are particularly suitable to be directly buried in the soil, when an extra mechanical protection is needed.

II. Medium Voltage Aerial Bundled Cables

Round stranded and compacted aluminium or copper conductors;

Conductor screen; XLPE insulation; Insulation screen (strippable or full bonded);

Copper tape metallic screen; PVC outer sheath; PVC covered galvanized steel support cable.

What We DoI. High Voltage Insulated Cables

• Round stranded and compacted aluminium or copper conductors;

• Conductor screen;

• XLPE or HEPR insulation;

• Insulation screen (strippable or full bonded);

• Metallic screen (copper wires / copper tape);


• PVC outer sheath

Applications

HV transport and distribution networks; Industrial plants; Power plants; Transformer units;

The cables can be installed in ducts, galleries, directly buried in the soil or in the open air.


What We DoI. Bare Conductors

AAC – All Aluminium Conductors

AAAC – All Aluminium Alloy Conductors

ACAR – Aluminium Conductors Alloy Reinforced

ACSR – Aluminium Conductors Steel Reinforced

ACS ACSR / AW – Aluminium Conductors ACS Reinforced

AACSR – Aluminium Alloy Conductors Steel Reinforced

OPGW – Optical Power Ground Wire


Key Figures


Key Figures


Key Figures

Italy

France

United Kingdom

The Early Beginning – Think We Could…

We began to hear of sustainability for some time:

• We received some inquiries from our customers that we have drawn attention;

• They were received by the commercial department, who answered them as they could, after consulting the board,

namely the director in charge of the commercial issues.

• The aspects were, with no doubts, interesting and important. Some very clear, and others a little bit difficult to

measure.

• We begin to realize that it was important to inform our customers of some less common aspects of our companies

and to have a well-defined way to deal with them.

First Steps – Think That We Should!

On the beginning of 2009 we participate in a program of assessment and diagnosis released by well known economic newspaper

and a multinational consultancy company.

• As usual, all the people thought these issues were not for us… Sustainability is a fashion theme to big companies and

multinationals… Of course we face this!

• In the social dimension achieved a result below the average of 2009.

• For the first time, we were participating officially into an event related with sustainability. The inquiry made

everybody think, and something made people uncomfortable: why cannot we do something? This participation

served as diagnostic.

• Start writing our code of ethics. Our main concern was to write a behavioral commitment, fundamental.

Learn about Transparency in the Supply Chain

EDP Invited Us – Decided to Go!

EDP invited us, as his supplier, to participate on the Global Action Network for Transparency in the Supply Chain program.

EDP, thank you;

GANTSCh, thank you.

We are here!

We wrote our first sustainability Report.


What We Did

The preparation of the report

1. Defining the Sustainability Team a. Personal skills baseb. Sensitivity to the topicc. Proximity to top managementd. Overview of the organization

2. Provide essential knowledge to the sustainability team We participate on the 2-day GRI Certified training course.

3. Preparation of an action plan Although we were beginning, it’s very important to set up what will be needed, when the report should be published, people involved and responsibilities, budget

4. Performing an initial meeting Involve the top management and Managers to define economic, environmental and social impacts of our activity, according to the defined objectives for the company. This action was preceded by an initial awareness, focusing on basic concepts and practical examples.


What We Did

Connection

1. Who are the stakeholders?

According to the five attributes – Dependence, Proximity, Influence, Responsibility and Representativeness – we

defined our stakeholders as:

Clients, Suppliers, Shareholders, Employees and Banks

We consider too the local community, because we are one of the largest employers in the geographic region

where we are located.

Taking into account the definition of stakeholder – a person, group or organization who influences or is influenced

by the actions of our organization – we decide to exclude from the list of priority stakeholders our

competitors. Although fit the definition mention above, when we analyze the competitive

profile we note that the bidirectional influence would suggest some hurt of the competition laws.


What We Did

Connection

2. Define a universal survey to all stakeholders

a. This is the way we decided to engage all the stakeholders. So, we can see if the trend is all the same, or by

the contraire, it differs from one to the others.

b. It’s very important to decentralize this contact:

i. In the clients point of view, it´s easier to answer to the employee, they are used to talk to;

ii. In the company’s point of view, this contributes to a widespread participation and a easier way to

contact the right person from client’s side.

