I n g e n i oNº 42 | JUNE 2020

A solid internacional presence

Solidarity against COVID-19

P. 13 P. 18

Talent, our best defence

P. 6

The dawn of a new eraA new virus has paralysed the world, put entire countries on lockdown and looks set to be the biggest challenge of the century. At Ayesa, we are committed to establishing a ‘new normal’. Throughout the crisis, we have continued to accompany our clients with our expertise, ensuring their needs are met. Now, as we begin to get back to normal, we will continue to develop innovative engineering and technology solutions.

The World of the Epic

Ayesa and COVID-19

Article by the CEO of Ayesa

Talent: Our Best Defence

Ayesa Smart Job

Construction: Standing Strong

Interview with Germán del Real

Artificial Intelligence

Interview with Pedro Sanz

Contracts in Colombia: An Historic High

Pulling Together Against COVID-19

Ayesa Foundation

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Summary

Published by:Ayesa

Written by:Lidia Velasco

Momentum Comunicación

Contact: comunicacioncorporativa@ayesa.com

Head office:Edificio Ayesa, Marie Curie, 2Parque Científico Tecnológico Cartuja 41092 Sevilla, España

All material is subject to copyright. It is strictly prohibited to distribute all or any part of this magazine without the express permission of the author.

3PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

The world of the epic had, until recently, been lost to modernity. It was a thing of the past, when men were engaged in a constant battle to defend their home and tribe, conquer new lands and overcome adversity. As such, it is no surprise that the tribulations of life which characterise this period in history are often referred to as the ‘vale of tears’. Science and technology, the result of many generations of toil, has resulted in a truly globalised world and a Europe of welfare states, of law and order. Humanity began its journey of progress and the epic world of our ancestors, who conquered far-flung corners of the world and lived lives of true adventure, became confined to films. Without us really knowing how, a virus has once again come to threaten humanity. The enemy has confined us to the trenches of our homes and left us terrified, destroying the economic model on which our world is based, bringing financial ruin to families, wiping out whole swathes of companies in the blink of an eye and leaving those who lead us unsure of how best to react. We are finally realising that we cannot depend on other countries for our most essential goods, even though they might be much cheaper, because next time the tide goes out, we cannot be caught swimming naked. Nor can we depend on constant social and financial support from our governments, which themselves are struggling to find the necessary resources to cope. It is time to pull together and create a competitive, thriving economy. Will we once again become self-sufficient in terms of our most basic goods? Will we destroy the world economic balance with tariffs? Will we see tourism as we know it disappear forever? Will we be able to maintain the welfare state as we know it without any extra cost for us all? When COVID-19 is finally brought under control, and when we have a vaccine and overcome our fear of it, we might be left

looking at an economic landscape which has been largely destroyed. To paraphrase the Spanish writer Antonio Muñoz Molina, a lot of what we thought of as solid may have melted. Will we be overcome by turmoil? Will we be overwhelmed by the economic consequences of the pandemic? Will our biggest enemy be fear itself? The answer is simple. The future depends on us. We are a great nation with great people, shaped by adversity. We once conquered the world clad in armour on Andalusian horses with spears. We have gone from being an undeveloped country marred by poverty to a world power in just a few decades. Throughout its history, Spain has been the very definition of epic. It is now time to act intelligently and decisively in order to turn adversity into opportunity. Of course, we are going to be afraid of stepping out into the world and being confronted by an invisible enemy. However, the solution is not hiding away at home, but outwitting the enemy. Now is not the time to hide under our bed terrified and simply survive until we are told we can come out. The world we left behind in March is never coming back, and government assistance can only last for so long and help those most in need; it is certainly not a sustainable solution in the long term. The future depends on our actions. We must now step up to the challenge and reinvent ourselves, once again showing the world how quickly we can get our economy back on track. We will make sure we do everything to stay safe. We will work more and better than anyone else. We will develop new products and venture into new countries. We will look out for one another. Nothing and nobody will stop us. Through sheer grit and determination, we will keep the Spanish flag, our greatest symbol of freedom, flying high. We Spaniards have been shaped by the epic over centuries and it is now time to show the world what we are made of.

The World of the Epic

José Luis Manzanares JapónPresident of Ayesa

4 AYESA

2020 looked set to be a good year, better for some countries than others, but positive overall, with around 3% growth in global GDP being forecast. However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, and the subsequent shutdown or slowdown of economies in most countries around the world, this figure soon swung in the other direction, dropping to -3%. Uncer-tainty, the biggest enemy of any economy, has reached record heights. Governments and companies are faced with an enemy which, as of today, almost three months after a state of emergency was declared in Spain, continues to be largely unknown. Humanity has survived numerous pandemics, but this is the first to hit the globalised world. Flying had become a nor-mal part of work, expanding into new markets was a must for any company looking to grow, and large-scale events were a key part of mar-keting. However, it is now apparent that the immediate future is going to look somewhat different, shaped by measures designed to keep the virus at bay, including restrictions on movement and mass gatherings. The big unknown though is the medium and long term. Having been around for 54 years, Ayesa has seen its fair share of crises. Each one has been unique, with different causes, triggers and consequences. During each of these

crises, the focus of the company’s sharehol-ders on measures designed to ensure the sustainability of the company in the long term has been what has allowed it to successfully weather each storm. Ayesa is facing this latest challenge in good financial health, as well as with an exceptional team of professionals and a great sense of commitment and responsibi-lity towards its clients (many of whom provide critical services) and other stakeholders.The steps it has taken as a company in reac-

tion to the outbreak of COVID-19 have been far-reaching and involved much hard work. When, at the beginning of March, it became apparent that the situation was taking a turn for the worse due to the increase in cases, especially in Madrid, Ayesa immediately set up its COVID-19 Monitoring Committee to monitor the ongoing crisis, this being made up of

members from its various departments. It was this swift action that allowed the company to subsequently make quick and effective deci-sions as the situation evolved (and continues to evolve). When the worst-case scenario came true and the high number of cases and deaths prompted the Spanish Government to declare a state of emergency, Ayesa was ready for what was to come.

