I n g e n i oNº 36 | MAY 2018

Tailor-made carsharing solutions

Interview with Jesús López Camino

Page 7 Page 15

First industrial project in Ukraine

Page 6

Ayesa is developing its ABO (Ayesa Back Office Optimizer) platform to process applications and documentation for those who receive this special rate. Through this BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) project, the company is consolidating its expertise in the digital transformation of utilities.

Technology for managing Reduced Electricity Rates

Contents and design:Corporate CommunicationsDepartment.General Corporate Managing.

Contact: comunicacioncorporativa@ayesa.com

Head office:Edificio Ayesa, Marie Curie, 2Parque Científico Tecnológico Cartuja41092 Seville, Spain

All material is subject to copyright. It isstrictly prohibited to distribute all or anypart of this magazine without the expresspermission of the author.

Endesa’s Reduced Electricity Rate

Our first industrial project in Ukraine

Tailor-made carsharing solutions

The last diesel train in Mallorca

NETfficient close to its landmark year

The story of Ayesa’s offices

Electronic invoicing

Countdown in Atotonilco

Interview with Jesús López Camino

ITC contracts platform

Our people in Barcelona

Ayesa Foundation: STEM for girls

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Summary

3PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

Ayesa designed virtually all the infrastructure of Expo 92 in Seville, participating in the adventure of its construction and design from the very beginning…We had to travel far and wide to learn about the events that had gone before. All the previous expos I visited were haunted by the gloomy spectre of failure. Each expo’s initial burst of light and life had made way for empty plots, depressing parks to which even nostalgia could not lend a spark of life.As a result of this, everyone involved in Expo 92 was worried about the future. We did not want to see a Cartuja full of weeds, or be accused of having wasted public money on a useless celebration of tomorrow in Seville.So we came up with the concept of a technological park and encouraged the involvement of multinational companies. The idea itself was commendable, but nobody knew how to go about it. I was convinced that the infrastructure of Expo 92 would transform Seville into a different city. It would become a city with the ability to have its strong history, religious traditions and customs live by side by side with a whole host of modern infrastructures. It would have an infrastructure capable of guaranteeing the economic future of its inhabitants. But we needed to kick-start the initiative to turn La Cartuja into a technological park. So I thought we should set an example and contribute ideas, insofar as our means allowed us. If we, the people of Seville, didn’t take the reins, who else was going

to have faith in the project? In 1993, we moved out of our 750-square-metre offices in Avenida República Argentina, and into the 3,000-square-metre Czechoslovakian pavilion where, with our one hundred members of staff, we took up just one floor. We immediately felt ourselves drawn by the magic of this magnificent place, which encouraged us to develop cutting-edge technology. It kept the Expo’s installations and a number of its pavilions, resulting in an unusual and striking urban landscape. Our clients were impressed by the splendid setting and our engineers thought they werein Silicon Valley. Many other companies followed in our footsteps. The multinationals from the early days left, and no others came after that. But in their place we, the people of Seville, took possession of what was our responsibility and destiny. Gradually, Cartuja began to flourish, and in time became the technology park we had dreamed of. We had education, research, start-ups, entrepreneurs and exporters. It was a new Seville, one that was astonishing and unthinkable only a few years earlier. From poets, singers and bullfighters, we had become exporters of intelligence. Ayesa, the hundred-strong company that established itself in this technological park is now, twenty-five years later, a company with 4,500 technical staff who work all over the world and has sixteen international headquarters. I have no doubt whatsoever that we owe almost all of this to the Expo.

25 years in technology

José Luis Manzanares JapónPresident of Ayesa

Ayesa has added a new project to its portfolio, thus consolidating and expanding its expertise in the digital transformation of utilities and technological BPO (Business Process Outsour-cing) services. The multinational company has developed a technological platform, based on its ABO (Ayesa Back Office Optimizer) solution, to assist Endesa in processing applications and documentation for its new Reduced Electricity Rate. This system is targeted at low-income or economically disadvantaged families, and will enable them to benefit from a discount on their electricity bills.

Last October, the Spanish Government passed a Royal Decree, laying out new requirements and defining new categories, namely: vulnera-ble consumers, severely vulnerable consu-mers, and those at risk of social exclusion.This is why, once again, all customers must send the required documents to the electricity

companies before October, following the re-cent extension of the deadline by six months.In the case of Endesa, around a million customers throughout Spain benefit from this discount, which varies between 25% and 50%. Javier Requejo, head of BPO, emphasises the fact that the technology developed by Ayesa “will allow a high volume of applications to be dealt with in a shorter time-frame”.The deadlines which have been set are very demanding, “but with our solution, we can guarantee to meet all the requirements. This is possible thanks to the automation of a good number of operations, thus reducing the bur-den of repetitive manual work and minimising mistakes made in processing the applications as far as possible” adds Requejo.In addition to the implementation of the technological platform, Ayesa will fully manage all documentation, this being centralised in Seville.

ExperienceAyesa has built up a wealth of experience in the processing of contracts for electricity suppliers, in the areas of both distribution and marketing. The company has been providing BPO services for over fifteen years. Its network of specialist back office and front office centres, together

with the technological solutions it has develo-ped, has allowed this business area to grow by 300% in the last five years. Almost a thousand people now work at its

headquarters in the centre of Seville, which is where the Reduced Electricity Rate will be handled for the Spanish subsidiary of the Enel energy group.In addition, the company has offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Tétouan, equipped with fully redundant communications systems and contingency plans, as well as SaaS cloud systems.“The enormous potential for integration of the-se processes with our technology allows us to provide full outsourcing services. We embrace the whole cycle of operations, from the data centre and information systems to the mana-gement of externalised processes, where the customers pay for end usage”, Requejo points out. Robotisation, BPM, artificial intelligence

The company has built up a wealth of experience in the processing of contracts for the electricity supply sector

4 BPO

Back office for Endesa’s Reduced Electricity Rate>> Almost a million people will use the system set up to manage the Reduced Electricity Rate with all applications and supporting documents for this special rate having to be submitted by next October.

