Magtel has been celebrating its 25th anniversary since the early part of the year. Since it was founded, Magtel has been an active and enterprising company seeking out its place in sectors where it felt it could contribute something and where it has undoubtedly managed to hold a leading position. Today it is a company that is an expert on the railway, environmental, energy, telecommunications and civil work sectors.

During its lifetime, Magtel has been able to gather all its industrial knowledge in order to provide innovative technology and offer its clients talent and experience. 90% of its current portfolio is listed on the capital market; discerning clients that have loyally valued the company’s efforts to improve itself and its serious approach to putting its heart and soul into each of its projects.

This commitment to work well enabled Magtel in recent years to consolidate in four international locations, where it has an office and its own team: Peru, Paraguay, Morocco and Portugal.

25 years creating wealth

In 1990 Magtel was born to offer network construction and maintenance services in the telecommunications sector for the sole national operator, and established its headquarters first in Posadas, Córdoba province and then in the Córdoba capital. Five years later, the company was known and valued for the quality and reliability of its services.

It entered the railway sector in 1997, developing specialised telecommunications superstructures and infrastructures in this field with the support of the Railway Infrastructures Administration (ADIF).

One of the big events that marked Magtel’s entry into the telecommunications sector was its liberalisation in 1998. Magtel began expanding its portfolio of clients to new international operators entering the country. Its staff grew to around 100 employees.

In 1999, with a team of engineers on the staff, Magtel began offering infrastructure construction and maintenance in the energy sector.

In 2001, Magtel obtained EFQM European Excellence Certification. This enabled it to transfer all its knowledge and experience of the telecommunications sector to the railway sector, thereby expanding its portfolio of services and becoming an outstanding collaborator of the sole operator.

In 2002, after 12 years on the market, the company began being recognised in its sectors and received the Award for Business Excellence. At this point the company had 200 employees.

Magtel has continued to surpass itself in all its areas of activity. In 2003, it was one of the few companies to offer specialised jobs, such as the repair and maintenance of high voltage grids, and in 2004 consolidated as an expert in the development of radio communications. In 2005, the rehabilitation of all public TV broadcast centres meant that Magtel was entrusted with what was a significant growth in the development of specialised equipment. At that point it had 425 employees.

During the same year, given the need for polyethylene pipes for its energy and telecommunications projects, Magtel decided to build a factory, essentially to supply itself, though it also offered product on the market to meet high demand. This line of business amassed over 400 external clients worldwide in under three years.

In 2006, Magtel made its first foray in power generation. With the knowledge it had acquired in the energy field, it decided to promote and build its own photovoltaic solar and thermoelectric power generation projects.

In 2007, with a committed and specialised human team, Magtel entered the environmental sector by applying its engineering and construction knowledge to a new sector that would be key to the company’s future: water.  Magtel currently has a presence in all of Andalusia’s provinces.

In 2008 and given market demands, Magtel established its Systems Division, which facilitates the application of information technologies in infrastructure construction and operation. Magtel specialises in providing intelligence to infrastructure constructions in all sectors. During the same year, Magtel completed its first photovoltaic solar energy farm in Belmez, Córdoba, with 6.7 MW of power and an investment of 74 million euros. This project led to the company’s workforce rising to 743 employees.

In 2009, with great innovative spirit, Magtel inaugurated a new division exclusively dedicated to R&D&i, focusing on these services that were previously spread out among the different lines of business and increasing the degree of technology and added value to all the group’s divisions. The same year, Magtel completed the construction of two photovoltaic solar projects in Córdoba province: El Molino with 6.1 MW of power and La Quintana with 9.8 MW. In the infrastructure sector, Magtel clients include the country’s main energy and telecommunications companies.

In 2010, the company undertook its international adventure in two different directions: North Africa and Latin America. In 2011, Magtel opened an office in Casablanca, Morocco with important contracts in the wind energy and infrastructure construction sectors. In the field of renewable energies, Magtel obtained 9 and 11 farms in energy priorisation distribution in Andalusia and Extremadura respectively.

In 2012, the most innovative solar plant in Europe was connected in Córdoba province: Africana Termosolar—50 MW and an investment of 387 million euros—promoted by Magtel and built by Magtel, TSK and Grupo Ortiz. It opened in November, consolidating the Magtel brand in the field of technology and in the renewable energies sector. In addition to thermoelectric and photovoltaic solar and wind technology, Magtel’s projects under promotion include offshore wind, mini-hydraulic and cogeneration energy projects.

At that time, Magtel was consolidating in Latin America and establishing its headquarters in Lima, Peru.

In 2013, the company focused on consolidating its international headquarters in Morocco and Lima, which were revealed to be great opportunities for growth, and at the same time undertook an intense phase of corporate reorganisation and internal professionalisation needed to strengthen structures and processes for national and international expansion goals and to enter new sectors such as mining.

In 2014, Magtel opened new international offices in Paraguay and Portugal, both linked to contracts with a high technological component.

That same year, the mining sector in Andalusia had great opportunities for developing technological applications. Magtel, in a consortium with the multinational Grupo México, one of the main players in the sector on a global level, decided to promote and contribute to the development of the mining sector in the region, and constituted a new line of business with new specialised equipment. In 2015, Magtel was the winning bidder along with its mining partner in the bid for the exploration and exploitation of the Aznalcóllar deposit, becoming the first Andalusian mining company.

Effective and efficient business management

Despite having a history full of growth and diversification milestones, Magtel has had to adapt its internal and external processes to the complex and changing needs of the market and its clients. This adaptation, which has been very good for a progressive, orderly development, came about thanks to a series of premises that the board of directors, the company’s founding and managing body, has kept at the forefront.
The role of the professional is emphasised. Magtel’s trajectory would not have been possible if its founders had not reinvested profits in talent. With a marked sense of responsibility and commitment to creating wealth in its own region, Magtel has created thousands of jobs in Andalusia that have enabled many professionals to develop themselves in their own community without the need to seek opportunities elsewhere.
A modern, horizontal and flexible organisation with goals geared towards team cohesion and responsible allocation has resulted in an orderly, balanced company that approaches different markets in an efficient manner.
Therefore, Magtel has experienced organic growth sustained by intense commercial and expansive activity, and systematic diversification based on the cornerstones of know-how, engineering and technological application.

A future of hope and commitment

With this solid foundation, Magtel is looking to a future full of challenges with professionalism and excellence, where technology and added value for clients play an essential role and where people, knowledge and commitment to continuous improvement are its essential corporate values.
Renewable energies, sustainable building, cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructures, new technologies applied to the water sector, etc. highlight the challenges facing the company in the coming decades. Fortunately, Magtel is now supported by great experience based on efficiency, service and the capacity to approach large infrastructures.
A business approach marked by the global nature of our market and by personalised attention to each and every client, who year after year continues to trust in Magtel doing a good job.