Connect and collaborate Although access to the company’s offices in Spain was only restricted from 30 March to 12 April, Ayesa decided to introduce remote wor-king on a mass scale from 16 March onwards. This was implemented in record time and in an orderly manner for 3,300 members of staff in Spain, and then the rest of the team in the 16 other countries where Ayesa is present. Introducing remote working proved to be a considerable challenge, which involved imple-menting exceptional measures. Ayesa already had the latest connectivity and collaborative work technology, as well as the necessary ex-pertise on the processes involved, something which made the transition much easier and allowed the company to continue serving its clients without any disruption. Fortunately, we have not lost any members of our team,

Ayesa’s headquarters in Seville.

>> The company has continued working throughout the coronavirus crisis. It has completely changed the way its staff work, implementing remote working on a mass scale in record time.

Ayesa had already set up its COVID-19 Committee, made up of members from its various departments

Ayesa, COVID-19 and the ‘new normal’

There has not been a single day since all this began that, after listening to the radio in the shower in the morning, I have not felt a little disorientated and overwhelmed by something that seemed almost surreal. The constant bombardment of information on the ever-changing situation tends to have the effect of destabilising us, and reminds us over and over again that the routine we once had, which made us feel safe and secure, has been indefinitely put on hold. We must try to focus on the positive, so-mething which will give us the strength we need to give our all at work and concentrate on getting our company through this storm. That is exactly what we are all currently busy doing, i.e. trying to digest the here and now, and above all preparing ourselves for what is to come. But what is to come? Since 2014, Spain has led the way in Europe in terms of GDP growth. In fact, it has surpassed the EU average for more than 20 years. However, it is true that we are more vulnerable when faced with a crisis, such as the one which began in 2008 and did tremendous damage to the Spanish economy, just as COVID-19 has the potential to do. However, Spain’s ability to respond quickly to such situations and the eagerness of our companies to push ahead in the face of adversity have been seen time and time again over the years, and are two things which make us just as competitive as, or even more competitive than, our European neighbours. There is no reason for this crisis to be any different. Our entrepreneurial spirit and the

fact that this crisis has hit the entire planet, leaving us all in shock, are two factors which are to our advantage. We still do not know if the rules we have always played by will continue to apply; there will be fundamental changes to the way we see globalisation, the way will be paved for the reindustrialisation of developed nations and, above all, COVID-19 will have forced

companies across all economic sectors to go digital. This is a truly unprecedented situation. Imagine an endless race where

the track suddenly changes and the runners have to start again. Well, that is precisely the kind of situation we are faced with, except the runners are countries. Now, each nation must run faster than ever if they are to get ahead. It is going to be a competition between the world’s economies like no other. In the past, the Spanish economy has shown it is capable of generating significant growth thanks to its business sector. Spain’s companies, Ayesa included, have acted responsibly and diligently throughout the current pandemic, and we now need the Government to give us some flexibility to allow us to adapt our companies to both the good and bad it is causing. Companies are where employees and entre-preneurs come together to join forces and create value, and only those which are able to quickly adapt will be in a position to com-pete nationally, but most of all internationally. At Ayesa, we firmly believe that the opportu-nities to come will far outweigh the danger we will have to learn to live with. Technology and engineering are essential tools for helping society progress, and will now be more important than ever for ensuring we recover from this pandemic. Although there is no doubt that we will eventually get a vaccine for COVID-19, it will be our collective strength which, with the help of our Government, will put Spain in a new and even stronger position on the world stage.

José Luis Manzanares AbásoloCEO of Ayesa

5AYESA

although that is not to say we are unscathed by the health, social and economic crisis Spain is going through.

UnlockdownNow, three months on, we are finally seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The number of cases is decreasing and lockdown is gradually being lifted in Spain. A number of staff have returned to our offices, and more will gradually follow, depending on the instruc-tions issued by the Spanish Government. However, this does not mean things will be as they were and it will be some time yet until our offices are full again. One thing that is clear is that remote working is here to stay. At Ayesa, the wide-scale implementation of remote working could not have gone better,

and now with a ‘new normal’, one of the few certainties we have is that the way we work has changed forever.

It is within this context that Ayesa is working on a new model, Ayesa Smart Job, which is accelerating the journey of digital transforma-tion the pandemic has firmly put the company on.The aim is to create a more flexible, more

sustainable, more socially-responsible and smarter company. Moreover, Ayesa’s offices have put into place all the necessary protec-tion measures, including having thermometers available at reception, providing masks, intro-ducing social distancing rules, etc. The company is also offering voluntary anti-body tests for staff in Spain to find out if they have or have had the virus, although the aim is to also introduce this measure at Ayesa’s international offices in the near future. The good news is that we are now in a position to face this ‘new normal’ and see it as an opportunity to grow as a company. We will undoubtedly continue to be the great com-pany we always have been, something which is made possible by the commitment and professionalism of our people.

Ayesa’s offices will be transformed and a new work model, Ayesa Smart Job, implemented

A great opportunity ahead

6 TALENT

The crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 has shown just how committed our people are to their work. Setting up remote working for the vast majority of the company’s 5,000 members of staff has been a real success, in the sense that they have been able to continue working as normal throughout the crisis, a feat which is particu-larly impressive in the case of the many em-ployees who have worked against the clock to meet the urgent needs of our clients, in many cases related to the consequences of COVID-19. Specifically, various public sector technology consulting teams from Ayesa have played a key role in adapting some of the major systems used by the Regional Government of Andalusia to the specific needs generated by the pandemic. A particularly notable example has been the team responsible for providing IT support and maintenance services for the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), particularly in the area of HR. During the first few days of lockdown and at the height of the subse-quent crisis, they did a fantastic job at hel-ping the SAS deal with the health emergency,

which meant a large number of healthcare workers had to be drafted in quickly, and re-quired the system to remain up and running, and salaries paid, at all times. This meant they had to organise on-call shifts at weekends to manage the SAS website and intranet. The team also created video tutorials to allow doctors to work and attend

to their patients remotely. It has also been non-stop for our education team, due to the closure of schools. Many new features have been introduced on the education mana-gement systems we maintain for various regional governments across Spain, namely Rayuela in Extremadura and Séneca in An-dalusia and the Canary Islands, these having helped families and schools communicate

with each other during lockdown.We have also carried out extensive work on the distance learning platforms used by the regional governments in Andalusia and Casti-lla-La Mancha to provide access and support to more than a million students, therefore allowing them to continue their classes with as much normality as possible.

