Interview to Juan Antonio Sánchez Torres, president of Ganvam
How it closed the year the sector of the automotive sector regarding number of registrations of new trucks?
Have not arrived by some units to the 700.000, what supposes a fall regarding the previous year of 13,4%. But the important data is the difference that there is between the registrations that llevar in 2007, the previous year to the crisis, and 2012.
Of how much are speaking?
In 2007 sold 1.516.000 units, more than the double that in 2012. It is not that a year have punctured. We carry five years of a brutal fall in which they have left to enrol three million vehicles. A true tragedy.
Perhaps this fall in the sale of trucks vehicles has influenced positively in the repair of trucks?
No, the user no longer repairs his old car. In these moments, the one who has a car of 8 or 10 years does not change it by the general situation that live: ones because they are in unemployment and others because, as there is an environingingment of general pessimism, as they prefer to be wary and expect.
With reason of more to carry the vehicle to the workshop…
As no. The problem is just that: the trucks do not renew but neither happen with more assiduity by the workshop. The citizens carry his vehicle to do the indispensable, that that affects to the hygiene, but to which the one of the workshop says them that it would be necessary to look the suspension, the user espeta that already will happen in another moment. This has translated in a fall between a 15 and 20%.
And in addition to this fall of the sales and of repairs, to what other challenges confront our companies?
The fault of financials. It is necessary to take into account that the majority of our companies are SMEs that, to pay the light, the rent and the payrolls, need a circulante with which do not explain if they do not receive fluently a financials. A financials that, for the time being, does not exist. That is a complementary problem that closes the negative circle of what is occurring in the sector.
What thinks that would have to do the administrations for reflotar the situation?
The industry of the car always has been a sector cork. Without need of at all, the sector goes up or drop in function of how go the macroeconomía. When there is a situation of economic bonanza, the people resolves the problems of his house and immediately afterwards buys a car. If, after six years, achieved that the Spanish economy went back to some more positive positions, automatically the sector would go up he solito, without help.
And while this no sucede?
As we need that the State, as it is doing already, set up some plans of help to activate the demand, that are indispensable.
So indispensable as for any another sector, no?
Well, yes, all the sectors have the same right, but in our concurren a series of circumstances that are specific and that it is necessary to take into account.
Which?
The plan that sets up the Government does not involve a cost. It is an investment.
In which sense?
When it enrols a vehicle with this plan, and the Government puts, for example, one thousand euros —other one thousand euros the sufraga the sector—, this money has an immediate return since the car that enrols to the protect of this plan goes to pay a tax of VAT, a tax of circulation and a tax on fuels, among others. The minister of industry recognised recently that by each euro that allocates to these plans, the Administration receives 2,1 euros.
I understand. As it says, in some way is an investment…
Yes, besides, the sector of the car is importantísimo for the macroeconomía of the country by his influence in the GDP, by what involves regarding employment, around 9%, and regarding exports, since 90% of what produces in Spain travels to other countries. Even so, and in spite of the plans of help happened and presents, the sector has lost in the last times between 40 and 45.000 places of work and 2.500 SMEs, between dealers and workshops of repair.
After several years of plans, how is our park of trucks in the actuality?
As I regret to say it, but is the most ancient of Europe, only surpassed by the one of Greece, with 44% of vehicles with more than 10 years of antiquity. This has a direct and very grave implication on the hygiene vial, the accidentalidad and the environingingment.
How it would value our workshops from a punto of equipment and technology and qualification of the professionals?
In general terms, splendid. So much the available dealers like the workshops of repair of vehicles are to the same level or above the ones of the European countries pointers. It does not fit any doubt. The official workshop is protected from the technical punto by the respective mark and the independent workshop has an absolute freedom that takes advantage of to offer the best to the user. But eye, are speaking of workshops and sellers with structure and with some installations that pay his taxles.
To what refers ?
In these moments is proliferating a phenomenon gravísismo for the sector and, especially, for the citizen: the sales in the public road by part of pseudo-professionals that, with a cartelito of ‘sells ', dismiss a vehicle without agreement, without guarantee and whose origin desconoce. This on the one hand, and by another, the illegal workshops that arise in a descampado, in the basses of any building of the hand of people that neither have the necessary equipment neither the qualification that expects of them.
An unnecessary risk…
Yes, is it. It is a very serious problem of the that it is necessary to warn to the citizenship. Therefore I ask that anybody put in hands of these people: neither that buy a car in the street by very cheap that seem them, since they can be purchasing a bomb of watchmaking that can result them afterwards very expensive, neither that repair his vehicle in places that are not installations very instrumented and regentadas by professional experts.
But so widespread is this practice?
Lamentably, yes. 17% of the current repairs realise in this type of illegal workshops. Regarding the sale, is difficult to quantify it. After a lot of years, have achieved to eradicate technically this activity in the big cities.
Well…
Yes, but no. I will put an example. In the city of Madrid modified the ordenanzas municipal and disappeared this fraudulent activity. However, it moved to the belt, to populations of the periphery, and here is more difficult to control because the phenomenon has turned into a travelling sale that displaces as it suits or as it tighten more or less the corresponding municipal police.
At the same time, what future believe expects him to the electrical vehicle?
Will be a very valid option, but still remains him way for visiting. For the time being, according to the data of the past year, the sale of electrical vehicles and of hybrids so only represented 1,3% on the whole of the Spanish market. It is anecdótico. Besides, this type of trucks still have problems that resolve: his high price, his heavy battery and the replacement of the power.
And already to conclude, how foresees that it will close the year the sector, so much the one of sellers like the one of workshops?
As if it does not produce a general reflation of the economy, go to finish with similar figures to the ones of the past year.
