OWNER & CEO
. ENGINEERING OF DREAMS .
Estel Ingeniería y Obras has established itself as a global leader in the realization of comprehensive installations for an extensive portfolio of clients that includes hotel chains, public administrations and private owners, ranging from imposing hotel and residential projects to public works at an international level.
Following the impressive expansion of Estel since its foundation in 1955 until today is its Owner and CEO, Toni Ballester: visionary and with extraordinary strategic leadership skills, Toni has raised the company’s reputation to the highest through a business philosophy based on excellence, quality, diversification, innovation and talent. which has allowed it to successfully carry out more than 1,300 projects in 20 countries.
The recognition and respect that Estel Ingeniería y Obras has achieved over the years has allowed the company to access new markets, attract new customers and foster strategic alliances with high-level partners that strengthen its position in the industry, increase its competitiveness on all fronts and position the company as a leader in its sector
Today, in The Ambassadors Sections, we interview Toni Ballester Gornals, a brilliant senior telecommunications engineer and above all a businessman with a privileged instinct.
In this conversation, we explore his vision and his reflections on the path taken by Estel from its beginnings to today and the strategies that have allowed Toni to stay at the forefront and consolidate itself as a world leader in integral installations.
Toni, thank you very much for receiving us today in this interview in The Ambassadors Sections, within the framework of the international campaign «Balearic Islands, Sustainable Excellence», with the aim of promoting the Balearic Islands internationally through the vision, achievements and objectives of its best companies.
Toni, Estel is indisputably presented as a success story, an example of an exceptional business strategy that has managed to successfully prosper in all its segments of activity and in all territories.
Apart from your strategic vision, undoubtedly one of the main assets for Estel, what would you highlight as the most important milestones in Estel’s trajectory from its beginnings until now?
Thank you very much Patricia, at Estel we are always receptive to participating in initiatives related to our vision and values, and we are proud to contribute to everything that is positive for the image of Mallorca and the Balearic Islands at an international level.
When the company was founded almost 30 years ago, it started as a telecommunications engineering company, because both I and my former partner were telecommunications engineers.
We had the opportunity to start working for the hotel sector and soon the hotel chains were asking us to extend our services, and thus began our diversification. Today, Estel is a multidisciplinary installer that offers a comprehensive service encompassing not only telecommunications installations but also electricity, firefighting installations, air conditioning, sanitation and plumbing, etc., and above all increasingly focused and focused on everything related to energy efficiency, such as BMS systems – Building Management System -, and with home automation that can help minimize consumption and optimize the comfort of buildings.
Another important milestone occurred in 1999, also with the help of two large Spanish hotel companies, which invited us to make the leap with them to the Caribbean. We did it first with Iberostar in the Dominican Republic, and shortly after with Meliá in Panama. From the Caribbean we spread to Mexico and, today, they are regions in which we are very consolidated.
Gradually we grew in parallel with other Spanish companies established in the Caribbean, such as Excellence, H10, Catalonia, Princess, Mac Hotels, making them the Uberoalto Marriott W in Punta Cana, and other companies that were no longer Spanish were also incorporated, such as the Canadian Royalton, which has brands such as Chic and Planet Hollywood, or American companies such as RCD, who are the managers of the Hard Rock brand for the Caribbean. For them we did their Hard Rock in Mexico, the Aba in Mexico, or the Único in Jamaica.
After almost 30 years of experience and more than 1,300 projects successfully carried out in 20 countries, today 50% of our turnover corresponds to projects in foreign markets and we have international delegations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, the USA, Qatar, Peru, Colombia and Algeria.
One point that I think is important to highlight about our trajectory is that, from the moment we do a first project for the companies we work with, they always come back to us to carry out their next projects.
Customer loyalty is very important to us, as it is not only an unequivocal indicator of their satisfaction, but in many cases our customers also become our best ambassadors.