The hub of Ayesa’s BPO services.

The company has developed its technological platform in the face of a huge amount of paperwork

5BPO

>> Using its own technology in its customer service centres, the company attains a service standard of 90%.

Redevelopment of the Ministry of Education call centre

The Spanish Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport has once again contracted to Ayesa its education telephone helpline service. The company won the first tender in 2015 and with this new contract, it will continue to undertake the work for another two years. “This testifies to our high quality standards, which are achieved thanks to the rational use of technology and our experience in running customer service centres”, according to Fran-cisco Merchán, the manager of the Solutions area of BPO. Where service is concerned, there is an im-portant seasonal aspect, as telephone queries are most concentrated in periods when grant application processes open, and at the times when the grants are awarded. Equally, they deal with complaints and claims, provide information on the approval or ac-creditation of qualifications obtained abroad, support with course application procedures and navigation of the Ministry’s web portal, in addition to dealing with any problems relating to the web site.

DemandThe core team consists of around 15 staff who are employed throughout the year but, due to the periods of high demand referred to above, the number of staff posts quadruples during July and August. “This requires agility in reorganising and resizing the teams, and a work force that is constantly able to adapt to the flow of work. This is a situation that, though very common in BPO, has special implications when dealing with customer calls”, points out Merchán. Ayesa manages these types of outsourcing services, both front office (Contact Centre) and back office, with internally developed techno-

logy integrated with open-source solutions. Thanks to that, it can guarantee high stan-dards of service. In the case of the Ministry of Education, standards of service have risen from the 40% recorded before Ayesa took on the role, to a current level of 90%. Even during the periods of high demand, average satisfac-tion levels hover around 80%. “This has been pos-sible thanks to the automation of tasks, good management of peak demand points, and inves-tment in the training of managers”, adds Merchán.

Ayesa’s BPO workers.

Head of Solutions (BPO)

Francisco Merchán

and multi-channelling feature among the technologies incorporated.

HistoryAyesa launched itself into the BPO sector fifteen years ago with its back office service for Endesa Energía’s Cefaco (Billing and Pay-ments Centre), and a team of over 200 staff at its offices at the Isla de la Cartuja in Seville.

This contract was Ayesa’s first step towards specialisation in this field. There would follow the awarding of Endesa Energía contracts for handling complaints and remote manage-ment - while in 2011, Ayesa secured its first contracts for the provision of billing, recon-ciliation and fraud investigation, claims and bespoke logistics services. From 2013, the company’s client portfolio continued to expand, with new projects for other utility companies including Viesgo and Redexis. In terms of the public sector, Ayesa adminis-ters various services, Ministries, Spanish regional gover-nments, town councils and other public bodies.

BPO Managing director

Javier Requejo

Its client portfolio has diversified thanks to the new services developed for utility companies and AAPP

It embraces the whole cycle of operations, from the data centre to the management of externalised processes

Our internationalization is unstoppable: the name of Ayesa can now be heard in six languages and the prestige of our work spans 40 countries. We now have more than 120 expatriates around the world, but to keep growing we need to have people willing to advanceprofessionally, championing important projects anywhere in the world.

Being part of the elite is at your fingertips. If you are interested, please contact us at: rrhh@ayesa.es and join us.

#Novayassolo

JOIN THE ELITE

6 INDUSTRY

First contract with Ukraine for the design of a yeast extract production facility

Ayesa’s experience in the yeast industry has brought it to a new, hitherto unexplored, country. One of the largest Ukrainian produ-cers has contracted Ayesa to design a new production unit to begin the manufacture of yeast extract. This product is currently in great demand as a substitute for other chemical products used to enhance the flavour of food. The project will be undertaken in two pha-ses: During the first phase, an installation has been planned that will produce up to one thousand tons of yeast and its by-pro-ducts, which will allow the client company

to introduce the new product and test it in the market. During the second phase, a resizing exercise is envisaged, which could see a sevenfold increase in production. In the last 15 years, Ayesa has been invol-ved in over 30 yeast production facilities, designing factories in a number of coun-

tries, from China through Russia, Morocco, Argentina and South Africa to Mexico. This has made the company the international benchmark for the design of this type of processing plant. The company has worked with the world’s major producers, including AB Mauri of the Associated British Foods group, Angel Yeast, Puratos, Somadir, Uniferm and others. The company heads up every stage of the

process, guaranteeing the highest quality yeast products which are therefore able to compete in the international market, thanks to their rigorous hygiene standards. “Our solutions focus on obtaining the best quality products on the market and minimising ope-rating costs with energy-saving measures, recycling and innovative waste treatment processes”, explains Santiago Barberá, processing plants manager. The yeasts are mainly used in the food industry, in bakeries, in alcohol produc-tion, and for pharmaceutical and domestic use. For these services, Ayesa undertakes everything from research and basic and advanced engineering projects to the supervision of the construction project and implementation. “Know-how, innovation and experience are the three factors that make us a respected engineering company within the demanding field of processing plants. Our technological expertise puts us in the premier league in the fields of biotechnology, biofuels, chemistry and pharmacy”, he adds.

>> Ayesa is undertaking the Project Management of a new production unit, to be built into the existing factory in this Eastern European country.

Dir. Processing Plants Division

Santiago Barberá

Interior de una planta de producción de levaduras.

