When, at the end of August, it became known that Ford was withdrawing from the PERTE that had already been provisionally approved, the entire Spanish automotive sector held its breath. There were many plans linked to this strategic project, and Industrias Alegre was among those grouped around the proposal. We spoke to Enrique Careaga, our director general, about the significance of this withdrawal and the immediate future of the company.

When Ford withdrew from the PERTE, where did it leave the other companies associated with the project?

106 million euros from provisionally approved subsidies were lost. Ford was to take a large part of them, but there was still a significant amount for the other companies, and it has left us all without access to them.

How does this specifically affect Industrias Alegre?

In considering the company's framework for innovation and technological transformation, we had decided to diversify our action into two PERTEs. One was that of Ford, and the other, in which we play a leading role, is Ecomovil23. The latter has Faurecia as a driving company and several other companies also participate in it. The two PERTEs were planned as alternative and not complementary projects and could work independently. This means that part of our company's innovation plans was able to be salvaged; the other part, which was supposed to receive 1,630,000 euros in subsidies and close to 250,000 in loans is up in the air.

Does this mean that part of Industrias Alegre's plans will be cancelled?

No. At the moment it is not within our strategy to cancel innovation plans, because they were not 100% linked to a Ford project. In the consortium there were companies which, if Ford did not move forwards with its electric car project, could not do anything; but this was not the case for us because our projects are aimed generically at electric vehicles. And we are very clear that Industrias Alegre will continue with its innovation projects despite everything. We are not going to cancel our plans; what will happen now is that we need to work hard to find funding to allow us to recover the majority of the costs to be incurred by the company.

What innovations can a small industry such as this offer to the sector?

We are a small company in comparison with the large groups of the sector, but, to use sporting jargon, I would say we are in the premier league. And playing in the premier league means that we must be prepared and structured in the same way as a big team. Of course, we have to address growth and future forecasts according to our size, but we are working to be able to respond to all the requirements of the vehicle of the future. And we are capable, however humble we may be within this premier league, of proposing alternatives and being a trustworthy partner for our clients, demonstrating that we are technologically capable of meeting and even exceeding their expectations. And this is for the future as well as today.

Is this why Industrias Alegre is exploring so many aspects of innovation?

The framework of innovation has greatly expanded with electric and connected vehicles. And those were the projects we had on the table when it came to addressing the PERTEs: battery boxes, for example, new polymers or substitution of metallic materials for plastics to reduce the weight of electric vehicles... All were plans aimed at the mobility of the future and related to technology and products. But there is another less obvious part, which is innovation in production systems, an aspect on which we are already working; and we are also making organisational innovations and tackling, among other aspects, energy efficiency and moving towards a digital and connected industry.

Will these innovations ensure a good relationship with Ford?

Our movement goes beyond Ford. It is true that is - to use the language of PERTEs- a driving company, but at Industrias Alegre we aim to bring value to our clients and become a much more global company in terms of clients and markets.