Our track record of almost 3 decades of rigorous professionalism and outstanding innovation at the service of large projects endorses our capacity, and today our goal is to become the Partner of choice for our main current and potential clients: hotel chains, investment funds, public administrations, construction companies and private owners.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA PROJECTS & WORKS IN PROGRESS:
Project in progress of the W Punta Cana Uvero Alto Hotel of the Marriott Hotels group (Dominican Republic)
Comprehensive facilities in 349 rooms with private pools, SPA with 11 treatment rooms, commercial area, pools with bar and 11 Food & Beverage options
Toni it is obvious that with such a trajectory the future of Estel looks very promising. Among the many strengths that make up your success story, what would you highlight as your main competitive and differential advantages?
Well, I would say that the capacity and experience of being able to carry out the installations of a project in an integral way and according to the specific needs of each client, both from a technical and economic point of view. In this way, the client has a single interlocutor, guaranteeing coordination between the different installations, optimising the resources dedicated to the project and, therefore, its deadlines and costs.
Ability to do so thanks to the immense value of our highly qualified multidisciplinary team, made up of more than 120 specialized technical engineers and our in-depth knowledge and mastery of national and international regulations in all the countries in which we operate.
We stand out for being flexible, for our experience and proximity, for our first-class human capital and for a construction control that allows us to optimize all available resources.
And experience, because we have been doing it for almost 30 years and we continue to try to improve and innovate in each new project we undertake, adapting our solutions to the demands of our customers, who are also changing.
In short, we offer a comprehensive service and management that greatly simplifies the process and offers great advantages to the customer: a single supplier means a single interlocutor and maximum optimisation of resources and expenses.
Toni Ballester, visiting one of the Estel Ingeniería & Obras construction sites in Aruba
Toni, Estel’s expansion has always been in the company’s DNA since its origins, as you have not only made a strong commitment to market diversification, but also to products and services through each of your brands and segments of activity.
In terms of diversification, in 2020 we decided to launch four brands with the aim of offering a wider range of specialized services: Estel Dome, Estel SAT, Estel Energy and Estel Green.
Each of these brands encompasses a set of very specific services to be able to respond to the challenges and needs of our customers.
Estel Dome is focused on comprehensive high-end installations focused on customers in the most Premium residential market.
Estel SAT is focused on providing 24/7 facility maintenance services.
Estel Energy understands the development of power generation projects
Estel Green dedicates all its efforts to the development of innovative and sustainable projects that promote the ecological transition.
In recent years, we have focused especially on developing the new business line of affordable and sustainable energy generation: green energy generation, capable of covering the customer’s energy needs for part of the day and generating enormous savings on the energy bill.
In the Caribbean, especially, where energy is expensive and unreliable, Estel Energy is running power trigeneration plants that allow its customers, mainly large hotel complexes, to have a competitive and reliable energy supply.
We carry out feasibility studies and recommended production capacity to ensure maximum efficiency in the design, installation and commissioning of photovoltaic, trigeneration and osmosis panels.
In this way, through different types of facilities such as cogeneration or trigeneration and the provision of the supplies required by the different establishments, such as hot water, air conditioning, steam, etc., our facilities combine various technologies for the generation of electrical and thermal energy from fuels, which reduce pollution such as natural gas, biomass or renewable energy sources.
We make the investment and assemble the generators that generate the electricity and the solar panels that generate the electricity, and from the exhaust gases of the generator sets, we generate the ice water, which is what moves the hotel’s air conditioning.
We also generate the hotel’s hot water for the radiators, and even the thermal oil to heat the ironers and all the floors of the hotel’s laundries.
This structure allows us to create an extraordinarily energy-efficient chain, because we take advantage of electricity to generate the hotel’s hot water, the gas from the exhausts to generate the air conditioning and the thermal oil to heat the flatwork ironers and washing machines of the hotels.
This makes us an integral supplier of energy, apart from an integral supplier of facilities and services, and for me, today, this is our main competitive and differential advantage, especially for projects in the Caribbean.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS PROJECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN:
Project in progress of the Princess Grand Jamaica Hotel & Resort.
The project consists of 4 hotels with 998 rooms in which Estel Ingeniería & Obras is carrying out the electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and air conditioning installations.