Leading companies in the yeast industryAyesa is the world’s leading engineering company in the design of yeast production plants. It develops projects in several countries, guaranteeing the highest quality.

The company has been responsible for the planning of 30 plants in China and Mexico

>> The company is focusing on carsharing platforms. It is developing its ZEfleet fleet management system, and adding this new technology to proprietary transport products, such as electric vehicle charging systems.

Ayesa is expanding into the field of sustai-nable mobility. The company has its sights fixed on carsharing and motor-sharing technology, a sector which is expanding throughout Europe. The firm has reinves-ted the knowledge gained through other projects related to information systems and electric vehicle technology to develop a vehicle fleet management system, focu-sed on carsharing services. Carsharing is a system whereby multiple users make individual use of a collective

fleet. Customers of this service pick up the vehicle, and then park it anywhere, paying either by the minute or by the kilometre. This is a rapidly growing market. Major vehicle manufacturers are spearheading initiatives of this type, and in Spain several companies are already providing this service in Madrid and Barcelona. Ayesa, as a provider of technological

solutions, has either already worked, or is currently working, with some of them. “Our ten years of experience in electric mobility solutions make us a good techno-logical partner. In addition, as a benchmark consultancy service, we are able to adapt to meet the requirements of our customers, by using the most advanced technology”, stres-ses Álvaro Cuñado, Ayesa’s Smart Mobility manager. In the case of carsharing, Ayesa is not offe-ring a ready-made solution, but is develo-ping tailor-made solutions. Cuñado points out that these types of systems have two main components. On the one hand, there is the web application, from which the fleet and its operations are managed and monitored, and on the other, there are the mobile applications (Apps), the

two-way communication channel with the carsharing user.

Innovative technology In terms of the technology, Cuñado explains that “for the front end we are using, among others, Angular 4 as it has a powerful but simple user interface creation facility”. As far as the Apps are concerned, Cuñado in-dicates that Ayesa has made a clear choice in favour of homogenous development, as it produces better results than hybrid development in terms of resolution, pro-cessing requirements, and response times. Of course, this last point is a fundamental consideration when a carsharing action has to be executed in real time. In the field of sustainable mobility, Ayesa offers solutions for the recharging of electric vehicles, which it has developed with Endesa, and also offers its electric vehicle fleet management system, known as ZEFleet. With regard to the latter, the systems currently in place manage over one thou-sand vehicles, via an AVL device (with GPS positioning); this manages the vehicle and monitors all types of parameters, in addition to using a central system that collects and processes all the information. “It is targeted at all types of fleets, from the smallest with 50 to 100 vehicles, up to the largest, such as the commercial and public servi-ce fleets”.

Ayesa opens the door to carsharing and motor-sharing technology

The firm undertakes bespoke projects, using the most advanced software and native applications

7SMART LIFE

The carsharing service is expanding throughout the whole of Europe.

Charging facilities For Endesa, Ayesa has produced a system which is still being developed to include new functionalities, such as paying via mobile phone. Previously, only customers of the company itself were permitted to recharge the vehicle, whereas now there is no need to have an existing contract with the electricity company.

Mobility manager

Álvaro Cuñado

8 CIIVL ENGINEERING

Ayesa got on board the last diesel train in Ma-llorca with a mission to convert it to electricity. The multinational company drafted the project in 2010, updating it in 2016, and is currently in charge of providing technical support to the work and monitoring it. This is one of the Balearic Government’s most important initiatives in recent years, with an investment of 35.2 million. The company is responsible for overseeing two stretches: from Enllaç station to Manacor Pobla and from Enllaç to Sa Pobla (30.5 and 12.5 kilometres respectively) - as well as the construction of six new electric traction subs-tations. These works are being undertaken by two different consortia: the Manacor stretch is being completed by Siemens, Man and Sam-pol, while the Sa Pobla stretch is being built by Telice, Eiffage and Azvi. Alberto Conesa, the head of technical sup-port, stresses that “the work is being carried out with the trains still in operation, so most of the work is carried out at night, which is an added complication”. Also, he points out, the-re are stretches, both rural and urban, where it is difficult to convert the railway platform from metric gauge to electric. Furthermore, as the engineer explains, the supply of materials needs to be planned with precision, as the equipment is being brought from mainland Spain. When the electrification of the railway net-work is complete, it will reduce the time of

journeys between Palma and Manacor and between Palma and Sa Pobla in both direc-tions, making the trip more convenient for passengers by eliminating the current change

at Enllaç station. Those in charge of Transport in the Balearic Government also stress that the new electric train will be cleaner, it will reduce the emis-sion of combustion gases and polluting waste, it will be less noisy - and, at the same time, it will use 25% less energy. Spain still has some older railways lines with diesel trains, although almost all are freight-only lines. The trend is towards electrification with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint. Ayesa has a strong reputation in designing the complete electrification of high-performance

rail networks, such as metro and tram lines. The company’s work encompasses designing everything from catenaries to substations, electrical connection lines and their operation, and the remote controls. Few engineers can draw on this wealth of technical skills, which allows an integrated ap-proach to be taken to a work from the outset, together with the study of alternative options through to complete electrification.

MilestonesAndalusia’s Transverse Axis (128 km) and the AVE Atocha-Chamartín Junction stand out as important milestones in the history of railway electrification. The AVE Atocha-Chamartín Junction, built in 2009, is the most important in Spain, as it connects two different electrifi-cation systems (1x25 kV and 2x25 kV) to join together the railway lines from the south, east and north of Spain, thus eliminating the need for passengers to change trains in Madrid. Currently, the electrification of Gran Canaria’s 54-km line is nearing com-pletion. Outside Spain, a level crossing automation system in Colombia, with signalling and traffic-lights systems for vehicles, is com-manding much attention.

