In Lleida in 1954, Julio Sorigué founded a small company that specialised in the production and transport of aggregates, and infrastructure maintenance. Fifty years later, Sorigué decided to integrate various companies that had extensive experience in the infrastructure and public works sector into its structure, thereby becoming one of the largest construction groups in Catalonia.
Sorigué has undergone major changes over recent years. Does this mean that these are good times for the construction sector?
I.C.-The construction sector is recovering after a severe slump, which has resulted in changes in the market and which has forced companies to transform, to diversify their activities, and to reinvent themselves in many ways. Sorigué is highly aware of the impact of the sector on the environment and understands that it is necessary to operate under standards of responsibility and to always seek to achieve sustainable growth.
Sorigué has moved on from being a small local business to a company with a major presence across the whole of Spain. What attributes distinguish Sorigué from other companies in the sector?
I.C.-Sorigué differs from others because it retains all the positive attributes of a family company, created over years of work. It is committed to people and to giving back to society, and combines these approaches with professionalisation and the efficient and responsible management that is a characteristic of companies that are leaders in their sector.
Your company is associated with public works, one of the segments that has been most affected by the recession of recent years. What has been your strategy for coping during these complicated times?
I.C.-Our strategy for many years now has been to develop the skills to provide service for the entire lifecycle of an infrastructure, from its design to its conservation and maintenance, and for all types of customer: public or private. This same strategy is applied to all typologies, from hydraulic works to unique buildings, and including all kinds of infrastructure, whilst also managing to be specialists in each field and generating value in every process.
And now, at this moment in time, would you say that the recession is a thing of the past?
I.C.-We believe the recession in itself is over, but not because we have seen a return to previous parameters, but rather because the changes experienced have come to stay, and we need to adapt to them.
Sorigué is participating as a partner in the upcoming Barcelona Building Construmat. What are you expecting from this year’s show?
I.C.-This year, 2017, needs to serve to send a message of optimism. BB Construmat is one of the transformational levers of the sector, so we believe that it will be a useful meeting point for all agents involved, facilitating knowledge exchange and reflection on the present and future, which is full of opportunities.
And finally, like Barcelona Building Construmat, do you believe that innovation is the driver of change in the sector?
I.C.-Without any doubt. To innovate is to change things to do them better. If this recession has shown us anything it is that companies that innovate, that incorporate transformation into their DNA, have a far greater possibility of surviving and growing. It is not about innovating at any one specific point in time, but rather about having a culture of constant innovation. And we believe that the construction sector operated and operates as a lever for innovation and socio-economic progress, promoting and applying new technologies (3D printing to improve delivery times, drones to inspect building works, the Internet of things, etc.).