e-Learning Ayesa has been involved in innovative projects for the educational community in Andalusia, an example being the eApren-dizaje platform, which allows teachers to share material with each other and provides students with access to books from different publishing houses, amongst many other features. The team led by José Andrés Toca has also stood out thanks to its ability to res-pond rapidly to the ever-changing situation, something which meant they were able to complete the payroll of civil servants on time, despite this coinciding with the transition to remote working. Honesto Ruiz and his colleagues have also set an example by providing outstanding

Talent: Our Best Line of Defence>> Implementing remote working for thousands of members of staff in just a few days was only possi-ble thanks to the hard work of all those involved, and the technology made available by the company.

Employees from the digital transformation area made a collage with the photos of all of them in their new jobs.

Many teams have been involved in projects related to the consequences of COVID-19

maintenance services for infrastructure, which is absolutely critical at times like these. The work carried out by the BPO team, which helps Endesa manage its electricity bill discount mechanism (‘bono social’ in Spa-nish), has also been extremely important.Furthermore, we have made significant progress with the Confía project for Endesa in order to meet the new needs created by COVID-19. The aim of this project is to reduce energy poverty amongst society’s most vul-nerable. Once fully implemented, the system, which is based on blockchain technology, will revolutionise the way assistance for those at risk of having their electricity cut off is managed. In terms of engineering, for the supervision team in Spain, led by Francisco Ayala, it has been full steam ahead. More than 70 members of staff have continued to provide technical assistance services throughout Spain, in the form of site supervision and overseeing the operation of services. The team is currently working in Galicia, the Bas-que Country, Burgos, Zaragoza, Fuerteven-tura, Madrid, Seville, Malaga, León, Alicante, Tarragona and Ciudad Real, where they are supervising construction work for high-speed rail installations, dual carriageways and me-tro systems, in addition to ensuring essential services, such as those provided by trams, desalination plants and dual carriageways, run smoothly. For the company’s other departments, who-se staff are normally based at our offices, it has been business as usual.

Innovation Alicia Arce, Head of R&D in our Digital Trans-formation Area, notes how innovation-based projects have continued uninterrupted over this period, in particular SDN microSENSE, a H2020 project led by Ayesa which focuses on developing cybersecurity tools for electrical power and energy systems. An online pre-sentation of one of the area’s most important contracts, involving a photovoltaic plant with storage technology in Australia, has also stood out. However, these are just some examples of the outstanding work carried out by Ayesa over the past few months, and it should be noted that the entire team has continued to accompany our clients throughout these difficult times, offering them the same ex-ceptional level of service as always. In terms of our work outside of Spain, the teams in-volved in our technology contracts with Enel and Grupo Energía Bogotá have received praise from these clients for providing an uninterrupted service throughout the crisis, as well as quickly and effectively adapting to the ever-changing situation.

7TALENT

>> The company is implementing a more digital and collaborative work model as part of the ‘new normal’. Based on a multi-location system, it combines office and remote working.

Ayesa Smart Job: Designing the Future

Following its experience with COVID-19, Ayesa is implementing a new multi-location work model for its staff in Spain, with the aim of creating a more modern, competitive and efficient way of working. Known as Ayesa Smart Job, this system combines office and remote working, meaning more flexibility and a greater work-life balance for staff. In the short term, this model is respon-ding to the needs brought about by COVID-19, by ensuring the number of staff at our offices at any one time means social distan-cing rules can be observed.

Overhaul The introduction of this model involves a complete overhaul of the company, including redesig-ning our main offices in Spain, replacing PCs with laptops and introducing new corporate pro-tection and management tools. In fact, an inventory has already been drawn up of the company’s computers and a thousand PCs are soon to be replaced by laptops, many of which will be workstations with high processing capacity and graphics. The ultimate aim is to transform Ayesa’s offices into modern, well-thought-out,

collaborative spaces, with the necessary IT equipment to allow hot-desking, amongst other things. So far, this new concept is in place at our Madrid offices (91 Paseo de la Castellana), where it was introduced in February of this year. The new model encompasses the three areas of the company and its implemen-

tation will depend on how the pandemic evolves, as well as the needs of each project and requirements of each client. José Luis Manzanares Abásolo, CEO of Ayesa, explains how ‘prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Ayesa had already carried out various trial runs for remote working, meaning that

when the outbreak began, we’d already done our homework. What we’re now doing is looking into models for the future which are smarter, more sustainable and generally better for everyone involved’.

TrendsHe goes on to note how ‘one of the big

trends at companies that has been accelerated by the coronavirus is remote working. Fortunately, this is nothing new for us, as many members of our team work are based at client premises or on construction sites, meaning we’re in a position to be able to implement more innovative and efficient models, which will undoubtedly make us more com-petitive’. Offices are now set to become places where teams come to meet to pool their ideas together.

‘Our clients, some of which work in sectors such as industry, energy, government, ban-king and utilities, need us more than ever. Ayesa is the sum of many different discipli-nes and it is absolutely crucial we maintain a high level of service at all times’, concludes the CEO.

