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New Entrant, Broad Experience

Eduardo Curiel - Grupo Industrial Águila (GIA)
Commercial Director

STORY INLINE POST

Wed, 02/21/2018 - 17:03

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Q: What makes Grupo Industrial Águila (GIA) the perfect partner in the energy sector?

A: GIA is comprised of several companies that offer a higher added value to its customers, with each one specialized in a very specific discipline. For EPC services, Águila Construcción e Ingeniería focuses on the entire industrial construction area, from conceptual, basic and detailed engineering to turnkey projects. In manufacturing, Águila Fabricación, whose production yards are located in Altamira, has a team with broad experience in mechanical transformation and manufacturing of tanks and containers. Águila Mantenimiento Industrial is solely focused on O&M activities, and has great experience offering maintenance services under both programmed and emergency stops. Finally, Águila Maquinaria, Montajes y Servicios Especializados rents and operates cranes of up to 300 tons for the installation of diverse equipment for the industry.

Until recently our services were focused more in the oil, gas and petrochemical sector, but we are now looking to grab the opportunities resulting from the newly dynamic energy market. The fact that we are already a preferred partner for several companies in the oil and gas sector is opening many doors. We are getting ready to become a key player in the Mexican energy sector.

Q: Given its long history in the Mexican oil and gas industry, how has the panorama changed for Grupo Industrial Águila after the Energy Reform?

A: Before the Energy Reform it was hard for national companies like GIA to offer services to CFE, as CFE used to ask for big projects that required strong financial and technological muscle, which could often only be provided by major international companies. Now, with more competitors in the market and projects becoming smaller and scalable, the opportunities have exponentially increased. We want to become the preferred option for EPC services in this new energy industry. Due to our broad experience in the oil, gas and petrochemical sector, our first step toward achieving this is in the thermoelectric and combined cycle segments, where we are already providing services for the construction of plants and manufacturing the required equipment, together with O&M services. As we have successfully worked on projects in this area, we are now also looking at the renewable energy sector, specifically for wind and solar projects, in which we are already receiving invitations to participate.

Q: How is Grupo Industrial Águila working to enter the Mexican renewable energy sector?

A: We are gathering expertise through joint ventures, be it with national or international companies, so we can offer a wider portfolio of services in the wind and solar sectors. One way we are doing so is by getting close to the winners of the auctions, and to their service companies, so we can become part of their projects. Working with them will provide us with a strong track record and, soon enough, GIA will be able to work on fully integral projects on its own. We expect that the whole process may take from five to 10 years. It may sound like a long time, but GIA has long-term plans for Mexico, meaning that we are ready to work hard for a long time to become the preferred partner for project developers. Mexico has strong goals for the penetration of renewable energies in its energy mix, meaning that this process may also be shorter.

Q: What goals has GIA established for 2018?

A: Although we have a long-term objective of becoming the preferred partner in the renewable energy sector, we are aware that this will take a lot of work and a long time. For 2018, our goal is to enter into a JV with either a national or international company that will get us closer to this major goal. We also are looking to expand the company’s reach. This includes opening an office in the country's north, which could be located in Coahuila or Nuevo Leon. This is a strategic move because the northern region is where most of the renewable energy projects are going to be developed, therefore allowing us to offer more personalized and faster attention.

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