Forming Partnerships to Protect Against Volatility

Q: What challenges has Consorcio IUYET encountered within the infrastructure industry?

A: To successfully integrate our high-tech products into such a complex industry, we had to specialize. The country has had various political, social and economic factors impacting its growth. Its dependence on the oil and gas industry was shaken by the oil price drop, which led to drastic cuts in the infrastructure spending. We specialize in offering the best engineering technologies and services to our clients, no matter the political term. To continue being competitive a company has to be the best in what it offers and that is what we do.

Q: What impact did Consorcio IUYET's technology have on the Mexico-Toluca Interurban Train?

A: For the train, we provided our services through a Technical Support Contract for the Mexico City government. It consisted in monitoring the development of the project and informing the government of all changes to project. As of June 2017, there have been more than 30 changes several adjustments to the original project due to rights of way and social impact implications. The rail intersects the route followed by the Cutzamala water system, which is a high-risk situation because if the foundation piles would have accidentally punctured the system, the city would be left without water. HDSTM technology allowed us to identify where the route would exactly cross to avoid a perforation in the system. Applying these types of studies and BIM allows us to identify mistakes or problems that could arise during the construction of the project, which saves both time and money.

Socially, this technology has been especially helpful with the third section, which runs from Santa Fe to Observatorio. Apart from securing the route for the project, the technology has also helped alleviate various social issues along this route. Surrounding communities began to protest against the construction of the project, theythoughtitwoulddestroytheirsightlinesandlower the value of their properties because it would cross in front of their homes. With the 3D modeling of the train, communities could visualize what the project would look like once finished and could see that it would have no impact on their assets. By using drones, we are able to supervise the construction process of the project from above and ensure that it was developing correctly. Our job is to take the project to the desks of decision-makers so that they can see, examine and review it.

Q: How are the public and private sectors responding to new technology and what partnerships has the company created to continue growing?

A: Approximately 97 percent of our projects are for the public sector. Most companies in the industry are afraid of the public sector because there is the misconception that payments take longer from the public sector. But we have realized that the private sector takes much longer to pay and sometimes does not pay at all. We believe it is important to establish a good relationship with commercial banks to have the solvency required to participate in the country’s most important projects. There is a vicious cycle that impacts the entire industry: if no investment is made in technology, a company cannot enter tenders for large projects. But if it does not enter large projects, then it lacks the money to invest in technology. We have worked with many banks throughout the years to a point where they will support us in any project we choose to be involved in.