8 SMART JOB

The strength of Ayesa’s Engineering Area stems from three main factors – experience, robustness and internationalisation. This is what has allowed the company to survive crisis after crisis. This robustness or resilience, built up over five decades, together with its outstanding portfolio of contracts and the fantastic start to the year, puts Ayesa in a privileged position from which to fight this latest battle, this time against an invisible enemy, although one which is doing tremendous damage on a human and economic level. ‘We’re in a strong position. We began this year at an all-time high in terms of contracts, and thanks to the robust nature of our company, we’ve been able to focus 100% on our projects’, notes Rosalío Alonso, Managing Director for Engineering at Ayesa. Amongst the contracts recently secured, the following stand out: design services for Line 8 of the Barcelona Metro, the construction project for section 2 of the Tren Maya in Mexico, the construction project for the

third lane of Barazar in Vizcaya, and site management services for the new Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Usual circumstancesRosalío stresses just how unusual the current situation is, in the sense that it appeared almost out of nowhere and its consequences will only really become apparent in the medium term. Based on his experience over these past few months, he has come to two clear conclusions: firstly, that ‘the measures introduced in Spain as a result of the state of emergency have affected all our work, but their effect on each individual contract now looks set to vary depending on whether the client in question is from the private or public sector’, and secondly that ‘teamwork is key to any engineering project’. He explains how ‘Smart Job, the new model the company is working on, allows us to combine office and remote working’ and praises the attitude shown by everyone in his area, which ‘is truly exemplary and something that is helping us deal with this exceptional situation in the best possible way’.In terms of the impact the current crisis is having on the area’s projects, according to Rosalío, civil engineering and architecture projects have been largely unaffected, as the vast majority of the clients involved are from the public sector: ‘the changes we have seen have been those that one would

expect from a government trying to do its best in a difficult situation. In fact, they have gone out of their way to help us do our work, allowing remote working in many cases and keeping construction sites open. In terms of contracts with private clients, essentially construction companies, we have also made good progress’. For Rosalío, ‘engineering is a fundamental part of public works, and if governments want to keep the economy going strong, they need to invest in big projects’.Where he does believe there may be more disruption, albeit in the short term, is in industry: ‘the uncertainty created by a drop in demand in products such as cars and oil may lead to some of our main clients slashing investment. Likewise, the strict lockdowns seen in some countries have made it impossible to push ahead with certain contracts involving the commissioning of industrial plants. However, in such cases, we’re only looking at delays’.

Engineering: Standing Strong in the Face of COVID-19

An Ayesa engineer supervises the construction of the SE-40 in Seville.

>> Rosalío Alonso, Managing Director for Engineering, explains how the robust nature of Ayesa’s business model is key as we move into a new era characterised by uncertainty in terms of investment.

9ENGINEERING

Information technology (IT) has proven to be key during the coronavirus crisis, having hel-ped us avoid having to completely shut down our economies. This is the opinion of Germán del Real, Managing Director for Knowledge Technology at Ayesa: ‘there is no doubt that if this crisis had occurred five years ago and with such a strict lockdown, the consequen-ces would have been much more serious in terms of the economic fallout. As such, in my opinion, the investment made up until now in digitalisation has been absolutely fundamen-tal’.Digitalisation will be one of the necessary medicines that companies will now have to take, particularly in the case of SMEs, which are somewhat behind big companies in this race. There are two main reasons why this is important – firstly, so they are able to weather storms like the one we are currently experiencing, and secondly, because it is a path they are going to have to go down an-yway, so the sooner they begin the better.

Consequences ‘Collaborative, cloud-based and cybersecuri-ty technology is going to be in high demand’, predicts Germán. ‘However, we must not forget that efficiency, cybersecurity, the automation of everyday tasks and well-oiled processes depend on tried and tested technology, which must be implemented as a matter of urgency given the new world we find ourselves in’, he adds. Nevertheless, the current health crisis is going to have serious economic consequen-ces, one of which will be a decline in the amount companies and the government are able to spend. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the shutting down of eco-nomies across the world over the past few months as a result of COVID-19 will almost certainly affect investment in IT. As such, Ger-

mán believes that ‘we’ll first see a recession and then a radical redirecting of investment, with a greater focus on the digitalisation of private companies, as well as on technology to connect the public and government’.However, this will be accompanied by ‘important changes to delivery models, with an increase in remote working and a decline in travel, particularly international travel’, he adds. According to Germán, the situation that is now being referred to as the ‘new normal’ is bringing with it opportunities for Ayesa, which, after having been in business for the past 54 years, has not only survived numerous crises, but come out stronger from each one. He stresses that ‘Ayesa is in a strong position due to its capacity in terms of technology and integration’, going on to note how the company is ‘already working with certain clients to help them make progress in this area’.

Challenges and forecasts In terms of being prepared for COVID-19, Germán explains how ‘the investment made by Ayesa internally, both in software and hardware, as well as in our management model, have allowed us to provide exem-plary service levels for our clients during lockdown’. The Knowledge Technology Area accounts for around half of Ayesa’s staff in Spain (around 1,600 employees). In terms of the challenges brought about by COVID-19, the Managing Director admits that ‘the most difficult aspect has been implementing remo-te working for the entire team, a feat we had to complete in a single weekend’.He describes the past few months as having been ‘non-stop due to the large number of constantly changing rules and regulations, not only in Spain but in all the countries where we are present’, going on to explain how ‘this has meant our team has had to work extra hard to ensure the health and safety of the company’s staff, and allow them to continue working in what has been an ever-changing situation’. Thanks to the significant investment made by the company in technology, the loyalty of our clients and the positive response from all the company’s staff, Germán assures us that ‘ongoing projects have continued without

any issues’. However, uncertainty is growing, bringing with it certain negative consequen-ces: ‘we may well see changes to the scope of our current contracts and a decline in the number of future contracts up for grabs. The private sector, which has experienced a sharp decline in activity in certain areas, has already begun to make adjustments and rethink investment. In terms of the public sector, we’re seeing overspending and funds being redirected to welfare and healthcare, the consequences of which will be felt in 2021’.

