We are FCC - Nº7

introduce the carrousel production system, which was later adopted by most of our competitors. At present, the most noteworthy aspect is the participation of our company in the development of new types of sleeper for ballastless track. The new designs have quic- kly replaced the imported solutions used until now. Prefabricados Delta currently has two factories, one in Humanes (Madrid) and the other in Puen- te Genil (Cordoba). For one-off projects do they have provisional factories to support the project? Some of the projects already men- tioned, such as the Despeñaperros viaducts, the segments for the un- dergrounding of the M-30 or the beams of the Riyadh Metro, have been carried out by building, in the vicinity of the works, provisional factories specifically designed for these projects. This alternative has enabled us to diversify the business geographically without the limita- tions associated with a permanent facilities. The ability to compete in the precast concrete market is hi- ghly conditioned by the high trans- port costs and the provisional fac- tories allow us to take advantage of the opportunities that present them- selves far from our factories. How do you foresee the evolution of the precast sector in Spain in the coming years? The recent economic crisis has led to the disappearance of a large number of companies in the sector and this represents an opportunity for those that remain. Prefabricated concrete in Spain is a mature sector which is very seg- mented by products. Therefore, it is not possible to expect great growth in the medium term. However, in the particular case of hydraulic and railway infrastructures, Spain is a country with permanent needs. Highlights Hydraulic imbalances, both geogra- phical and temporary, together with water scarcity, require investments to optimise the use of this resource. As far as the railway sector is con- cerned, Spain has a network of more than 16,000 kilometres of track. After years of concentrating investment in high-speed lines, a very high percentage of conventio- nal lines are in need of renewal and this renewal cannot be postponed indefinitely. The two sectors represent an oppor- tunity for the future for Prefabrica- dos Delta, although they also pose a challenge given that the demand for pipes and sleepers is increasin- gly discontinuous over time, combi- ning periods of very low activity with others in which the market demands a large production capacity. This is one of the challenges we will have to face by further increasing the cu- rrent flexibility. In 50 years many important events have taken place for the company. Rafael Villa would highlight those that had to do with the product diver- sification policy carried out, thanks to which Prefabricados Delta has been able to maintain its profitability despite the economic cycles. This is the case with the incorporation of railway sleepers in 1989, segments for tunnels in 1997, PRFV pipes in 2004, segments for viaducts in 2008 and post-tensioned beams in 2015. As far as the main references are concerned, there are very outstan- ding works such as the Despeña- perros viaducts, participation in all the ADIF High Speed lines or the burying of the M-30 and the Riyadh Metro, already mentioned. As far as hydraulic works are con- cerned, it has supplied more than two thousand kilometres of large pi- pelines, including supplies to cities such as Madrid, Badajoz, Lérida and Seville. Significantly, of the 3.7 million hectares of irrigated land in Spain, the company’s pipelines are present to a greater or lesser extent in 26% of this area, providing servi- ce to more than 120 irrigation com- munities. Sheet metal sleeve machine I N N O V A T I O N 43 I N N O V A T I O N