Valencia, protagonist at the Iberdrola Group's Supplier of the Year Awards
- Galán highlights the work done by specialists from all over Spain from the very beginning,
- The Supplier of the Year Awards 2024 aim to highlight Spanish technology and emphasise its leading international position,
- Each year, the energy company purchases more than €2.600 B from its Spanish suppliers.
The Iberdrola Group, Iberdrola España’s parent company, today presented its Supplier of the Year Awards in Spain 2024, a recognition whose goal is to praise the work of Spanish companies and emphasise their role in achieving Iberdrola's strategic projects wherever it does business. This year, where Valencia was the protagonist, the awards went to nine partner companies that stand out for their commitment to the company.
With these awards, the Iberdrola Group recognises the importance of creating an ecosystem of suppliers working towards the same goals. All the companies recognised share values such as safety, innovation, job creation, diversity, digitalisation and sustainability. They also work with the Iberdrola Group on its strategy towards a decarbonised economy, based on its investments in renewables and increasingly smart distribution grids, large-scale storage projects and its commitment to innovative solutions for its customers.
The presentation of these awards was held this afternoon at the Iberdrola Tower in Bilbao and was presided over by Ignacio Galán, Executive Chairman of Iberdrola Group, accompanied by the CEO of Iberdrola España, Mario Ruiz-Tagle, and the Global Director of People and Services and Institutional Representative of Iberdrola España in the Basque Country, Asís Canales. The event was also attended by representatives from the supplier companies the Iberdrola Group works with in Spain.
Ignacio Galán began by conveying his support and that of the Iberdrola family to the companies affected by last week's tragedy in Valencia. "Specialists from all over Spain, from the Basque Country, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y León, La Rioja, Castilla La Mancha.... More than 500 people got to work instantly. Thanks to our suppliers and our teams, we’ve managed to turn the lights on for many people affected in record time," he said.
In 2023, the Iberdrola Group made purchases of equipment, materials, works and services worth more than €2.602 B from more than 4,500 suppliers in Spain. In Spain, 91% of those purchases were from local suppliers, many of them SMEs. That percentage exceeds the group's average worldwide.
During the first 10 months of 2024, the volume invoiced to suppliers in Spain amounted to nearly €1.950 B, figures that clearly illustrate the company's commitment to the development of local suppliers and the creation of indirect jobs.
According to the 2024–2026 outlook, investments will exceed €41 B in three years. In that time, around 30,000 new hires will be made, which will increase sustained employment in suppliers to over 500,000 jobs worldwide. Of this figure, more than 125,000 will be in Spain.
The Iberdrola Supplier of the Year Awards 2024 in Spain consist of nine categories that recognise companies for their focus on innovation, digitisation and their use of emerging technologies, diversity, equality and inclusion, for their creation of jobs and diverse job opportunities, for their sustainability and contribution to the SDGs, for their leading role in the energy transition, and for their quality of service.
Nine companies awarded
The Best Supplier of the Year Award went to Ametel. The Special 2024 Award went to the Sevillian company for its commitment, flexibility and predisposition to looking for solutions together. Ametel is highly committed to health and safety and plays a key role in the completion of the jobs on which it works, as is the case of the Plan Madrid Agreement, including the dismantling of complex lines in the Casa de Campo area and A-5 highway. It is always available with its resources and always has an amazing proactive attitude.
The award in the Equipment Manufacturer category went to Valencia-based Power Electronics. This supplier stands out for how reliable its teams area, its tight delivery times and its excellent after-sales service. Its leadership in solar inverters for photovoltaic plants and energy storage also extends to its ultra-fast charging points for electric vehicles, a segment in which it has an agreement with the Iberdrola Group | bp pulse partnership.
The winner in the Innovation, digitalisation and emerging technologies category was Innomerics from Madrid. This SME develops software and instrumentation and specialised engineering services. Its innovative technologies include digital twins for green hydrogen, heat networks and hydraulic pumping.
In the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion category, the Iberdrola Group has awarded the A Coruña-based company Mecanizados Acebrón for its integration of women at the highest levels of executive responsibilities. Its CEO, Rebeca Acebrón, is also vice-president of Asime (Association of Metal Industries and Associated Technologies of Galicia). The company is a regular Iberdrola Group supplier of very special large steel parts, such as gates, cofferdams, pipes and supports for hydraulic installations. It also stands out for rigorously complying with deadlines and for carrying out a great deal of work to support the ecological transition in multiple public forums and business associations in Galicia.
Tecinsa from Salamanca won in the Works and Technical Services category for its extensive technical capabilities, quality in the execution of its work, strict compliance with delivery deadlines and its commitment to safety and the environment. In 2010, it was also recognised by the Iberdrola Group in the 9th edition of the Supplier Award, in the best service SME category.
In the Job creation for everyone category, the Iberdrola Group recognised the Spanish subsidiary of the French group Eiffage, whose headquarters are located in Albacete, for being the company that has offered the most internships and jobs in the Iberdrola Group – Unicef partnership, which offers training, internships and employment related to the energy transition to vulnerable young people. Eiffage won Best Supplier of the Year in 2019.
The Energy Transition award went to BCare from Vitoria-Gasteiz, a start-up out of the CIC Energigune, the Basque Government's energy storage research centre, for its innovative proposal and its commitment to all the projects it works on. They supply the new lithium batteries (LFP, lithium-iron-phosphate) for transformer substations and i-DE grid cut-off devices.
In the Sustainability and SDGs category, Faramax from Cáceres was recognised for its value creation in Extremadura. Its production area and manufacturing capacity has more than doubled in the last four years, creating direct and indirect jobs and promoting technical training in Extremadura and Castilla y León through agreements with universities, vocational training centres and chambers of commerce. It also participates in social initiatives such as the reunification of Ukrainian families. The effort it has put in in recent years should also be mentioned. After an unsustainable 2021, it rolled out an improvement plan and now has a score of 69.
Last but not least, the Iberdrola Group has awarded the prize in the category of Ethics and Compliance to the Biscayan company Idom. The business has made amazing progress in recent years in terms of ethics and compliance, gaining certification in the area of competition.