Interview to Pablo Álvarez Rodríguez, general director of Forestry Garden

There has been big changes along the last years in the sector. The big and heavy machines are leaving step to another type of machines lighter and of lower power. The reason is, on the one hand the descent of the professional market and increase of the particular, and by another the awareness by the use of machines lighter, ergonomic and, therefore, healthier for the users.

Today day the machine that buys tries that it adjust perfectly to the work that wants to do , and anybody purchases a more powerful machine by the simple done that it supposes that it is better what more powerful was, each work has his needs and with the suitable machine will realise the work eficientemente and the user will work of form more confortable. The awareness by the hygiene, comfort and efficiency grows each day of exponential form.

On the contrary of what a lot of people thinks, the crisis of the public work and construction affects in big way to the sector of gardening. I say on the contrary of what thinks the people because there is a thought generalised that it only sees the public work and construction like big machines, hormigoneras, manufacturer of cements, bricks… However, the crisis has caused that it reduce drastically a big quantity of projects that included subjects of gardening.

The construction of public parks, houses with garden, roundabouts ladscaped, and a long number of examples of this type. All this supposes a drastic stop of sales since we lose so much the professional part (parks, roundabouts) like the particular part (houses unifamiliares with garden).

The year 2012 has been bad in all the senses, there has not been any factor that have helped to mitigate the crisis.

In the first place the economic crisis does that it reduce the potential of new green zones. Besides, the reduction of budgets in the city councils does that they allocate fewer resources to attend the green zones already existent and, therefore, that also reduce the needs of the companies of maintenance. Second the climatology.

Is a factor that affects us a lot, and the year 2012 has been climatológicamente very bad. It has been extremely I dry in all Spain, mainly in the north, and in the south has rained but of torrential form, which does not help to the gardening, only causes destrozos and economic losses.

Finally the harvest of olives of this year has reduced between 60% and 75% with regard to the one of the past year. The sector of the olivar represents an important part of the sales in Andalucia and also has been catastrophic. With all this goes to be one of the worst years for our sector and calculate that it will close with a descent of 15% with regard to the past year.

Have to distinguish two types of manufacturers: the manufacturers that fulfil the European rules and those that do not do it. Our sector is being affected by the entrance of pertinent machinery of Asia that does not fulfil any rule of hygiene, neither of broadcast of gases, neither of vibrations.

Go in in the market without any problem without that anybody put them brake. For a European manufacturer, Japanese or American is impossible to struggle against manufacturers that do not fulfil the norms, since fulfil with them costs money and puts up the price of the cost of the product. A lot of manufacturers have moved already to China for abaratar the cost of the hand of work but even so the manufacture is more expensive by what commented of the rules.

Will put an example. If to a car remove him the catalyst, the airbag, the ABS and the belts of hygiene, is cheaper to manufacture that one that incorporate all these measures. As this is exactly what is occurring in our sector with some imports… and does not seem that anybody want to put a solution to this subject.

Unfortunately, the sector of the gardening in Spain is very reduced if we compare it with the one of other European countries, with which is more complicated the can survive in periods of crisis. The key is in offering a skilled and professional service. The machines of gardening require service postventa and in this point is where a mark shows his professionalism. A good attention post-sale derives in more sales and this is what keeps us alive inside the sector.

By no means. The administrations do not support to the sector. Always they derive the helps to other sectors like the car industry or the banks. But in our sector, in spite of being being gravely damaged by the illegal import, paralización of works, reduction of subsidies, climatological conditions, never have received support and doubt that we go it to receive in a future. The income diminish, the margins of profit, disappear but follow appearing taxles and costs year after year that cause a slow asphyxia and imparable.

Exact. From the sector would conform us with that the administrations realised the controls in the customs of efficient form to avoid the entrance of machines no recognised or fakes. It is something by what are litigating from does several years but to day of today follow unprotected, and will follow litigating until the administration take letters in the subject.

Yes, unfortunately the quantity of Spanish manufacturers of equipment and machinery for the gardening are practically non-existent. In our opinion, are wasting a big opportunity. We do not have to forget that unfortunately the level salarial of Spain is the lowest of all Europe although we also have of workers very qualified. This combination is ideal to be one of the main manufacturers of Europe but this does not occur. Perhaps if from the administrations incentivase somehow to the companies that bring to Spain factories, could improve our situation but lamentably this is not occurring.

On the contrary of the thought generalised on us same, the image of Spain in the European countries is of formal people, hard-working and very formed. There is a sad tendency in our country to despise all what was ‘Made in Spain', but for sample a button: our engineers are very sought-after in Europe, so much by the degree of learning as by the seriousness in the work. Thus, the stamp ‘Made in Spain' has good image in the outside, probably better that in our own country.

In general terms our market is very, very small with regard to the rest of Europe. Spain is an atypical country by his orography. The central plateau causes that all the peninsular centre was very dry since the water finds to big depth. Besides, the climate is one of the driest of all Europe. This combination does that we are not in the highest places.

Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy. However, if we speak of the sector olivarero are indisputable leaders, with 40% of the world-wide production of olive oil and, therefore, in this sector are the absolute world-wide referents.

The tendency is very clear. The professional machinery descends little by little and the machinery for particular goes up every year. This has carried to manufacture machines lighter, with less power and easy to use. At present, It is producing a change to the machinery of battery. The users do not want machines with an engine that causes noise, issues gases and that needs a maintenance that if it does not realise properly causes a lot of problems in the team. The electrical machines do not use petrol neither oil, the broadcast of noise is very low, are lighter and do not contaminate. Because of the fast advance of the technology, the batteries go to go incorporating little by little in the professional sector since it increases the autonomy of the same and allows to use them in machines more powerful.

Forestry Garden S.A., company founded in 1971, distributes in Spain the following marks:

• Oregon: American manufacturer, world-wide specialist in chains, bars and piñones for motosierras and accessories for motosierras, desbrozadores and lawnmowers.
• Activate: Italian manufacturer of machinery of gardening and accessories.
• Koshin: Japanese manufacturer of motobombas of water.