Clients → Commercial Department / Account Manager

Suppliers → Purchasing Department

Shareholders → Board

Employees → Human Resources Department

Banks → Financial Department


What We Did

Connection

c. Major difficulty: the time. It took about two months to get answers.

It was necessary to make several contacts, in most cases to get the answer.

The solution is the insistence, flexible means of response and above all by the simplicity of the survey. We

believe that, over time, and after watching the first report published, the more easily perceive and therefore

faster, easier and assertively send us the answers we expect.

Of the surveys sent, we obtained an overall participation rate of 53.8%, considering the sample

representative and thus validated the survey.

How was the first time we sent an inquiry of this nature, we decided to check the answers that were given.

Thus, the questionnaire included a third question to verify the consistency in the first answer

given. We also checked the validity of the answers, because they were consistent in each group

of stakeholders.


What We Did

Define Report Content

1. We analyzed the responses obtained, and after treated statistically, we did a ranking of the main points

raised. Also suitable, the main objectives and their impacts arising from the strategy for companies, as

defined in the business plan.

2. We construct a correlation table of all of these themes with GRI indicators, according to the G3.

3. Matched GRI indicators with ratios internally defined, whose data are routinely collected by us.

Our companies do, in a long time, continuous monitoring of their activity in

terms of economic, operational, environmental, etc. It was our concern seeking to reconcile and

don’t to multiply them, for obvious reasons.

This is a critical aspect for us, that will contribute to the long life of this reports.

Of course, if we don’t have the data needed, we will collect It.


What We Did

Monitor Impacts

1. In light of the survey results and the company's strategy, validate the ratios defined for each GRI indicator

with the head of each of the areas to which it relates.

2. The leaders of these areas collected the necessary data for each ratio. After some successes, analyze their

behavior, acts to enhance and what to do in light of those results.

We collected quantitative and qualitative data for these ratios for a period of two years, allowing to know

and evaluate its main trends. Whenever possible, we use graphics to illustrate the behavior.

3. All of this conclusions were validated by the board, and the resulting action plan will be inserted into the

several action plans of each area.

4. We wrote our first Sustainability Report. The trip starts here.


Conclusions

1. This kind of reports, differ from others because they include the engagement of the stakeholders directly.

We are always telling them what we think they want to know, not properly what they want to know… The

easier way is asking them. When we put this on the way, many of them felt they are being taken into

account. This strengthens the relationships and the commitment.

2. The approach to organize data, discuss it and define what to do is simple. This is not an obligation of one or

two guys, but an everybody’s duty. This model is participatory.

3. In our opinion, the key is the contact to the outside of the company: the account managers want to manage

themselves the contact with their clients; people from the purchasing department want to contact the

suppliers, financial want to contact banks…


Conclusions

4. When you ask, analyze and report, a high degree of commitment is naturally established. In an internal and

external point of view. Because of this, the process of specific development of goals and targets will appear

naturally, in areas where you are not used to do that. This, obviously, empowers the companies.

5. Are there any natural fear in the publication of evidence taken as reserved. This is real, and we must analyze

all of that situations and check them with top management. You will find, generally two different situations:

- The real ones, this is, in fact the situations when data collected can be used

externally in favor of other interests, namely by entities that are not stakeholders, disadvantage the

company.

- The false ones, this is, the situations where we must improve our behavior.

We only can solve this, first of all, with sense and sensitivity : involve top management and

managers, show others’ examples, When we need better, take it up with a clear and

appropriate action plan.



Jorge Quintas Serrano [email protected] +351 91 856 21 03

Fernando Martins Barbosa [email protected] +351 91 788 30 62

www.quintascondutores.pt www.solidal.pt

Lugar do Paço – Gandra, P.O. Box 27, 4741-909 Esposende, Portugal

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.solidal.pt/

Business

GRI Conference - 28 May - Quintas - Learn About Transparency In The Supply Chain