Sustainability, Internationalization, Innovation and Diversification raised to the highest exponent….
An infallible combination.
Always, from the beginning. These are factors inherent in Estel’s DNA and I believe they are very important for a company.
Internationalization is essential, and at Estel we have been able to grow and continue to grow, first thanks to the trust of our customers and second because we have had the guts, being young and with a company that is still very small, to dare to make the leap to new markets.
Innovation… for me a company without innovation does not exist and Estel’s presence and participation in international markets and projects exposes the company to different technologies, practices and industry standards, which allows us to incorporate the best practices and the most advanced technologies in our projects, thus constantly and exponentially improving the quality and efficiency of all its services.
Estel’s international presence significantly maximizes our visibility and branding in different territories of the world, which not only constantly attracts new clients and potential partners of great magnitude, but also world-class talent of highly qualified professionals who seek to work for the most recognized companies of global reach and dimension.
This allows us to expand our team of experts on a near-continuous basis. For me, talent is an essential success factor to execute the complex and large-scale projects that Estel carries out worldwide.
Indeed, internationalization and diversification gave us the possibility to expand and grow. That is why, thanks to our team and strategic alliances with Mallorcan companies such as Robot, we manage to improve the energy efficiency of the facilities we execute and promote decarbonisation.
We currently execute trigeneration plants, which are between 80-90% energy efficient, compared to the 50-60% of cogeneration that was the traditional system, with which we manage to significantly minimize CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
By promoting innovation, we achieve better solutions for our customers, making them not only more competitive but also more sustainable.
In terms of Sustainability, by operating in various markets, Estel has the opportunity to adopt and promote sustainable and responsible practices globally, which also contributes to our mission to have a positive impact in all the countries and territories in which we operate.
We are very committed to our contribution to building a more sustainable humanity and making this world a better place for future generations.
In terms of innovation, it is not only about innovating in products, and we, at Estel, take on challenges.
When we arrived in the Caribbean hand in hand with the great Spanish hotel giants, we were very well prepared in the field of telecommunications, but when customers quickly trusted us to also develop the electrical part, we immediately began to develop that segment at the best level: when we started to build the electrical system of a hotel room, We did not enter orienting ourselves to a basic and conventional system, but we already sought to contribute to the system of maximum energy efficiency, what we called the control rooms, which are the air conditioning variables to be taken into account and applied depending on whether the client is in the room, or not.
It is not the same to air condition an occupied room as it is to air condition an unoccupied room, which only requires a maintenance temperature to basically avoid condensation and humidity, especially in Caribbean countries, which are very humid environments.
Working with companies like Robot S.A. allowed us to fully optimize the room climate control, which of course nowadays seems very normal, but 30 years ago these were very novel ideas and applications, so at Estel both innovation and R+D have been fundamental factors for us since our beginnings.
Then, we also entered the mechanical and plumbing part, implementing not only all the control over the air conditioning but also the entire humidity control part.
All these factors represent an exponential improvement both in terms of the comfort that the customer experiences in the hotel room, and in the level of energy efficiency of the establishment.
We work with wheating, which is between 80-90% energy efficient, compared to 50-60% for cogeneration, which significantly minimises CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
I believe in the future, and with the ideas we have now and with the new resources that the current era gives us, we will continue to design the future to improve people’s lives and care for the planet.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS PROJECTS IN EUROPE:
Hotel Iberostar Selection Albufera Park in Mallorca, Spain:
Air conditioning, plumbing, electricity and control installations.
Melià Me London – United Kingdom, designed by the architects Foster and Partners. It consists of 157 rooms where we have carried out the installations in an integral way.
The road already traveled, such amazing journey, that audacity….
Yes. I think internationalization, for example, is easier when you’re young, because you’re more impulsive and less reflective.
But still, I firmly believe that in the mission and vision of an entrepreneur of any age, there always has to be a certain degree of madness, in the good sense of the word.
The reality is that you are going to go for something that you are deeply excited about and that does not yet exist, but you feel that, if you set clear goals and work tirelessly, you will be able to turn that dream into reality.
