BUILD-TO-SUIT DEVELOPERS
Construction companies and developers credit their success to a client-centric model focused on service above all else.
How has your client profile developed?
ENRIQUE MARTÍNEZ Over the last 20 years, the construction industry has undergone several changes that have seen clients become increasingly demanding when it comes to quality and delivery. Industrial construction projects are vital to companies, since they house their machinery and production. This makes it even more important for projects to be on time and high quality. For real estate developers, it is different. For them, we build projects which our clients then sell. Apart from industrial clients and residential developments, another important client base for us is institutional clients such as universities. For example, we built a unit in Querétaro for the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey, in addition to a new library for them in Monterrey, which is one of the most important libraries in America. We have also built for Universidad de Monterrey and recently finished the San Pedro Unit High School. We are also keen on participating in the Pabellon Amarillo in the Campus of the Universidad de Monterrey, which is about to be launched. Institutional clients present another type of work. It is delicate work building on campuses. The fact that we have a good track record with our clients allows us to stand out.
GUILLERMO BACA We started off doing maquiladoras, industry buildings along the border with the US, and just building the shell, which is then filled with people and equipment. But now we design and build sophisticated industrial buildings, including paper plants, tire plants, chemical plants, pharmaceuticals, and food industry plants, for example. These are high-tech buildings with high-end specifications in line with European and American specifications. We have learned to design and build these kinds of sophisticated buildings as we grew through the years. Naturally, our client profile has also changed in alignment with that. Now, we have clients and competitors from all over the world, from the US, Spain, the UK, France, China, Germany, Japan, and, of course, Mexico. We sell engineering and construction services, and we are a service business. And service is all about people. When you invest in your people, the rest will follow. When you look at the list of our clients, 70% are repetitive, meaning they hire you again. That vision has been crucial for us. In the last five years, the size of the company has tripled.
How did your company expand throughout Mexico geographically?
GB Copachisa began as a construction company for industrial parks. After our first city, one of our big customers was Packer Electric, a subsidiary of General Motors, and it asked us to go to Monterrey in the 1980s to build another city. This park was followed by cities in Laredoa, Cuahuila, Saltillo, Ciudad Juarez, and other cities. Then, Terrazas founded Enmixa, which designs and builds steel structures, and that further supported the Copachisa business. He then founded Denmec, which designs and builds electrical and mechanical installations. Today, we have 14 companies. Terrazas manages all those companies from Copachisa, so Copachisa was the mother company that owns those other companies. Since we started growing, we decided to create a holding company, Grupo Punto Alto, which manages all our companies.
What are your predictions for the medium term for the construction sector in northern Mexico?
EM Developers believe 2017 and 2018 will see projects drop in the areas where we are most active, such as San Pedro Garza Garcia. The cost of land is relatively high in San Pedro Garza Garcia compared to different areas in the municipality of Monterrey, which is why we have seen construction on the rise in other areas. We are also active in other areas such as the Bajío, Queretaro, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Jalisco, among others. We are building a new commercial center and a housing project in Hermosillo, Sonora. We have just signed a contract for a new building in Mexico City. This is an exclusive contract to build an underground parking structure at a cost of MXN160 million (USD9 million). However, we are also interested in building the tower above the parking structure. The requirements of the underground parking structures raise the price of the apartments, offices, and commercial areas.
BUILD-TO-SUIT DEVELOPERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary , UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
TBY talks to Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), on Mexico's structural reforms in line with the 2030 Agenda and maintaining consistent growth.
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Frederic García, President, Consejo Ejecutivo de Empresas Globales (CEEG)
TBY talks to Frederic García, President of Consejo Ejecutivo de Empresas Globales (CEEG), on making Mexico a more attractive FDI destination and promoting growth and development in the South and Southeast.
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Dr. Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, Director General, National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT)
TBY talks to Dr. Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, Director General of National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), on investing more in science, technology, and innovation and positioning Mexico as a knowledge economy.
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Sergio Ayala, General Manager, GIFAN
TBY talks to Sergio Ayala & Alberto Rementeria, Directors of GIFAN, on identifying and capturing niche markets in Mexico, importing healthy and profitable solutions in the food industry, and working with forward-thinking, medium-sized companies.
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Carlos Morales Paulín, Country Manager, Telefónica
TBY talks to Carlos Morales Paulín, Country Manager of Telefónica, on how to provide the best customer service on the market, an ultra-competitive suite of products, and forcing the competition to improve customer standards in the process.
read articleFocus: Digital Television Transition
Digitalizati-ON!
Starting with the first analog blackout in Tijuana, Baja California in June 2013, Mexico has achieved an effective national transition to digital television. According to data from the Federal Telecommunications Institute, 95% of the population benefits nowadays from digital terrestrial television (DTT).
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