Siemens has over 3,400 employees in Spain and three factories exporting to the entire world

Siemens is a multinational technology company operating in 191 countries. It is strongly committed to innovation, as shown by its €4.3 billion investment in R&D+I and its 64,300 patents. Its research aims to respond to the challenges facing a wide range of sectors, including industry, energy, infrastructure, cities and healthcare. In 2015, this German company will celebrate its 120th anniversary of operations in Spain.

 

Why did Siemens come to Spain?
Spain's geostrategic position and its great industrial potential were the main reasons behind the company's decision to open its first offices on Carrera de San Jerónimo in Madrid in 1985. We've lived through wars, post-wars, dictatorships, changes of political regime, and crises, but in spite of all the difficulties we've always responded to the needs of society. We've played a significant role in developing the AVE high-speed train, modernizing factories and hospitals, and stabilizing the energy system. We've helped Spanish companies with their internationalization plans and we support the Marca España project.

 

What does Siemens presence represent in terms of investment and jobs?
It's very difficult to put a figure on the jobs created by Siemens in this country over the last 120 years. If the company were listed on the Ibex-35, it would be the third oldest, which gives you an idea of our long and fruitful commitment to this country. This commitment has made it possible for three generations of the same family to all be working for Siemens at the same time. The company currently has a workforce of over 3,400 in this country, with three factories (in Cornellá, Getafe and Rubí) whose products are exported to all corners of the world, its headquarters in Tres Cantos, and sales offices in the major cities.

 

What are your most outstanding projects at the moment?
We are currently making a decisive contribution to the modernization of the high-speed rail network by installing cutting-edge safety and signaling systems. We've also helped make sustainable mobility a reality in cities like Madrid, with the first electric car charging station that uses the braking power of trains, and Barcelona, where modern signaling systems have increased the efficiency of the metro lines. Also, one of this year's most outstanding projects is the electricity link with France, to which we contributed our HVDC technology and wide-ranging know-how, something we'd already done between the continent and the Balearic Islands with Project Rómulo. In industry, we are giving presentations all over Spain to show companies how technology can help them optimize and digitize their manufacturing processes. And in healthcare, we've equipped hospitals with the latest-generation healthcare technology.

 

Which divisions are present here in Spain?
As a global company, our operations in Spain are in all the areas that Siemens has worldwide; in other words, we have the same number of divisions. They all focus on digitization, electrification and automation, the three broad areas that will define the market of the future, as applied to the industrial, energy, healthcare and infrastructure sectors. As part of its commitment to innovation, Siemens has a Railroad Signaling Excellence Center, a model for the sector of the highest level technological development, that operates as a development and testing center for signaling and railroad traffic control systems and as a training center. Also, there has been a production and R&D center in Getafe since 1957 for portable radiology equipment and imaging systems that form part of other diagnostic equipment.

 

What is the positioning of the sectors in which you have a presence?
In Spain we have a lot of potential, but there are still important steps to be taken to lay down the foundations of a solid, productive model and to look to the future with optimism. First of all, we must openly support reindustrialization and provide our factories with the technology needed to make industry 4.0 a reality. We not only provide companies with technological solutions, we also provide them with the advice they need to combine the real with the virtual in their facilities, which is the hallmark of the factory of the future. We need to give the industrial sector back its importance in the economy, because strong industry is the best indicator of a country's wealth and competitiveness. Therefore, energy also has a great part to play. We must not only make the entire energy cycle more efficient, we must also balance generation and demand by investing in interconnections.