Part from the interview “El Mundo”, 28/03/2016
“We walk to factory and products 4.0”
Alfonso Antoñanzas, Manager Director from EXKAL. Exkal born in April 2005 with the aim of leading the market for commercial refrigeration technologically, promoting change and innovation, with the intention to offer solutions initially focused on the best life cycle cost and today also on sustainability.
“We have grown during all the years of crisis and achieve sales leadership in national market and export 40% of our production”, says the General Manager. A company who initially worked for internationalization and today provides coverage in Europe, Arab countries and some of America from Marcilla and Paterna factories here in Spain, to South America from the factory in Santiago de Chile and Asia from Shanghai in China.
What is the philosophy of this company to say it is an example of innovation and development?
We believe that Exkal has had a strong influence and today customers can choose for their stores sustainable refrigerated cabinets with a third part of Cost Cicle Life than what they bought in 2005.
The three quinquennial strategic plans have a common denominator, 40% reduction of Life Cycle Cost each. The first one, searching an efficient project, the second one, a sustainable product and the third, a product 4.0. The way for achieving them has been researching and corporate social responsibility.
What are the solutions developed and commercialized by EXKAL?
Our products and services are oriented to sustainability, following the concept of the definition of Rio 1992, ecological, economic and social. Products of very high efficiency, easily recoverable or recyclable at the end of its life, with very low Life Cycle Cost and designed for optimum food preservation, in advance adapted to directives and regulations on developing.
Do you collaborate with other technological centers to develop projects?
We have developed 11 projects of R & D + i, 7 single and 4 in various collaborative programs, and in all we have had the collaboration of technological centers and universities in our geographical location. The last one, an ambitious European project H2020 about energy accumulation, with a budget of 150 million euro, in which we participated along with 15 other, companies, universities and technological centers, 3 Spanish ones: CENER (Centro Nacional de Energías Renovables), Green Renovables and Exkal. And to develop and implant we have received support from the CDTI, the Government of Navarra and the FEDER funds.
Did any of these projects receive a prize or award for its innovative development?
We have 2 certificates that recognize our research activity, development, innovation and technological development: one Eureka for EFIVAP project (24th January 2009), and one Chineka for the INNOMURAL project, (9th December 2011).
What is the next objective of this company?
We walk to factory and products 4.0. We are simplifying, balancing, synchronizing and minimizing all that do not add value. Our processes are evolving to flexibility, quality and delivery time reduction, gradually increasing automation, inter-connecting them through IoT, internet of things, in order to convert data into valuable information for continuous improvement.
