Convertronic
What has been the evolution of the company since the office was established in Iberia until now, 20 years later?.
Juan Ignacio Egea
Indeed, we are celebrating 20 years since we began our evolution in Spain. We started as an automotive division, then added the industrial side of operations, and finally, in 2011, the motorcycle division was added.
The evolution has been very positive. We have made progress in all aspects across our three most important divisions: automotive, motorcycle, and industrial. But focusing on the industrial division, which is our main focus today, we have developed, especially in the last ten years, a strong brand presence. We have been present in virtually every possible industrial sector: security, mobility, distribution, and manufacturing. And the most important aspect, undoubtedly, is the entire UPS ecosystem, where in recent years we have managed to consolidate the brand and participate in the most cutting-edge projects currently underway.
Convertronic
What have been the main challenges for GS Yuasa Battery Iberia, SA since it began this journey?
Juan Ignacio Egea
The main challenges we've faced have been twofold: securing a foothold in distribution and in both new and existing industrial product markets, and above all, ensuring that Spain and Portugal, which is our responsibility, partner with the best and largest UPS manufacturers worldwide. Europe currently has agreements with virtually all manufacturers, but in Spain, this work, which other competitors have been doing for decades, we've had to accomplish in a much shorter time. Our primary focus has been working very closely with the manufacturers, developing a strong team of professionals who have gradually adapted to the environment we needed. Our key advantage has been the product itself. Yuasa products are extremely reliable, of high quality, offer a very competitive range, are well-positioned in the market, and have reasonable delivery times, thanks to our factory in Wales, which is currently experiencing its peak growth and development.
Convertronic
What is GS Yuasa's current product supply policy?
Juan Ignacio Egea
Yuasa has many strengths in the industrial sector. This is the advantage of a company that is a world leader in this field. What is its main advantage? First, as I mentioned earlier, we have the factory in Wales, in the United Kingdom, which produces all the batteries above 24 amps for UPS use. This means that these batteries have a delivery time that is, so to speak, better or very competitive than that of our competitors, in addition to the quality and experience of this factory.
On the other hand, the smaller batteries, we're talking about those of 0.8, 1.2 or up to 12, 17, 24 amps, we bring them from other factories that we have in different areas of the globe.
With a wide variety of factories and a large supply chain, we've managed to maintain a level of service that I would say is quite good during the worst of the pandemic. Costs are another matter, and obviously, they've skyrocketed due to the global situation everyone is aware of, but that doesn't detract from our top-notch availability and quality.
Convertronic
What are the main advantages of incorporating Yuasa batteries into industrial systems?
Juan Ignacio Enea
Conventional technology continues to evolve, meaning that lead-acid batteries, for example, still account for over 90% of all current UPS installations and projects. Yuasa's greatest contribution is its reliability. This reliability is crucial for data centers, which are currently undergoing significant development, not only in Europe, where they have been operating for many years, but also in Spain, where there are numerous new projects. Last year saw some of the largest number of projects completed, with many more planned for this year. The added value we offer is the engineering and assembly, the full scope of these projects undertaken by our technicians, and the battery's proven reliability, which surpasses any competitor in quality.
Convertronic
What are the trends you foresee in the sector or sectors you are going to in the short, medium or long term?
Juan Ignacio Egea
This is undoubtedly the most difficult issue to predict and assess over the next five or ten years. Based on our technological studies, we believe that lead-acid battery technology will continue to be used extensively in certain applications, such as UPS systems.
Another thing is that it's true there are already lithium projects; we've already done some, we have a lithium installation, and undoubtedly it has many advantages. The problem is that the cost is still high today, but it will gradually become more affordable; it won't happen overnight.
In other technologies, for example, in mobility, which is undoubtedly moving towards lithium, there will be greater progress even without being strictly within the electric sector. GS Yuasa's lithium batteries for automotive development, such as traction batteries, are already widely implemented in leading brands, especially in plug-in hybrid vehicles, which is where the greatest business volume will be in the coming years.
The implementation will be quite progressive in other technologies, such as security, distribution, or a very large number of applications that will be combined and will evolve depending on cost and the application. It's important to remember that one of lithium's greatest advantages is its cycling capacity. Therefore, in applications with higher cyclic demand, lithium will gain more ground. And in those with more standby applications, lead-acid will remain the first choice.
Convertronic
What are the defining characteristics of GS Yuasa Battery Iberia, SA?
Yuasa is a Japanese multinational. And given the company's origins, it's undoubtedly a very traditional company. I would say it's conservative, but with very, very clear goals, something we want to develop to the fullest extent in all the sectors where we operate. This is very important. In other words, when we enter the space sector 100%, it's not to test the waters or simply provide a service. We do it because we want to offer 100% competitiveness in our service and make our clients competitive.
One of the most important areas we're reinforcing, and one we've been working on for many years because it's so crucial, is the complete digitization of the company's processes. In other words, we want to maximize the benefits and performance of all the technological opportunities available today.
We've implemented a very broad range of aspects; digitalization encompasses many things, it's very general. We have managed to make quite a few changes in the last three or four years. We've heavily invested in social media, on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, though the weight of these platforms varies across different divisions. Some divisions have a greater media presence in certain areas than others.
We have implemented not an online store, but an online ordering system for our distributors, and we are gradually improving the processes so that fewer errors are made and the information is faster and more accurate in the shortest possible time.
Our philosophy is simply to try to improve something day by day, not to do great feats, but to improve professionally and especially on a personal level.
With a team of 20 people who now make up GS Yuasa Battery Iberia, SA, it is a young team that is constantly being renewed, that is excited and has very clear goals ahead in the coming years.
Juan Ignacio Egea Moreno holds a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid and an MBA from IE Business School. He joined GS YUASA BATTERY IBERIA, SA in 2002.