‘If this crisis had occurred five years ago, the consequences would have been much more serious’

‘Collaborative, cloud-based and cybersecurity technology is going to be in high demand’

‘The past few months have been non-stop due to the changing rules and in all the countries where we are present’

‘In 2021, we may well see changes to the scope of our current contracts and investment being redirected’

>> Germán del Real, Managing Director for Knowledge Technology at Ayesa, is confident that once the recession is over, we will see an increase in investment in digitalisation and connectivity technology.

10 TECHNOLOGY

The Regional Government of Extremadu-ra has chosen Ayesa as its technology partner to help it become the first region in Spain to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in education administration. This involves a system which helps stu-dents and their families decide on which vocational training course to apply for by offering them recommendations.The system learns how the application process works and how places are alloca-ted, taking into account variables such as courses available, demand and decisions by applicants, providing students with the probability of them being accepted on the courses they have chosen. This is particularly useful for students who do not secure a place in July and decide to wait until September to apply for their first choices again.Nicolás Gallego, Head of the Vocational Training Division at the Regional Department of Education and Employment explains how ‘thanks to this system, applicants are able to choose courses they are most likely to be accepted on to. Some 5,500 people have already made use of this tool, 98% of whom have secured a place on their chosen programme’. He goes on to note that ‘we must bear in mind that these individuals are at an important crossroads in their lives, where the decision of which course to apply for should not be taken lightly, given that it will determine the course of their career. Mo-

dern technology can be particularly useful in situations such as these, where investment is minimal’.Margarita López, Head of the Public Sector Division at Ayesa highlights how ‘this initial phase proves that AI can be used to optimi-se processes and the way we interact with public administrations, opening the way for numerous opportunities in the area of education administration’.

RayuelaThis project has been carried out as part of changes to Extremadura’s education administration platform, Rayuela, following various studies on the use of artificial inte-

lligence for predictive analysis and machine learning as a way of boosting academic performance. It is in this context that the new system has been developed, which has seen Ayesa and Extremadura’s Regional Department of Education and Employment work alongside a team of researchers from the University of Seville and Pablo de Olavide University. As a result, two predictive models have been created, one aimed at providing information on whether the chances of securing a place will be higher in September and the probability of being accepted (classi-fication model), and another which predicts the position of the application on the list in September (regression model).

Artificial Intelligence to choose with success of vocational training programs

Seville City Council has allocated over 40% more staff to man its public telephone infor-mation service 010, which is run by Ayesa. The city’s residents can call this number to ask for information about online services offered by the Council and local public companies, as well as the various measures and changes to public services, introduced as a result of the health crisis caused by COVID-19.‘010 is proving to be an essential service for providing the public with information’, explains Adela Castaño, head of Seville City Council’s Equality, Education, Public Partici-pation and District Coordination Area.

Movement allowed, local Tussam bus servi-ces, measures put into place by Lipasam for disinfecting streets and online services offe-red by the city’s public companies are just some examples of issues which the public can get information on by calling 010. Ayesa has taken all the necessary steps to implement the laws. As such, the majority of its staff have opted to work from home, and the few who are continuing to work on site are spread across different shifts. Measures have also been introduced to ensure the required distance is kept between staff, as well as provide them with the means to protect themselves from the virus.

010 sees its team grow by more than 40% by COVID-19

11TECNOLOGÍA

The Digital Transformation Area is at the core of Ayesa’s ETC (engineering, techno-logy and consultancy) model, a crossroads where engineering and technology come together to create synergy. Part of its mission is to make industrial processes and essential sectors, such as energy, water and infrastructure, smarter. The company’s manufacturing engineering and aerospace teams also fall under this area. Pedro Sanz (Seville, 1980), a telecom-munications engineer, has had to steer his area through the coronavirus crisis just a few months after being appointed Managing Director.

What measures have you had to put into place as a result of the pandemic? We are a unique area, in the sense that 60% of our people work from our clients’ premises. As such, the main challenge we have faced has been adapting to the course of action taken by each individual company and setting up remote working for the remai-ning 40% of our team, all of this practically from one day to the next. We are faced by a completely new challenge – ensuring the health and safety of our staff, as well as our contracts.

Has this affected your plans for this year and next?Clearly, the disruption caused by the lock-down has changed what we had planned for this year and next. Our priority for this

year is ensuring we do not stray too far from our targets in terms of profit and turnover, whilst in 2021 we will work hard to secure new contracts, something which is especially important given the uncertainty surrounding investment by the public and private sectors.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced as a result of COVID-19? At Ayesa, our clients are at the heart of everything we do, so a particular challenge has been ensuring we have been there for them at this difficult time, something which has required a great deal of commitment from our team. However, this has not been without its rewards – over this period we have been awarded a series of small con-tracts from clients such as Airbus. Another particularly acute challenge has been the fact that aeronautics was considered a non-essential industry. This meant that 80% of Ayesa Air Control staff were not able to work for an entire fortnight. They have really been testing times. If you add to this the fact that we have had up to 20% of our team on me-dical leave or in self-isolation due to possible exposure to the virus, it has not been an easy ship to captain.

Do you think the biggest difficulties are now behind us or yet to come? The lockdown has been particularly challen-ging because it all happened so suddenly. However, the consequences are going to be with us for some time, and it is going to take us a while to get back to where we were in terms of contracts and investment. Unfortu-nately, the Digital Transformation Area looks set to suffer the most. Our target market are companies which prioritise excellence and use technology as a way of becoming more competitive. Of course, there will be companies which will have to put off inves-ting in this area due to financial constraints or because they are most likely going to close indefinitely, although there will also be others that will take advantage of the current situation to push full steam ahead with their process of digital transformation and ensure they are not caught out next time. Digital transformation services are set to experience unprecedented growth in demand, although not at the same rate across all sectors.

