“We will remain very faithful to our symbol of identity”

In his more than ten years of life, General for hire of Machinery (GAM), that has from his starts to the elephant like symbol of identity, has pretended ‘to step strong in the market' and undertake lines of performance that little or at all had to see with the traditional formulas used in the Spanish sector for hire of machinery. In fact, one of his foundational aims was to change the fisionomía of a market that always has characterised by a strong atomisation. In Interempresas have had the opportunity to review beside the founder of the company and current president, Pedro Luis Fernández, the main events that have marked the future of GAM from his starts in 2003, as well as the main strategic lines that is developing.

Ran the year 2003 when GAM ‘revolutionised' the rent of machinery in Spain presenting a business concept entirely new in this market. In front of the strong atomisation that characterised to the sector in those years, this signature bet by a concentration of companies that allowed traspasar geographic barriers and of the own business. To carry out this project GAM was cream of the purchase of three rentals of reference in his respective regions and that treasured already a long experience in the market, as they were Aldaiturriaga, Alquioviedo and T. Cabrera. The one who contrive this new project, which answered to the acronyms of GAM (General for hire of Machinery), went Pedro Luis Fernández, the one who follows being today at the head of the company like president of the same and the one who recognises to Interempresas that the balance of these more than ten years of work can not be another that positive: “it Has been a very intense career and enriquecedora, with two clearly differentiated periods by some surroundings of market of contrary sign. On way, think that have learnt a lot”.

From his starts, GAM contributed new ideas to the business of the rent. “GAM Was pioneering in two fronts: on the one hand in promoting the profesionalización of this sector by means of the creation of companies of greater size and therefore, with greater capacity to give an elder and better service; and by another, in the proposal of value to the customers, through the concept of only window”, recognises the president of the company.

The true is that this model was imitated, in good part, by other groups for hire that they were appearing later in the Spanish market, until configuring a new landscape in which today conviven big national and international signatures and companies smaller of field of performance more local. “I think that if one analyses the actors in the national market, is evident that the model initiated by GAM has been imitated later by other signatures of the sector. Said this, also is true that the market follows being atomizado, although in lower measure. They follow existing companies of lower size very focused to a more local market”, recognises Pedro Luis Fernández.

Another appearance in which GAM was totally pioneering in the Spanish market of the rent was his exit to Stock exchange. It did it in June of 2006, turning into the first (and up to now only) operator of the sector that cotiza in Stock exchange. “Be in the markets has helped us no only (fundamentally in the first years) by the part of the financials, but especially by the backrest that this supposes to the seriousness and reliability of our company. Like sought-after company are forced to fulfil with a series of requirements regulatorias that definitely contribute to transmit a message of transparency and good government”, ensures Pedro Luis Fernández on this initiative.

From his starts, GAM has marked offer a different vision of the rent of machinery.

Also constitutes an important milestone in the history of GAM the purchase in 2007 of the skilled signature in the rent of aerial platforms Vilatel. Until this moment had purchased other companies like J. Crespo, Safe 2000, TC Income More… but the outlay that did by Vilatel, until this moment, was unthinkable in this market. The president of GAM analyses of this way the operation and what supposed for the Group: “Vilatel was a company consolidated, with big prestige in the sector for hire in elevation and with a market of industrial customer that contributed us geographic diversification and of activity. In this sense, the elevation keeps on being one of the fundamental lines of our activity”.

Being still in the time, to mediated-final of 2007 in Spain began to appreciate the first symptoms of economic crisis. GAM Has not been extraneous to the so negative effects that has had the recession on the business fabric of our country, having to do, like the big majority of the companies, an important restructuring. “They have been some years of big sacrifice for all: workers, shareholders, providers, financial entities… some years in that we have had to take hard decisions, but at the same time necessary to go on. To the time, have deepened in the opening to new markets and new businesses. In this period, the company has reduced his debt of significant way, what contributes stability for the future”, indicates the responsible maximum of GAM.

The elevation consolidates like one of the main lines of business of GAM.

To the equal that other agents that operate in the market of the rent, GAM also has followed the strategy of the diversification to try ‘capear the storm', opening step, increasingly, in other different markets to the traditional of the construction. “Now we have the much more diversified business to the industrial services, the maintenances, etc. In fact, I would say that at present we have a business with a weight balanced between all the activities, although we have something more than importance in the industrial state and of maintenance”.

In this sense and framed in his concept of integral provider of solutions, or alquilador generalista, GAM was creating over time skilled divisions to give a service adapted to each one of the needs: GAM Green, GAM Power, GAM Infrastructures… The Group, although it keeps this line of diversification, has bet in these last years for keeping an only mark. “We keep this strategy regarding loaning services in other sectors further of the merely constructive or of infrastructures, although to commercial level and of mark have recovered the strength of the mark GAM as only”, recognises Pedro Luis Fernández.

The diversification undertaken by the Group appreciates even in the definition that does of his own business. Of the classical concept of alquilador of machinery has happened to define like a ‘integral agent of services of machinery'. But, which activities include really in this category? According to the president of GAM, “fundamentally any service that have to see with the machinery, from his rent until the management of purchase and/or sale of machinery used, going through the maintenance of fleets, learning in his handle, insurance, transport…”.

GAM Began to go out of Spain before even to appreciate the first symptoms of the crisis. In the year 2004, already was present in Portugal. Precisely this bet by the internationalisation of the company has been one of the key factors that have allowed him sobrellevar the fall of activity suffered in the Spanish market. “I think that this has been one of the tarpaulins of this company. We begin strongly in east Europe in 2007 and to beginnings of 2008 already were present in Mexico and Brazil, to the that afterwards, until finals of 2009, followed others like Peru, Panama, Chile, Colombia… At present, more than 50% of our sales proceed of the international markets”, confirms the president of GAM.

The Group explains today, to general level, with more than 40 delegations to international level, mainly in the zone of Latin America. “What occurs –clear Pedro Luis Fernández- is that in countries like Mexico or Brazil, so extensive, in terms of presence one could think that we still are small, but are in those zones of greater economic activity. This gives us opportunities to keep growing in all they”.

In this process of internationalisation of GAM have contributed strongly the own companies Spanish constructors that have come developing during the last years projects out of our borders, and that they wanted to enjoy in these countries of the same quality in the service that had in Spain. “The Spanish customers have helped in the beginnings of the implantation of GAM in each one of the countries where are, obviously have the experience of a good service in Spain and therefore trust we. But this is only at the beginning, afterwards, as here, have to follow showing our proposal of value”, adds the responsible maximum of GAM.

The machinery of GAM has participated in the construction of some of the most notable infrastructures of our country and of out of our borders.

Fruit of his activity for hire, in these more than ten years of life the list of notable works in which it has participated GAM with his machines is really long. Asked on if there is any of the that seat especially proud in the company, his president answers: “it would not like me leave any went, because the people that has worked more directly in each one of them feels proud and satisfied. What himself is true is that some have more impact mediático, as they can be the works of the Channel of Panama, the works of the stadiums that did for the Eurocopa or the most recent for the next world-wide of football, the lines of the metre in Lima… In addition to our presence in practically all the stretches of the BIRD that built in Spain. Still now we have a notable presence in the stretch of Galicia”.

And of face to the most immediate future, which are the forecasts of GAM? It will follow ‘stepping strong' in the market this company that from his starts has included in his logo corporate the image of the elephant? His president does not have any doubt of this. “Definitely! We will remain very faithful to our symbol of identity”, concludes Pedro Luis Fernández.