Services for passengers have been maintained while the works are carried out

>> Ayesa undertook the electrification project in 2010, and is now in charge of providing technical support in its construction. It is the Balearic Islands’ biggest railway project in recent years.

The last diesel train in Mallorca

Electrified railway lines in Mallorca.

This project falls within the framework of the Balearic Government’s sustainability plan

Technical Support Manager

Alberto Conesa

9SMART LIFE

NETfficient, a pilot project financed by the EU and led by Ayesa, is approaching its most cru-cial operation yet. Once the development pha-se and the installation are complete, the 13 consortium partners will spend the following months carrying out trials to demonstrate the soundness and the advantages of the newly-developed technology. The aim of the project is to identify new energy business models that will be viable and transferable to any town, in response to the energy sector’s demands for digital conversion. In addition, innovative concepts are being tested in relation to the application of the collaborative financial approach to the energy sector. This key moment occurs just as the initiative has been selected by the EU for its #investEU investment plan campaign. This program-me, launched in February 2017, is aiming to establish itself as the showcase for innovative projects, and thus promote investment in the real economy. NETfficient is an ambitious energy project, involving several cutting-edge technologies. The objective is to create a system based on distributed renewable energy generation and storage, to be managed by a cloud-based platform which will automatically optimise the operation of the system, as well as maximi-sing the financial benefit to be gained from involvement in the energy markets.

Intelligent SystemThe System itself decides on the best times to store, use or sell on the market the electricity generated by photovoltaic plants or wind turbines, to guarantee the reliability of the network and to derive financial benefits which will ensure the economic sustainability of the

system. The final objective is to achieve an energy system which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The platform is capable of utilising different energy storage technologies, including batte-ries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and electric vehicle batteries. It is also able to adapt to different usage scenarios, including family homes, residential and commercial buildings,

industrial or public infrastructures such as floodlighting, and other public services. The island of Borkum will be used to test the system in a real-life scenario, involving suppliers, consumers and local authorities. The project is based on the collaborative economy model, where the consumers become “prosumers” - an active part of the energy supply system. The installation of solar energy generation units, electricity meters and storage systems in forty residential buildings and five public buildings, including an aquarium, has recently been completed.

With the implementation of the system and the platform becoming operational, the project partners and the citizens of Borkum will validate the functionality and impact of the solution; it aims to be a success story that will promote a more digital, greener and more sus-tainable energy system.

>> The installation of solar panels and power storage batteries in 45 dwellings and other buildings on the German island of Borkum has been completed.

NETfficient approaches its landmark year

Project manager

Santiago Blanco

Operators installing solar panels in the aquarium on the island of Borkum.

One of the forty dwellings that have been fitted with solar panels.The initiative has been selected by the EU for its #investEU Investment Plan campaign

10 AYESA

Ayesa has closed 2017 with a growth of 13% on the previous fiscal year. Thus, the group’s businesses have achieved a total income of €270 million. Over the past year, the company has conti-nued to improve its profit margins. Con-sequently, the EBITDA has reached €21.3 million, and the pre-tax profit has amounted to €5.8 million. Financial solvency is equally impressive, with a practically non-existent net debt ratio. The increase in income is a result of the general improvement in six areas of the business: civil engineering and architecture, industry, aeronautics, consultancy, BPO and Smart Life. Smart Life is the area that has recorded the best growth, with an increase of over 80%, thanks to projects undertaken mainly in Mexico and Spain. This department repre-sents 15% of the total growth, as it is the one currently rolling out the most innovative contracts, applying technologies such as big data, analytics, machine learning and IoT to strategic sectors such as security, sustaina-ble mobility, water and energy. According to the group’s chairman, José Luis Manzanares Japón, this confirms Ayesa’s soundness of judgement in inte-grating the world of engineering with that of technology. “Our dual role as experts in infrastructure and information systems developers is not merely a differentiating factor, but also a new business model to confront the challenges of a connected and intelligent world”. Mr Manzanares, who is also the founder of the company, stresses that “the growth

of Ayesa in 2017 is a demonstration of the effort invested in consolidating and boosting the geographical diversification initiated fifteen years ago now, in addition to sectoral diversification with new ICT services and products. We will continue along this track in 2018, when we expect a better perfor-

mance, thanks to the recovery of certain Latin America countries and the expected greater investment in Spain. In this connec-tion, the contract portfolio will expand to €421.8 million. In 2017, the company’s international operations saw an increase of 44% of the total, spread unevenly over the sectors. The civil engineering branch continues to focus more than 90% of its production abroad. The consultancy branch has concluded a year of record production abroad, with 32%, thanks to the implementation of SAP in the public sector in Latin America and in utilities. As far as geographical distribution is concerned, Latin America continues to be an important source, as it is here where Ayesa is implementing substantial projects in the field of urban transport, including overseeing the airport in Mexico and the Panamá and Quito systems. Nevertheless the drivers for growth are the Middle East, India and the rest of Asia.

EmploymentLastly, the company’s progress is also reflected in the growth of its workforce, composed of 3,800 technicians. The overall number of employment posts generated by the group exceeds 4,500 professionals. “The Spanish market is showing certain signs of recovery, a most welcome indica-tion which is helping us to strengthen our teams - something which is fundamental in a company which aims to continue as a benchmark in terms of knowledge and technical and technological solutions”, adds Manzanares.

Ayesa grows by 13% in 2017>> Turnover has increased to € 270 million, thanks to the improvements experienced by six areas of the business. The outstanding performance is that of Smart Life, with an increase of over 80%.