‘We will see unprecedented differences in the rate of digital transformation between industries’

‘We are faced by a completely new challenge – ensuring the safety of our staff, as well as our contracts’

‘The lockdown has been particularly challenging, but the consequences are going to be with us for some time‘

>>Pedro Sanz, Managing Director for Digital Transformation, predicts that one of the consequences of COVID-19 will be the acceleration of the digital transformation of certain industries, whilst others are going to find the process tough.

‘Our priority for this year is ensuring we do not stray too far from our targets in terms of profif and turnover’

12 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

A solid international presence

Ayesa is one of the most international Spa-nish engineering and technology companies. After almost two decades of international expansion, today more than 90% of all its engineering work and around a third of its IT projects take place abroad.Isidoro Carrillo, Managing Director for International Business, confirms this: ‘for-tunately, we have faced this pandemic with a solid portfolio of international clients’. The company is involved in major technology pro-jects for utility companies, such as Enel, Gru-po Vanti and Grupo Energía Bogotá, as well as important infrastructure contracts, including the Quito Metro and Line 2 of the Lima Me-tro, both of which are almost completed. The company also has a series of infrastruc-ture contracts yet to begin, including those it has re-cently been awar-ded in Colombia. All the countries where Ayesa is present have been affected to a grea-ter or lesser extent by COVID-19. For example, in Latin America, gover-nment measures meant for a time we were unable to work from our offices and saw certain public infrastructure projects, such as those involving metros, come to a halt. However, despite this, Javier Rodríguez, Country Manager for Peru and Head of Engineering in Peru and Colombia, explains how staff here have been able to push ahead with their projects whilst working from home: ‘we have had the chance to do things we wouldn’t normally have the time to do due to the time constraints that tend to characterise infrastructure projects. As such, we’ve been able to rethink procedures, carry out techni-cal analyses of projects and even create new schedules, which will undoubtedly bring grea-ter efficiency. Likewise, we’re confident we’ll be able to meet completion dates, keeping delays to a bare minimum. This means we’re on track to reach around 80% of the turnover we’d initia-lly forecast for the first two months of lock-down’. Isidoro agrees that ‘the impact on our volume of work has been minimal, meaning

we’re unlikely to stray far from our targets’. Nevertheless, it is still largely unknown how government spending over these past few months and economic shutdown will affect investment. As such, he believes ‘we may see a drop in investment over the next three years, meaning we must expand into new countries and sectors’.Luis María Ruiz del Portal, Head of Knowledge Technology in Latin America, highlights how quickly staff have adapted to working from home and how well clients have reacted to this change. In his opinion, greater digitalisation is key: ‘without the right technology, working remotely, and therefore continuing to make progress on our projects,

would have been absolutely impossible. We’re now seeing the need to combine the physical and digital worlds in practically all areas of our lives. I believe with this come many fantastic opportunities in almost all sectors’.

In terms of Asia, Mariano Álvarez, Country Manager for India, explains the difficulties experienced by staff here in getting to the offices to pick up essential equipment due to the speed with which the country went into lockdown, explaining how ‘with the help of our clients, who granted us temporary travel

permits, and the systems team in Spain, in less than a week we were all connected’. Despite these initial challenges, ‘there has been absolutely no disruption to our work’, he adds. Narendra Modi’s government included construction on its list of essential activities, meaning the sector was able to get back to work around three weeks ago. According to Mariano, ‘we’re seeing tendering proces-ses being put on hold, but not cancelled altogether’.Likewise, in Saudi Arabia, Jesús María García Pro, explains how ‘everyone who is normally based on site have continued working throughout lockdown, either from

home or on site with certain time restric-tions, although these have now been lifted’, going on to men-tion how his team is ‘currently working on the assumption that essential projects, such as water, energy, transport infrastruc-ture and desalination plants will be largely unaffected. Clearly certain industries, such as oil and gas, tourism and leisure,

will be hard hit, but given that our projects fall into sectors which are essential for socie-ty, they look set to continue’ . Nevertheless, he does say he expects ‘they will progress at a slower pace and that there won’t be any new projects in the short term’.In Europe, José Manuel Almagro, the company’s local representative in Ger-many, notes how ‘our main line of business in Germany is the defence industry, specifi-cally the maintenance of military transport aircraft. Fortunately, we’re not seeing a downturn in this industry, unlike commercial aviation and other sectors which make a significant contribution to the country’s eco-nomy’. He goes on to add, ‘we’re confident the current situation is not going to affect us. In fact, over the past few months we’ve seen a slight increase in our volume of work, so-mething which is consolidating our presence here in Germany and putting us in a strong position to expand here once industry as a whole gets back to normal’.

>> Ayesa has permanent offices in 17 countries. The company is in a strong position internationally, and faced with the prospect of a drop in government investment must expand into new countries and sectors.

‘We have faced this pandemic with a solid portfolio of international clients and big contracts’

13INTERNATIONAL

Colombia’s infrastructure sector has beco-me one of the main driving forces of the country’s economy and development, given that it lacks a good road or rail network, and reliable transport services in general.It is within this context that Ayesa has been awarded two major contracts for the country’s most important infrastructure projects – the extension of Bogotá’s bus rapid transit system through one of the capital’s main arterial thoroughfares, Avenida Carrera 68, and RegioTram de Occidente, the first commuter line to link Bogotá and the Department of Cundinamarca. These are multi-million-euro projects which will bring significant benefits for the approxi-mately 11 million people living in the region. In terms of RegioTram, Ayesa will be the en-gineering firm responsible for overseeing the project, which is expected to cost around 800 million euros, 18 million of which have been allocated to the consulting services contract awarded to Ayesa. The 39.6-kilo-metre-long line will include 17 stations, 8 of which will be in the Western Savanna Province. The system is expected to come into opera-tion at the end of 2023 and transport some 130,000 passengers each day on a 100% electric train. It will connect the munici-palities of Facatativá, Funza, Madrid and Mosquera to Bogotá in just 48 minutes.