In fact, Mallorca is the best example of a Land of Great Dreamers…
Indeed it is, no doubt. If we think of the Fluxá, Escarrer, Barceló, Riu, Matutes, Piñero families, among many others, because although these are the most recognized as great references worldwide, there are many other success stories on the islands, such as the Amengual, Horrach, Batle, Canyellas, Sastre… All of them have a common characteristic: they are great dreamers and great professionals who have known how to apply rigour, competitiveness and great professionalism.
People, families, groups with an extraordinary vision and enthusiasm.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS PROJECTS IN JAMAICA:
Royalton White Sands Hotel (Montego Bay, Jamaica)
Refurbishment of the electrical, plumbing, mechanical and telecommunications installations of 352 rooms, common areas, machine room and general networks
Integral Facilities Project: Excellence Oyster Bay – Montego Bay, Jamaica
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS PROJECTS IN MEXICO:
Project for the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & SPA – Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, air conditioning and security installations.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS PROJECTS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
Comprehensive installation project of 452 suites, Excellence Punta Cana El Carmen – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA PROJECTS & WORKS IN LUXURY RESIDENTIAL AREAS:
Luxury Residential Can Rivera, Mallorca, Spain. Integral facilities.
ESTEL INGENIERÍA & OBRAS SINGULAR PROJECTS:
Integral installations at the International Baroque Museum of Puebla – Puebla, Zaragoza, Mexico.
Son Espases University Hospital – Mallorca, Spain. Telecommunications installations.
Toni, Mallorca is a truly unique enclave in the world and now with a very exciting horizon, firmly committed to sustainability and oriented towards quality.
That’s right. In terms of tourism, the positive part that we must never lose sight of is that it has placed us in the place where we are today, both in terms of economic progress and quality of life, infrastructures and services.
The less sweet part of tourism is its impact on the sustainability of the region both environmentally and socially. For this reason, the current focus is on seeking to achieve the sustainability of the Balearic Islands as a tourist destination, but also as a privileged enclave where our natural wealth must be preserved and where its residents must also be able to enjoy a quality life.
Fortunately, if we manage to promote the transition towards this model of sustainable tourist destination, with courageous policies focused on promoting innovation, training our young people and attracting talent that allows us to develop that innovation, we will be able to position ourselves as an example to be followed by other regions and countries around the world.
Nowadays, the concept of Sustainability and the Circular Economy is the trend and the model for the future, fortunately, and I always say that the best model of Sustainability for the future is in the past.
Paradoxically, today, in order to move towards quality, we must look at the strategies of containment and maximization of available resources that were naturally applied in the past: minimize consumption, do not waste, and try to recycle as much as possible to extend the life cycle of things as much as possible.
To reduce consumption, engineering must be used, and engineers must continue to develop better and better machines that work with increasingly efficient systems.
There is still a long way to go in this regard, and we have to promote the training and development of engineers who will be able to carry out these advances.
We have to create and unite good teams, we have to train and retain the best professionals. There are people who believe that by supporting those who move up, they run the risk of being eaten, but I am more of the philosophy of Henry Ford, who said: «There can only be one thing worse than training an employee and having them leave: Not training them, and they stay.» Well, in my opinion, Henry Ford was quite right.
Companies can truly make a difference with their competitors based on how well trained, cohesive, and incentivized their team is.
My vision is that leaders, whether they are from a company or a community, have to design the roadmap they want very well today.
A solid, open roadmap, with a 360-degree vision and a great capacity to adapt to what is happening in society.
I believe that what we are experiencing in the current era is not even 1% of what we will see in 30 years’ time, and those who do not have an open mind to be able to adapt to what may happen will have a very difficult time.
We, at Estel, we will always be enthusiastic and proactive participants in the best possible future for all, and of course, we will continue to believe in dreams, there is no more important asset to keep in mind to continue building a better world.
Edificio Estel – Parc Bit – 07121
Palma de Mallorca – España
(+34) 971 435 090
Technical Service:
(+34) 651 300 000
Toni Ballester, Owner & CEO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-ballester-18404b7/
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