Ayesa has established itself in recent years as one of the leading Spanish consultants specialising in digital conversion. In Compu-ting Magazine’s latest ranking of ITC leaders, the company has risen to number 28. This ranking is dominated by technological groups of the calibre of Indra and IBM, telecommunications companies such as Másmóvil, and wholesalers like Tech Data and Esprinet. According to Computing Magazine, the growth data submitted by the ITC compa-nies confirms the upswing of the Spanish technology industry during 2017, reaching an overall volume of business worth

€28,002 million. This means an increase al-most into double figures, at 9.1, taking into account the top one hundred companies (excluding Telefónica). In the field of technological consultancy, Ayesa has a significant share of the market in two main sectors: economic and financial systems for public administration organi-sations, and all kinds of solutions for utility companies. Until four years ago, its activity was overwhelmingly focused within Spain, but since undertaking a process of interna-tionalisation, it achieved record figures in this area, earning 32% of its income outside Spain in 2017.

According to Computing Magazine, among the leading ITC companies

270 million €Turnover

4.519Team

+50 countriesInternational presence

€

11AYESA

Ayesa was born in a small office in the Los Remedios district of Seville in 1966. And there it stayed for its first 27 years. In 1993, it moved to one of the pavilions of Expo 92, an event that gave the firm a great boost as an engineering company; it would mark the beginning of a time of enormous growth and a foretaste of the rebirth of the company, the result of the integration of technological business, decades after its beginnings. The old Czechoslovakian pavilion, which in the Universal Exhibition had featured glass exhibits evoking Bohemian crystal, received the first 100 employees, occupying one of the three floors in the building. However, at that size, Ayesa was already Andalusia’s leading engineering company. The arrival of European funds in Spain led to major high-speed train and road building contracts, opening up a golden age for Spa-

nish civil engineering work. Ayesa had already earned prestige in the engineering sector, and was able to participate in many of the great infrastructure projects that modernised the country. In 1998, the company’s turnover already exceeded one billion pesetas (€7 million). And seven years after disembarking in the Cartuja

science and technology park, it had doubled its workforce, up to 200 professionals. With the turn of the century, the company entered a period of strong growth, with a new vision and a national and international focus. And so, in 2001, the first permanent office outside Andalusia was opened in Madrid.

InternationalShortly afterwards, in 2003, came the first venture outside Spain, with the creation of a subsidiary in Mexico, to be followed later by fifteen international delegations. Barcelona in 2004 was the next milestone in the company’s geographical expansion. Ayesa opened its first office next to the Sants railway station, though today it has moved to new pre-mises near the Sagrada Familia. This office was consolidated in 2006, with the takeover of the Catalonian firm, MdE, specialised in industrial

engineering. Meanwhile, the three floors of the Czechos-lovakian pavilion in Seville were filling up, and the company outgrew the available 3,000 m². The decision was therefore taken to build a new headquarters, on the plot of land just next to the pavilion. The buoyant real estate market at the time allowed the old pavilion to be sold and the necessary funds raised for the new investment. Ayesa’s current headquarters (9,000 square metres) is one of the largest employers in the Seville technology park today, with around a thousand workers. The company also has premises in the Torre Sevilla skyscraper -where the technology business is centred-, Vega del Rey (BPO) and Los Remedios and the original offices, which today house some of the most cutting-edge projects.

The Ayesa headquarters is one of the main employers in all the Cartuja technology park

History of the Ayesa offices>> The multinational was 52 years old last February, and this year it is 25 years since it installed its head-quarters at Cartuja, the technology hub of Seville, which was inaugurated after the closure of Expo 92.

Ayesa headquarters at the Cartuja Science and Technology Park in Seville.

1993Offices moved to the

Czechoslovakian Pavilion

2003New branch in

Mexico

2004Inauguration of the

offices in Barcelona

2008Arrival in Indiaand opening

of offices

2016Transfer of the technology

area to Torre Sevilla

1966Ayesa

Foundation 100

employees4,000

employees

Opening of the office

in MadridMoving into offices in

República Argentina1,000

employees

Inauguration of the Ayesa Building

in PCT Cartuja

12 PHOTONEWS

The Agra-Lucknow motorway in India is now fully operational. Inaugurated at the beginning of the year, the road connects the city of Taj Mahal (Agra) with Lucknow (Nawab). It has six lanes in each direction and is 302 kilometres long. These figures make it the longest mo-torway in India and the fastest connection between these two major cities with an average time of four hours. Ayesa has led the consor-tium that has executed the Project Management during the construction.

Inauguration of the Agra-Lucknow motorway

Ayesa has been chosen by Salesforce, the cloud management software provider, as one of the leading specialised technology consultants for customer relations management (CRM) systems for major accounts. The US group, a leader in CRM platforms, has chosen the company as its best partner in the Enterprise Business Unit (EBU) category, for a project developed together with Deloitte for Endesa.

Best Salesforce Partner for major accounts in 2017

13DIGITAL MANAGEMENT

It is three years since the Spanish government made the use of electronic invoices obliga-tory for Public Administrations. Their use is still growing, both for transactions between companies and with public institutions. And, specifically, in the last financial year, they again grew by over 30%. Further growth is expected, as a large part of the business fabric has yet to adopt this system, as have agencies and public companies. Ayesa has its own proven solution for e-invoi-cing, developed on SAP, which allows all receipts to be managed through a simple procedure. Proof of the reliability of this development is that the company’s systems handle over two million invoices a year. “The processes for receipt of the invoice, approval and processing are 100% secure and automated, which means transparent, efficient, real-time economic management”, says Ignacio Vega, who is responsible for the inte-gration of electronic invoices at the Andalusian Regional Government and Public Agencies. Equally striking is the fact that Ayesa’s solution offers enormous advantages, as it is a tool that can be incorporated into the client’s own ERP and, at the same time, it can be integrated with the Electronic Invoice Repository (EIR) and the Single Obligation Census (SOC). Ayesa has comprehensive knowledge of these tools, as it is the company responsible for their maintenance, as is also the case with GIRO, the regional economic and financial

management platform. Among other functions are the receipt and processing of requests for cancellation made by suppliers at the invoice entrance point (nationally, the FACe and the PUEF in Andalusia), the possibility of integration into the census for the automatic submission of information, the registration and processing of paper invoices, and the prior validation of

the supplier. Furthermore, there are operational and savings advantages valued at €0.70 per document.