The Chinese firm China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation will provide the construction, operation and maintenance services. ‘RegioTram is set to significantly change the lives of those who live in the De-partment of Cundinamarca and throughout the country’, notes Javier Rodríguez, Head of Engineering in Colombia, who goes on to explain how ‘this is a basic infrastructure project which will benefit all of Colombia. Our job will be to provide supervision servi-

ces for the first section, although many more contracts are set to be put out to tender’. In terms of Avenida Carrera 68, Ayesa has been awarded three out of the nine super-vision contracts for the construction of this project, which is expected to cost 3.17 billion

Colombian pesos (around 750 million euros at the current exchange rate).

This transport corridor belongs to Bogota’s public transport system, and the articulated buses that use it will be able to transport around 33,000 passengers per hour in each direction.If all goes to schedule, it should be ready by 2025 and is expected to benefit 1.5 million residents. The project is key to the success of Bogotá’s future metro system, which will connect to this corridor.Javier describes how ‘the TransMilenio network is constantly growing, and is now set to serve Avenida Carrera 68’, going on to say how ‘fortunate Ayesa is to have been awarded various lots to provide supervision services for this project’. The Country Mana-ger for Peru adds, ‘we know the construction

Engineering Contracts in Colombia – an Historic High: Carrera 68 and RegioTram

In both cases they are vital infrastructures for Colombia with a joint cost of more than 1.5 billion

Work on the Carrera 68 in the capital is expected to start in the coming months

>> Ayesa Ayesa has recently been awarded contracts for two of the country’s most important projects – the expansion of Bogotá’s public transport system and a commuter rail line to link Bogotá and the Department of Cundinamarca.

14 CIVIL ENGINEERING

15CIVIL ENGINEERING

RegioTram de Occidente is the first line of the commuter rail network set to provide the Department of Cundinamarca with a safe and sustainable public transport system. Almost 40 kilometres in length, it will connect Bogotá with other major Colombian cities.

company has also been chosen, so I think work is going to begin in June or July at the latest’. The team is currently making the most of the lockdown to prepare for when construction gets under way.

The Huallaga Bridge in Peru In addition to these projects, Ayesa has also recently been awarded a very important contract in Peru. The project, which is al-ready in the design phase, involves a cable-stayed bridge that will cross the Huallaga River, a tributary in the Amazon. ‘It’s a unique, spectacular bridge, which we’re fortunate enough to have been awarded the supervision services contract for’, says Javier, explaining how ‘the project is scheduled to begin between June and August at the latest, a good time of the year, especially in terms of rainfall’. ‘All three projects are set to join the “hall of fame” of civil engineering in South America, and if we add Line Two of the Lima Metro to these, our latest contract for Line 4, and all the work we’re currently involved in at various airports throughout Peru and Colombia, I think we’re going to be amongst the three leading engineering firms in the region’, concludes the Country Manager. Ayesa landed in Colombia in 2010 and is also present here through its Knowledge Technology Area. Another major project the

company is involved in in Colombia is the Canoas Wastewater Lift Station, which is part of a larger environmental project aimed at cleaning the Bogotá River. Furthermore, it has recently completed its supervision services contract for the 12-km

road connecting Yatí and Bodega. This is one of the government’s biggest infrastructure projects in the country’s Ca-ribbean region, and includes the Roncador Bridge, Colombia’s longest at 2.3 kilometres long. In terms of IT, Ayesa’s contract with Grupo Vanti, the first phase of which has just been completed, is particularly notable, as well as its contract with Grupo Energía Bogotá involving multiple countries.In addition to being extremely important given they are part of the digital transforma-tion projects of the region’s leading utility companies, these contracts also stand out for the innovation they involve, which com-bines various cutting-edge technologies.

Ayesa is runningalso importantimplementationstechnologies forutilities in the region

16 IN BRIEF

In addition to the measures already put into place by the company to keep its staff safe, Ayesa is now offering its employees in Spain a rapid antibody test for COVID-19. The company is also looking at the possibility of making it available at its international offices.In order to offer this test, Ayesa has reached an agreement with MPE Prevención, which has offices throughout Spain, as well as mobile units. This optional test is done using a sample of blood and reveals if the individual is negative, in the early stages of the disease, positive or immune.

The company provides antibody tests to the staff

The International University of Andalusia (UNIA) has recently created an Advisory Committee to support the work of the Vice-Chancellor, José Ignacio García, in teaching and research. This working group is made up of seven renowned individuals, four women and three men, from universities and private organisations, including Ayesa (represented by José Luis Manzanas Japón), Consentino and Google. According to the institution, the purpose of the committee is to ‘create a space for consultation and dialogue, where members bring their different perspectives, ideas and international experience to the table in order to find solutions to the various challenges faced by UNIA’.

Ayesa to sit on the UNIA’s Advisory Committee

The work carried out on the National Theatre of Panama is amongst Ayesa’s most important restoration projects. The building, one of the country’s most impressive, dates back to 1908 and was designed by the Italian architect Genaro Ruggieri in the style of an Italian operetta theatre. After four years of restoration work, it reopened to the public in October 2019. During the pandemic, a virtual tour of the theatre has been made available, allowing visitors to see its unique ornamental details and design close up. To begin exploring, go to micultura.gob.pa or facebook.com/virtualvisitpty.

Virtual tour of the National Theatre of Panama

Over this past year, Ayesa has stepped up its dialogue with universities and increased the number of activities it runs at institutions throughout Spain. One of the most successful of these are its masterclasses. Due to the restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19, the company has now begun organising online sessions, with the first of these being held on 27 May on the topic of machine learning and big data. Given by Daniel Capilla and Brenda María Duarte from the Knowledge Technology Area, it focused on a real real-life case study involving fraud detection.

