Interview with José A. Hernanz, General Manager, Alfa Laval Iberia

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. The company has clients in over 100 countries and about 11,500 employees. Alfa Laval is listed on the Nordic Exchange and, in 2007, posted annual sales of about 2.7 billion euros.

José A. Hernanz is the General Manager of Alfa Laval Iberia. Hernanz, 55 years old, is a Naval Engineer and has an MBA by IESE. He started working with Alfa Laval in 1983 and has occupied several managing positions in this multinational Swedish group, among others that of Alfa Laval’s General Manager in Portugal and later in Spain, regional manager of the group in South America and, simultaneously General Manager of the company in Brazil and Argentina. In 2002 he became once again the General Manager of Alfa Laval Iberia and today he is the General Manager for Spain and Portugal.

1- What is Alfa Laval Iberia’s, and especially Alfa Laval Portugal’s, role in the group’s results? 

Both countries constitute Alfa Laval’s Iberian region, with a local presence in both. Alfa Laval, being a global company, is definitely betting on a local presence and every country contributes according to its market for the group’s results aiming at being a leading company in the markets and product lines of its key solutions, fluid transfer, separation and handling. All countries contribute in the analysis of product needs and development for the aforementioned leadership, so we shouldn’t differentiate any of them in the global results.

2- How has Alfa Laval’s business evolved in the Iberian heating and refrigeration market?

In the last few years there has been a clear development where the growth of our business has evolved in a very positive way in all markets and countries. The Iberian market has contributed in the same way as the other markets, with a uniform growth both in heating and in refrigeration.

3- Why has Alfa Laval decided to focus its strategy on heat exchangers and refrigerant gases in Portugal? What conditions exist today in the Portuguese market that allow its success?

Alfa Laval’s strategy in Portugal focuses on all its products, without exclusion, and heat exchangers and refrigerant gases are another part of them, although having more solutions to cover all applications in the markets, we have been able to develop our business in these sectors without special market conditions, different, from the natural growth evolution in the countries in our environment.

4- The strategy for Spain is similar or is there a different demand?

We can say that each market has its consumption characteristics, which is why we maintain and strengthen our local presence. The basic strategic lines are similar in all markets, but as we go down to a local level it is necessary to adapt them to each one and in a different way. Spain and Portugal have similar markets in some cases and very different ones in others, which means demands also follow the same rule.

5- Who are Alfa Laval’s main competitors and clients in the Portuguese market? And in the Spanish market?

Allow me not to answer your question, as we do not like to talk about our competitors. They exist, should exist and we know them, because they, also, make us improve every day to continue being the leaders. But our main goal is to offer new products and applications that satisfy the demands of the market.

6- Is there any specific sector that is the main client for the group’s products in the Iberian market?

Historically, the naval sector has been a very specific client for Alfa Laval. With the reduction of naval activity in the Iberian Peninsula and without having abandoned the sector, we can say our applications cover practically all activity sectors and we shouldn’t put more emphasis on any of them as we serve all with our best dedication.

7- In your opinion, which tendencies can we expect in the future for the Iberian heating and refrigeration market?

New applications have appeared according to the different energy sources. Today we talk a lot about renewable energy as a future trend  for a sustainable development and this will certainly influence product development in the future. As for the development of markets such as heating and refrigeration, in some cases affecting Comfort and in others affecting food basic needs, we still have a long way to go in order to satisfy the end consumers’s demand. We are optimistic and expect that the market level keeps growing at its desired rate and, even if cyclically it can slow down or not, in the future it will keep going on its current line.