ProcessThe electronic invoice is an XML file in Facturae format with an electronic signature, which must be submitted at the general points of entrance, by means of web-based services or manually. Periodically, the regional system receives the new receipts from the national system. They are then downloaded by the repository (EIR) of the Regional Government, which is tasked with distributing the invoices between the different management systems and centres. Each body processes its own invoices in its own ecosystem and provides the SOC with all of the necessary information.The census notifies the repository of status changes affecting digital invoices and the repo-sitory makes a daily report of those modifica-tions to PUEF and FACe. GIRO also communica-tes with the census (SOC) to update the evolution of its do-cuments and this information can be consulted by suppliers at the invoice entry points.

>> The company has an in-house product that reduces management time and allows secure integration with all of the economic systems of a company or public body.

Ayesa’s solutions generate over two million electronic invoices

Project manager

Ignacio Vega

IntegrationAyesa’s solution can be integrated with all of the invoicing mechanisms of the central government and the Andalusian Regional Government. In many cases, the company maintains these systems, and so it has comprehensive knowledge of the processes.

Electronic invoice tray

The solution developed by AYESA con-templates the incorporation of electro-nic invoices, obtaining them through the SOC by means of programmed jobs, for their subsequent processing and accounting by the program, and to report and notify the SOC of changes in the status of these obligations. With this tool, users can receive, vali-date and process the invoices received in a single transaction. Furthermore, they can incorporate paper invoices in order to centralise their invoice management. The tray transparently calls up the business transactions of the client until the end of the life-cycle of the invoices.

14 WATER AND ENVIRONMENT

Ayesa is about to conclude one of the biggest contracts in its history: the supervision of the works at Atotonilco. This wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), constructed by a consortium led by another Spanish company, Acciona, holds the record as the largest ever built in a single stage. It takes its name from the local municipality, some 70 kilometres from Mexico City. It will treat 70% of the wastewater generated in the Valley of Mexico, home to 25 million people. This water is currently used for agricultural irrigation on ninety thousand hectares, posing a health hazard to local inhabitants. The project is one of the largest ever undertaken under the Valley of Mexico Basin Water Sustai-nability Programme. The plant performs two processes: one biological process in winter and at times of drought, and the other, a chemical process during the dry season from May to October. Between the two processes, treatment ca-pacity is 42 cubic metres a second, although it can rise to 50. This represents an average daily flow of 3.6 million m³. The sludge produced, which carries the con-

tamination, undergoes an anaerobic digestion process which generates biogas, which is stored in gas holders and from there, it is sent to the cogeneration power plants where the thermal energy is converted into electricity. The plant has 24 tanks solely for biological treatment, and a similar number to clarify the water.

Ayesa was the lead firm in the supervising consortium contracted by the Mexican Admi-nistration to oversee the construction of the complex. In just the final stage of works, up to forty people were employed on this task. Supervi-sing infrastructure on this scale requires great technical know-how, since it plays a key role.

According to the Mexican legislation on Public Works, the supervision and the superinten-dent are responsible for the approval of the different elements of the works constructed by the contractor. Moreover, the contractor cannot collect payment for the corresponding budget items until they are 100% completed and approved by the supervisor.

Lessons learnedMany lessons have been learned. Says Jesús López Camino, currently the head supervisor at Atotonilco, “the most important element is the need to negotiate, implement and perform all of the integrated tests with the plant wor-king at full capacity, and the economic closure of the works, in which we are still immersed”. Mexico was the first overseas delegation of Ayesa and Mexico has been one of the most fertile in terms of large-scale projects. Currently, the company is also supervising the construction of the largest airport in Latin America (NAICM), with a spectacular design by Norman Foster inspired by the Mexican symbolism of the eagle and the serpent.

>> The Mexican water treatment plant, the largest plant in the world built in one stage, is now undergoing tests after seven years of works. Ayesa led the supervision of construction and commissioning.

Countdown to the launch of Atotonilco

In the latter stages of construction, up to forty professionals of the supervising consortium were employed

15INTERVIEW

His signature is to be found on the main water infrastructure projects undertaken by Ayesa, first in Spain and, for over 15 years, abroad, especially in Mexico, including Acue-ducto II, the mapping and diagnosis of the sewage network of the city of Puebla and projects on the Río Verde to supply water to Guadalajara. Today, he is responsible for the supervision of the Atotonilco wastewater treatment plant, the largest in Latin America and the biggest ever constructed in one single stage anywhere in the world. The macro figures speak for themselves: 42,000 litres of water processed every second, an area of 158 hectares and an in-vestment of €560 million. “The complexity of supervising works on this scale is enormous. Just the document archives contain over 25,000 plans”, he reveals. In all events, the construction has been carried out in a remarkably orderly manner. “It needed a lot of personnel, but we have been lucky enough to be just 20 kilometres from a Pemex refinery and we were able to recruit many specialists in electro-mecha-nics, instrumentation and control, safety and

pipelines. We built up a very strong team”. The construction has taken seven years and López Camino acknowledges the prior work that was done over a period of over five years by two other Ayesa engineers, the hy-draulic experts, Javier Martel and Fernando Vítores.