Virtual masterclass on Machine Learning and Big Data

17IN BRIEF

José Luis Manzanares Japón, President of Ayesa, recently participated in an online event organised by the APD (Association for Progress in Management). During the virtual meeting, José Luis explained how ‘fear is a logical personal reaction, but the worst possible strategy a country can have. What we now have to do is exercise caution and act intelligently’. He also talked about how ‘Ayesa is facing risks, such as a drop in investment in infrastructure and contracts from leading utility companies’, going on to reveal how ‘fortunately, the company has secured enough projects to cover 80% of its target for this year and next. As you would expect, we’ve also made use of existing lines of credit’.

The President of Ayesa takes part in an online event run by the APD

The Regional Government of Andalusia is pushing full steam ahead with its process of digital transformation, key to which is the new e-procurement system Sirec. Ayesa is one of technological consulting firms working on this portal. As such, at the end of March, the new Centralised Procurement website and Catalogue of Approved Goods and Services went live, an example of how technology is being used to centralise and rationalise procurement by the Regional Government of Andalusia. A team from Ayesa has also integrated it with GIRO and tender documents, thereby allowing the Regional Government to monitor amounts of goods and services purchased and paid for.

Ayesa participates in the creation of the Sirec system

On 24 February this year, Ayesa officially opened its new offices at 91 Paseo de la Castellana. This workspace has been created under a new concept based on a hot-desking system, meaning desks are not assigned to any member of staff and have to be reserved using a mobile app. The engineering and technology company now aims to introduce this model at its other sites, and has already begun the process at its head offices on the Cartuja technological and scientific complex in Seville. This move is part of Ayesa Smart Job, a process to transform the company’s work model, and its strategy to replace PCs with laptops.

Ayesa’s new Madrid offices open at Castellana 91

Ayesa has introduced new features to its time and attendance system Rodas.net, which allow companies to better control access to and monitor the presence of employees, thereby allowing them to ensure the preventive measures laid out in their COVID-19 protocol are observed. These include the integration of ‘zero contact’ facial and palm print recognition equipment, automatic temperature readings to identify individuals with a fever and activate the relevant protocols where necessary, automatic mask detection, allow access only to staff who are scheduled to work on site, and create access rules for buildings to prevent too many employees arriving at once.

Rodas.net adapts to the needs of COVID-19

Ayesa has joined forces with other Spanish companies to lead the way in alleviating the health, economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19.The engineering and technology consulting firm has donated €100,000 to Cáritas Seville to help it during these extremely testing times.This charity does fantastic work across Spain through the shelters and assistance it offers, as well as its fight against inequality, helping almost 3 million people each year.Since the Spanish Government declared a state of emergency, requests for assistance have risen sharply as lockdown causes in-creasingly desperate situations for the most underprivileged. Three of the four poorest neighbourhoods in Spain are in Seville and the city is one of the country’s most hard hit by the crisis.‘We have to pull together to put a stop to this social tragedy, now made even worst by the pandemic. A fair society is one which doesn’t leave anyone behind. However, unfortunately, this crisis has shown us once again that there are still many vul-

nerable sections of society who rely on chari-ties’, notes José Luis Manzanares, President of Ayesa.The Ayesa Foundation has launched an initia-tive to drive private donations and encourage corporate volunteering, through its website (fundacionayesa.org). All funds raised will go to the Seville Food Bank and the Red Cross.

To get things rolling, the foundation has donated €6000. The Ayesa Foundation has also made its time and attendance system available to the non-profit sector, in order to allow their staff to work from home whilst complying with Spanish regulations, which require companies to collect information about the hours worked by their employees each day.

Solidarity against the adverse economic and social effects of the COVID-19>> The engineering and technology consulting firm has donated €100,000 to Cáritas Seville to help it during these extremely testing times.

A volunteer handing out plates of food.

18 CSR

19FOUNDATION

Ingenio_16

Ayesa Foundation

The Seville Food Bank Foundation has set itself a challenge: to collect 500,000 kilos of food as part of its ‘Spring Operation Kilo’ campaign, in order to help alleviate the current food crisis. To make this massive food drive possible, the organisation has entrusted the Ayesa Foundation with redesigning its website supersolidario.com, where it collects donations, which it then uses to buy and distribute basic food items to individuals and families most in need.As such, the Foundation has restyled the interface and developed a system for ma-king donations which offers users various options, including choosing one of the standard ‘hampers’ with basic food items or creating one from scratch, as well as making a cash donation of their choice. The new system also includes various payment methods, and issues a donation certificate where required. The Ayesa Foundation would like to thank the Seville Food Bank for the trust they have placed in us, and is right behind this initiative (whose slogan is ‘sharing is caring’), which aims to help more than 50,000 people in the Province of Seville

get through the current food crisis. The Ayesa Foundation has a proven track record of developing specific applica-tions and programmes for the non-profit sector.

A Record Food Drive Each spring, the Seville Food Bank Foundation (BAS) organises a food drive

at supermarkets and department stores across the province, something which is made possible thanks to the thousand vo-lunteers who take part and the generosity of those who donate. The lockdown in Spain has made physically collecting food impossible this year, something which could have had serious consequences given its importance for allowing the BAS to replenish its warehouse, coupled with the fact that the organisation is now more necessary than ever, having seen those who use it go up by 20% due to the coronavirus crisis.However, a solution was found and the ‘Spring Operation Kilo’ initiative was held virtually from 19 to 31 May. Agustín Vidal-Aragón, the President of the Foundation, explained to us how, due to the exceptio-nal circumstances, this year the Seville Food Bank had no option but to rethink its food drive due to the restrictions and recommendations put into place by the Government as a result of COVID-19. This initiative came at a crucial time and was made possible thanks to the exceptio-nal generosity shown by all those who donated.

Helping the Seville Food Bank through technology>> The Ayesa Foundation has redesigned the website supersolidario.com for the first-ever online ‘Operation Kilo’ campaign.

Interface of the supersolidario.org web platform made by Fundación Ayesa for Banco de Alimentos de Sevilla.

The lockdown in Spain because of the virus has made physically collecting food impossible this year

The Ayesa Foundation has a proven track record of developing app and software for the non profit sector