INTERES Invest in Spain

Alberto Ruano, Managing Director of Toshiba Information Systems Spain

Were results for 2007 positive for Toshiba in Spain?

During fiscal year 2007 Toshiba Information Systems Spain had sales worth more than 364 million euros, equivalent to growth of 21% in comparison to the previous fiscal year. These figures mean Toshiba Information Systems Spain has for the third year in a row had annual growth figures above 20% and has now become one of the three foremost subsidiaries of the trademark worldwide.

Do you think the Spanish market for new technologies is a mature one?
Over the last few years we have seen major growth in the new technologies sector that has gradually increased in importance in both business and domestic domains.

Spanish companies and little by little small and medium sized enterprises are coming to realize that the use of technologies, benefiting from their advantages and applications, is profitable for their businesses, that not adjusting to them would to a certain extent mean falling behind in the globalization of markets and the economy, and that they provide productivity and competitiveness. It is however still true that they need to make a stronger commitment to the use of the technologies, but I think we are moving in the right direction.

On the negative side, there are still some barriers that need to be broken down on the road to the adoption of IT in the business arena, to stamp out the idea of technology as an expense and think more in terms of investment for once and for all. This change requires among other things a change in the structure of decision making when deciding in favor of the technology, since it means when we look to the technology and its suppliers, we are also looking to a partner, to quality, service and state-of-the-art technology that protects our investment from technological advances in general.

As for the domestic arena, Spanish consumers have shown a strong desire to take the new technologies on board. Sales figures for digital devices and the quick growth of the laptop and digital photography markets are examples of this. In Spain the process of replacing desktop computers with laptops has moved forward at speed over the last few years, and more laptops than desktops are now sold in the country, making the laptop market larger in terms of sales of units and in terms of their value.

Do you think the Spanish government provides enough incentives for R&D into new technologies?
Local, regional and central governments have made major efforts over the last few years both in terms of organization and investment to boost the IT and R&D sectors. They have demonstrated their awareness of the role the sector plays in improving the competitiveness and productivity of the economy. Plans such as ‘Red.es’ and ‘Avanza’ demonstrate this.

It is necessary to recognize the fact that the work is not all over. We must continue to bolster the sector, since another vital characteristic has joined those of maturity and professionalism, transversality, The technology exists as a supplier for all sectors of activity and this is a guarantee of stability for the future.

Moreover, it is also an important part of the Government’s activity to extend the culture of the technology. In other words, to foster its use among younger generations as a tool for studying and working, so future generations are well-prepared to use the technology and to get the most from it.

Do you see the Spanish market as a good hub for expansion into Latin America?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the common language and the cultural ties provide an opportunity for Spanish companies and Spanish subsidiaries to act as a model for the economic and social development of Latin America and to even participate in the process. This is truer still when you see the good work undertaken by these companies in the IT sector in Spain.

We know Toshiba is negotiating future collaborations with the public sector which you still cannot comment on. Could you give us a specific example of activities of the firm along these line that are already up and running, or which were undertaken in previous years?

Over the last few years Toshiba has led the way in the penetration of technology and portable computing in primary, secondary and higher education. We were the first to introduce the first WIFI campuses and to provide the students of more than 30 universities with laptop computers in just a couple of years. In other words, we were essential to making a radical change, moving on from the IT classroom, to IT in the classroom as a study tool.

We were also pioneers in the use of Tablet PCs in primary school teaching along with Microsoft, thanks to the pilot project of Ariño, which converted a rural school in the Pyrenees of the Aragon region into a school of the future; a project that has now been extended to other schools in the area.

Laptops are now basic tools for primary and secondary schools in Andalusia, where there are already more than 30,000 installed.

Do you think collaboration on the same scale is possible with the private sector in Spain? (schools, hospitals, etc.)
Of course I do, and we have already been involved in this. It is another important area for the development of our business. What is more, the experience gained in the public sector will be very useful for when we approach the private sector.