Employee 18But the veteran engineer (he was Ayesa’s eighteenth employee), was the leader at a key moment of the works, the step from the construction stage to operation. “We have to help with contractors, offer support in the capacity tests, validate operations depending on the lab results…. The role of engineering is very relevant”. But Atotonilco, like all great projects, also threw up plenty of curious anecdotes. Here, says the engineer, archaeological remains took the limelight. “No more and no less than the remains of a mammoth, which were transferred to the Museum of Natural Scien-ce in Mexico City”. For López Camino, the adaptation of Ayesa to the country, the brand that it has built up in Mexico and the multidisciplinary nature

of the company is a winning combination. “Ever since Ayesa made the leap to Mexico in 2003, we were very aware that projects in Latin America were very large. At the same time, they were located on very complicated orographic and geotechnical terrain, and so the technical demands were of the highest order”. The methodology, he adds, is also very important, and even more so in Mexico, where “public works legislation is very strict with the supervisor and we are subject to permanent audits”. Atotonilco will not be his last great work. At 64, he wants to continue enjoying his work as if it were the first: “I have no plans to retire”, he says. And so, the water maestro has his eyes set on his next destination. The flow of great projects still sweeps Jesús López Camino through the southern continent. His next stop is to be in Panama.

>> With a career of almost 38 years, Jesús López Camino has a track record in Ayesa of working on over 150 hydraulic engineering projects. After supervising the commissioning of Atotonilco, he has new plans in Latin America.

A book. Leo the African, by A. Maalouf.A journey. Long and peaceful, through the French countryside.A dish. Seafood paella.A sport. Football.A wish. The journey through France and others I have in mind.

The water “Maestro”

Water Technical DirectorJesús López Camino

16 DIGITAL MANAGEMENT

Ayesa has applied all of its strategic consul-tancy and IT systems know-how to create a large-scale IT project management tool which it has already brought into service in Aguas de Quito, one of the company’s biggest contracts. In recent years, the technological branch of Ayesa has taken a quantitative and qualitati-ve leap forward, and this has been reflected in the size of projects. Furthermore, some of these projects are undertaken thousands of kilometres away, which is another added difficulty. In this context, the company opted to launch a digital platform based on Sales-force technology, “which standardises the model for the definition of the scope of the project and allows us to associate the deliverables and the workflows of those responsible. It acts as a task and documen-tation manager (connected to Sharepoint)”, explains Patricia Gómez-Millán. The real innovation is that it is a single tool which not only monitors the progress of the projects, but also deliveries and compliance with all of the contractual obligations. All of this has the effect of improving quality and efficiency, and increases customer trust in the company. And the customer can also

connect and monitor the evolution of work in real-time. It has been designed to facilitate the work of everyone involved. The developers and technicians will be assigned their tasks

from the very beginning, while the project managers and area directors can detect possible deviations in time, since they will enjoy a global overview of the project from a control panel. This tool will be used in all of Ayesa’s large technological projects -ex-

cluding those undertaken for the Andalusian Regional Government, Endesa and BPO-, since they require exhaustive monitoring in order to meet deadlines and quality speci-fications. In parallel, it is foreseen that it will later be marketed as an Ayesa product and can be adapted to other companies.

Working modelThe methodology that has inspired this platform is being implemented as a new working model which requires more thorough monitoring of projects and their deliverables. Likewise, as responsibilities and objectives are clarified, productivity is improved. Tasked with ensuring that this procedure is implemented in the enti-re area and is applied correctly will be the Internal Control and Audit Office (ICAO), a new department staffed by Rafael Jiménez and Patricia Gómez-Millán.

Ayesa launches a digital management platform for large-scale ICT contracts

The methodology also aims to clarify responsibilities and improve productivity

A new internal audit department, the ICAO, has been established for the technology area

>> The company has developed a technological solution on Salesforce which shows the real-time evolu-tion of projects and compliance with contractual obligations.

ICAO

Patricia Gómez-Millán

17TERRITORY

Ayesa will coordinate the Adif expropriations until 2020

The creation of a new technical forum on Lean Management

Ayesa has added a new territorial manage-ment project to its portfolio, in a field where the company already undertakes activity related to town planning, land registry, expro-priation, permits and licences, and inventories of assets. Adif has recently granted Ayesa a consultancy and support service to coordinate, control and assist with the expropriation procedure, for an initial period of two years, with the option to extend the contract, and for a fee of €750,000.

This means that all the actions that Adif needs to take for the roll-out of its high-speed, conventional-gauge projects will be managed by Ayesa. In practice, Ayesa will act as the

coordinator between the different parties involved in the process: the Ministry for Deve-lopment (the expropriator), Adif the company carrying out the expropriation, and the owner of the land concerned. According to Álvaro Fernández, the project manager, this work is very significant for Ayesa, as it involves “working very closely with Adif. We are now working a little more closely with

this long-standing customer, with whom we have been working for over fifteen years”. The contract covers the installation of new stretches and the upgrading of others already in existence. The technical proposal, Fernández emphasi-ses, achieved a high score in the public tender put out by the state railway line operator. The company has its own management tools, which allow it to monitor projects and to keep track of paperwork.

In addition, Ayesa has vast experience in the railway sector in general, and in land manage-ment in particular. Ayesa has been involved in numerous expropriation actions needed to facilitate the development of AVE and other rail projects in Spain. Córdoba-Málaga, Bobadilla-Granada, Madrid-Alicante and Coruña- Pontevedra are just some of the lines which it has been involved in. Although in recent fiscal years there has not been much investment thanks to the financial crisis, the Government is now backing rail projects. The Minister for Develo-pment, Iñigo de la Serna, has given assuran-ces that 2018 will be a “landmark year”.

