Somos FCC - Nº5

¿FCC has made a good start in 2008. What has winning this ten- der meant for FCC? The recent award of the contract for the Houston recycling plant repre- sents an important consolidation of a strategy that began in 2014 aimed at establishing FCC’s presence in a new market such as the manage- ment and treatment of solid urban waste in the United States. It also means gaining a foothold in the country’s fourth largest city in terms of population, soon to be the third. This will enable us to offer and access other types of services for the seven million people living in the metropolitan area. Did the team have to work hard to defend the award? Have you faced strong competition? The award process lasted 16 mon- ths and involved a great deal of work and dedication on the part of our staff, as numerous technical and financial filters had to be overcome to make ours the option chosen by the city. The importance of such a project at- tracts the most important companies in the sector. FCC however, was recognised by the Houston City Council for its ca- pacity, technology and experience in carrying out a project of this nature. What would you like to highlight about the team that made this award possible? The presentation, defence and awar- ding of the tender was made possible by a teammade up of personnel from FCC Medio Ambiente’s Technical Services in Spain who collaborated in designing and preparing the pro- posal. Our personnel in the United States was responsible for preparing the technical-economic offer, submit- ting and defending it and negotiating the contract. The entire team stands out for its pro- fessionalism, experience, motivation and involvement in the project. What did you tell the team when you found out that the contract had been awarded? I expressed my recognition of their efforts and work during the entire ten- der process. I told them that they were writing a chapter in our Group’s history in a new market for the future of FCC. Will the living conditions of the Houston’s residents change much when FCC builds the facility and it starts to sort and recover all recy- clable materials in the city? It will allow the citizens of Houston to recycle glass, which until now was prohibited in the recycling bin, as well as many other fractions that are not recycled today, thanks to the installation of the most modern equi- pment for separating and sorting re- cyclables. What were FCC’s innovative pro- posals in connection with this contract? A fully automated plant will be built with a treatment capacity of 145,000 tons/year and with a recovery quali- ty capacity of 95% of the material; a facility capable of separating paper, cardboard, ferrous elements, alumi- nium, plastic, glass, etc. A classroom, within the facility, with a capacity for 100 people was also designed for providing environmen- tal education. At FCC, we believe that education is one of the most im- portant factors for the economic and social progress of communities. For FCC, cooperation in this field is an essential aspect of our so- cial commitment. FCC will spend $100,000/year in dissemination and educational campaigns to increase the ratio of the materials recycled in the city. I N T E R V I E W Aurelio Blasco Managing Director of FCC Ámbito environment B U S I N E S S 23 B U S I N E S S