Lleida, 28 August 2020 - Sorigué, a leading business group in the services, construction, materials, and water technology and engineering sectors, closed the 2019 financial year with 571 million euros in consolidated sales and 33.5 million euros in EBITDA, an operating income in line with that of the last four financial years. The group’s business portfolio in 2019 reached 768 million euros, while net profit amounted to 7.2 million euros.

Turnover in 2019 was 7% higher than the previous year, when the group had a revenue of 531 million euros and obtained an EBIDTA of 33 million. In 2017, the group had a turnover of 442 million euros, while in 2016, sales amounted to 352 million euros. The group, chaired by Ana Vallés, thus upholds its sustained and responsible growth strategy, as set out in its 2020 Strategic Plan.

This economic performance, which allows the company to maintain a robust and stable financial position, forms part of the group’s overall strategy defined in its last Strategic Plan, which comes to an end this coming financial year. In recent years, Sorigué has committed to a business model based on responsible growth, innovation, territorial expansion, knowledge management through digitalisation and talent management, and sustainability through new products based on the circular economy and energy efficiency.

Moreover, the group’s 2019 project portfolio has remained stable with respect to previous years, prominently featuring services focused on the city (urban maintenance, waste management, green infrastructures and highway maintenance), the water cycle (water catchment, treatment and distribution), as well as building, civil works and other specialised construction activities, particularly hotel construction. Its investment in start-ups has also increased, particularly in those associated with the digital and technology sectors.

In terms of water cycle services, Sorigué renewed its water network maintenance contract for the Barcelona Metropolitan Area at the beginning of 2020. This contract has put special emphasis on the technological, efficient and sustainable nature of the service. The group was also awarded the services contract for the water network connections in the western area of the Community of Madrid.

With regards to its waste management specialisation, in 2020, the group began the comprehensive waste management service for restaurants and hotels in Catalonia. Furthermore, the group was awarded the new services contract for door-to-door selective waste collection in the region of Conca de Barberà, adding to the services it already carries out in 22 municipalities of Segrià, the largest service of its kind in Catalonia.

In terms of city services, notable examples include the beginning of maintenance services at public buildings in Tarragona, cleaning services at the Alhambra, the awarding of the maintenance contract for the cemeteries of Barcelona and the underwater maintenance of the Port of Barcelona.

In 2020, Sorigué began significant projects associated with energy efficiency, such as the construction of two office buildings at 22@ in Barcelona for Meridia Capital, considered among the most energy-efficient buildings in Europe. The work will be certified within the Leed Platinum and Well Gold energy efficiency categories.

Recently, the group also began iconic projects such as the construction of the new CaixaForum Valencia building, restoration of the Ágora building in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia; a stage of the restoration of the tower on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, currently home to the new Casa Seat; as well as being awarded the project and work contract for the extension of Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona, to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also this year, construction was completed on 79 social housing properties in Sant Boi de Llobregat, which was the work of the architecture studios Herreros and MIM-A, and winner of the 2020 edition of the prestigious FAD architecture award. In line with its specialisation in hotel construction, the remodelling of Hotel H10 Tarraco in Tarragona and Hotel González Byass in Jerez was completed, and work was started on the construction of the new Hotel Leonardo in the Zona Franca in Barcelona.

In terms of civil works, the start of construction of two hangars for Teruel Airport was notable. The second of these hangars, the construction of which began this August, will be the second largest in Spain.

Also in 2019, the group presented its new specialist logistics and land transport company: Conexis – Land Transports, and its materials department carried out roadway rehabilitation with sustainable techniques in the context of the first work in the Public Procurement of Innovation initiative in Catalonia.

Sorigué continues to reinforce its projects associated with the generation of sustainable energy. During 2019 and 2020, the group was in charge of the decommissioning of the thermal energy plant in Huelva, the construction of the heat network and biomass plant in Ponferrada, León, and the geothermal heating installation at Vall de Núria, Girona.

Investment in sustainability

During the 2019 financial year, the group renovated three of its work centres focused on urban services in Barcelona, on the basis of sustainability and energy efficiency criteria. Specifically, these projects were the installations of its green infrastructures and waste management business lines in Barcelona, and the new headquarters of the company Constraula, all of which obtained the highest energy rating. Furthermore, between 2019 and 2020, the group succeeded in making its entire fleet of vehicles associated with urban services contracts in Barcelona and Madrid sustainable, 100% electric, and with the Eco label.

In terms of its strategic commitment to strengthening its Social Responsibility and Compliance policies, in 2019, the Sorigué business group was a pioneer in obtaining two leading certifications: Criminal Compliance and Social Responsibility awarded by AENOR in accordance with the international standard IQNet SR10. In 2019, Sorigué certified that 92.2% of its business volume complies with the international environmental management standard ISO 14001, which certifies the commitment to the prevention and reduction of the environmental impact of its activities. Also, with respect to 2018, there was an increase of 88.5% in financial resources allocated to the environment.

Commitment to innovation

In the context of its Strategic Plan, Sorigué has reinforced its commitments to innovation, and in 2019, it carried out 7 projects linked to the water cycle, waste, energy and the circular economy.

Among these projects, Sorigué’s involvement in the Water Mining project, part of the European Union’s H2020 programme, was notable. This programme seeks to promote the circular economy and ensure the long-term availability of water. In this study, Sorigué validates the incorporation of a number of processes at the La Llagosta WWTP, to obtain water suitable for agricultural irrigation or ultrapure water for reuse in the surrounding industries. This technology will facilitate efficiency improvements in the purification process for quality water, while making it possible to extract phosphorus and, in turn, generate energy.

Another study being conducted is Beyond Waste, a project focused on extracting nanocellulose, a high-added-value product for industrial processes, from solid waste processed at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).

In 2019, the group also began a development and marketing project for single servings of olive oil with biodegradable packaging, with a view to generating solutions to reduce the use of plastics in single-use packaging.

In addition, the group has also bolstered its support for the entrepreneurial fabric and its involvement in start-ups, especially in areas linked to sustainability and innovation in the construction world and CleanTech. Between 2016 and 2020, Sorigué has directly invested in more than 25 companies, or over 40 companies when taking into account the venture capital funds specialised in start-ups in which it has also invested.

Territorial expansion and consolidation

Another objective set down in Sorigué’s Strategic Plan is territorial expansion and consolidation. The main area of action for the group remains Catalonia. However, in recent years, the group has bolstered its presence in the Community of Madrid, Andalusia, Murcia and the Balearic Islands. In early 2020, Sorigué opened a new office in the city of Valencia.

Lastly, talent retention stands out among the objectives established in the Strategic Plan that have been attained. In 2019, Sorigué’s average workforce remained at 3,800 employees, of which 75% are on permanent contracts, and 39,814 hours of training were completed.

Also during 2019, the Sorigué business group received the Bequal certification, which recognises the company’s commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace, revising inclusivity policies and improvements with regard to people with disabilities who work within the group.