Last year, Ayesa created a technical forum platform in order to facilitate the exchange of information generated within the framework of different projects. The objective is to store and disseminate the experience accumulated, as well as at the same time, facilitating decision - making. The platform involves a Sharepoint tool (an appli-cation of Office 365, which permits the storing and sharing of documents). So far, around ten fo-rums have been set up, introduced by company professionals who are contributing their sectoral knowledge. The latest group to be set up is on Lean Manage-ment, a work methodology that aims to maximise the effectiveness of business processes by eliminating any activities that do not contribute added value. Another forum worth highlighting is the BIM, which also has a group open to all employees on the Yammer (Office 365) internal social network; its remit is to share information on the optimum lines of work as well as instructions and criteria adopted within the company for integrating this technology into the different projects.

>> The company has won this important contract after achieving a high score in the technical proposal it submitted.

The firm has vast experience in the railway sector andin related land management

Working on a stretch of railway line Source: ADIF

Project manager

Álvaro Fernández

Third international quality certificationAyesa has broadened the scope of its Envi-ronmental Quality and Management System in Colombia, allowing it to approach public tender processes from a much more advantageous position, and with greater guarantees. The move also underlines the company’s commitment to working in Colombia. This is the third international certification achie-ved by the engineering group, following those obtained in Mexico and Panama. The contracts audited by Bureau Veritas in Colombia were the Phase III Study and Design for the construction of the South Ciénaga Rail Bypass, and the supervision of the Versalles Interchange (a project to cross the central mountain range), which overcame all the issues which arose. The Spanish company has been working in Co-lombia since 2011, undertaking large infrastruc-ture projects, and since 2013 it has also carried out IT consultancy projects, one of the most noteworthy being the implementation of SAP in the manufacturing company Indumil.

18 PEOPLE

A road simulator, or how to apply virtual reality to BIM

If the undertaking of infrastructure projects with BIM technology marks a great advance in the field of engineering, the application of virtual reality to road design represents a whole revolution. Sergio Casado (a designer draftsman) and Julio Alcobendas (a civil engineer), on the Barcelona road team, have demonstrated that the integration of the two techno-logies produces enormous advantages, as it enables problems to be identified in advance.

Therefore, they have come up with a simula-tor that replicates the feeling of driving on a road before it has been built. “It’s like looking out of the window of a building that has not yet been constructed. It opens up a hitherto unexplored world, enabling decisions to be taken with regard to the nature of the road, or relevant aspects to be corrected. The project, known as Simcovir (Virtual

Driving Simulator), reproduces a virtual environment in which the road, the driver and the scenario interact with one another, thanks to the programming of a real vehicle and atmospheric conditions. “To step from the real world into the virtual world on the basis of the work philosophy of BIM was an obvious choice”, points out Casado. They have already demonstrated the usefulness of the tool to a number of poten-tial customers. Specifically, it has been used successfully to decide on road markings or to improve visibility.

As it is a realistic simulation, both in terms of the geometry of the road and the physical feel of the vehicle and its environment, any situation can be reproduced and the result analysed in order to perfect the design. Simcovir has passed its development phase, and began to be included in tender pro-posals last December, as an improvement on Research, Development and Innovation. In parallel, a mobile application has been developed that the customer can download and thus obtain a first impression of the project.

>> Two of the company’s professionals specialising in roads, Sergio Casado and Julio Alcobendas, are developing a driving simulator to contribute to road safety and to aid decision-making.

Since December, this service has been included in public tender proposals in Barcelona

Members of the Barcelona road team test the Simcovir simulator.

Julio Alcobendas and Sergio Casado, at the Barcelona offices.

19FOUNDATION

Ingenio_16

Ayesa Foundation

To celebrate International Women’s and Girls’ Day in Science, the Ayesa founda-tion organised on the last February month the STEM Academy workshops for Girls, with the aim of encouraging girls to take an interest in engineering and to turn this interest into a scientific career.The workshops were attended by 50 girl pupils from years spanning the fourth year of primary school to the second year of ESO (Compulsory Secondary Educa-tion). All the participants had the opportunity to try out different technologies with the

help of professionals from the Founda-tion. Participants operated and interacted with technological tools and applications related to engineering.The pupils familiarised themselves with the principles of robotics and with block programming of mobile robots. They produced a simple code that they tried out on real robots (Printbot Evo-lution). They also delved a little further into the field of block programming via a user-friendly graphic interface which uses cartoon characters (Scratch). Using the SandAR application, the participants

explored different geographical pheno-mena, learning to read maps with level curves and to modify them in real time. They also reproduced the water cycle, to underline the importance of river basins. Afterwards, they had a close encoun-ter with unmanned aircraft and their technological applications in modern-day industry.

They witnessed a flight demonstration, and finished with a “selfiedron” (an aerial photograph of the group).Finally, the pupils experimented with an application developed by the Ayesa Foun-dation for the gestural manipulation of images and 3D models; they saw how this sensor can be used in tracking and can be mapped in current robotic environ-ments (Kinect).These workshops are part of a program-me being delivered by the Foundation with the aim of helping to create female roles in the fields of science and enginee-ring, by means of practical placements which will promote gender equality within the scientific world.

STEM Academy for girls>> The Ayesa Foundation organises practical workshops to promote careers in science to girls.

DronesHere is Alejandro Muñoz, one of the workers who volunteered to show the girls the different types of technologies that the Ayesa Foundation is working with.

The 50 girls who took part in the STEM Academy for Girls workshop with Ana Manzanares, chairperson of the Ayesa Foundation.

Workshops on robotics and programming were delivered to 50 girls