Letter from the CEO
Juan Carlos Bandrés
CEO
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
The presentation of the annual report is always a good opportunity to reflect upon the current situation of Grupo Lobe and the approach we should take to meet the challenges that the future holds in store.
As I have highlighted in previous years, the change that began almost a decade ago was driven by our quest to do things differently to the established way and our aim was to produce increasingly better homes for our customers. This idea may seem obvious and something common to all corporate strategies, but then there is always the temptation to put it off when the wind is in your favour.
It is now when real estate operators appear to want to trust the favourable conditions of the upward cycle again, that we need to firmly assert that our future options depend on our progress in the field of technology and our ability to leverage the possibilities afforded by current media. Indeed, and it is important not to delude ourselves, over the course of the years the main transformations have taken place not in the promoters but rather in the customers.
Customers have become more aware of their leading role and they are beginning to demand products that go beyond the mere building itself. They want buildings with new functions, levels of comfort that are qualitatively different to those offered up to now, and all within the context of a greater environmental and social awareness than that of previous generations. 
In this situation it is clear that our company must satisfy this new way of viewing something so lasting and permanent as a home, and indeed we should really lead this process ourselves by anticipating the types of product that we can offer potential home-buyers.
At the time this was quite clear to Grupo Lobe. A few years further down the road we can claim the credit for such successes and advances in the real estate industry as the personalisation of homes, the parameterisation of typological and construction solutions, the use of BIM technology in the building process and, of course, our position as national leaders in constructions built under the Passivhaus standard, having obtained certification for the first private development of subsidised housing in Spain.
The figures for 2018 are highly satisfactory. The more than 1,800 homes that this company has in production are comparable to the business volumes of other national promoters who, albeit more renowned and with greater financial capacity, would seem to be cautious in the face of such a highly complex sector as is the case of Spain’s residential market.
As a company that for many years has highlighted its vocation to grow, we need to be aware of the position we rightfully occupy at present and intensify the stimulus to continue competing at this level based on the wealth of knowledge that we have acquired over a period of more than thirty years.
I feel that our company has provided ample proof of the enormous potential of its integrated business approach, which is both cost effective and quality efficient, but also that it has the capacity to learn from other experiences or projects that it faces due to the new players in the sector.
The strength of this organisation is and, shall continue to be, its global view of the building process, which is precisely the most valuable of all, given that it underpins all the specificities arising in this increasingly complex world.
This expertise enables us to integrate the different parts that separate the initial design of a project from its full implementation, and which requires an intangible legacy to be carefully passed down from our more veteran personnel to the brilliant and enthusiastic young people that open up hitherto unchartered paths.
Having reached this point, however, we must not become complacent.
Some have pointed to the possibility of a new twist in the real estate market and, as usually happens, those who can anticipate their customers’ needs and switch their focus before this happens, will continue advancing.
Those who cling on to past achievements or outdated positions will lose their momentum or, indeed, jeopardise their business plans.
It is time to take a decisive step, to leave behind ongoing processes and take on new challenges, amongst which I would highlight the combination of sustainability, comfort and connectivity (IOT) that very few companies will be able to offer across the board, as we saw with the Passivhaus standard. This is what our current times demand and it is the best service we can do ourselves and provide for the society we form part of.
Yours sincerely,
Juan Carlos Bandrés
Letter from the CEO
Juan Carlos Bandrés
CEO
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
The presentation of the annual report is always a good opportunity to reflect upon the current situation of Grupo Lobe and the approach we should take to meet the challenges that the future holds in store.
As I have highlighted in previous years, the change that began almost a decade ago was driven by our quest to do things differently to the established way and our aim was to produce increasingly better homes for our customers. This idea may seem obvious and something common to all corporate strategies, but then there is always the temptation to put it off when the wind is in your favour.
It is now when real estate operators appear to want to trust the favourable conditions of the upward cycle again, that we need to firmly assert that our future options depend on our progress in the field of technology and our ability to leverage the possibilities afforded by current media. Indeed, and it is important not to delude ourselves, over the course of the years the main transformations have taken place not in the promoters but rather in the customers.
Customers have become more aware of their leading role and they are beginning to demand products that go beyond the mere building itself. They want buildings with new functions, levels of comfort that are qualitatively different to those offered up to now, and all within the context of a greater environmental and social awareness than that of previous generations.
In this situation it is clear that our company must satisfy this new way of viewing something so lasting and permanent as a home, and indeed we should really lead this process ourselves by anticipating the types of product that we can offer potential home-buyers.
At the time this was quite clear to Grupo Lobe. A few years further down the road we can claim the credit for such successes and advances in the real estate industry as the personalisation of homes, the parameterisation of typological and construction solutions, the use of BIM technology in the building process and, of course, our position as national leaders in constructions built under the Passivhaus standard, having obtained certification for the first private development of subsidised housing in Spain.
The figures for 2018 are highly satisfactory. The more than 1,800 homes that this company has in production are comparable to the business volumes of other national promoters who, albeit more renowned and with greater financial capacity, would seem to be cautious in the face of such a highly complex sector as is the case of Spain’s residential market.
As a company that for many years has highlighted its vocation to grow, we need to be aware of the position we rightfully occupy at present and intensify the stimulus to continue competing at this level based on the wealth of knowledge that we have acquired over a period of more than thirty years.
I feel that our company has provided ample proof of the enormous potential of its integrated business approach, which is both cost effective and quality efficient, but also that it has the capacity to learn from other experiences or projects that it faces due to the new players in the sector.
The strength of this organisation is and, shall continue to be, its global view of the building process, which is precisely the most valuable of all, given that it underpins all the specificities arising in this increasingly complex world.
This expertise enables us to integrate the different parts that separate the initial design of a project from its full implementation, and which requires an intangible legacy to be carefully passed down from our more veteran personnel to the brilliant and enthusiastic young people that open up hitherto unchartered paths.
Having reached this point, however, we must not become complacent.
Some have pointed to the possibility of a new twist in the real estate market and, as usually happens, those who can anticipate their customers’ needs and switch their focus before this happens, will continue advancing.
Those who cling on to past achievements or outdated positions will lose their momentum or, indeed, jeopardise their business plans.
It is time to take a decisive step, to leave behind ongoing processes and take on new challenges, amongst which I would highlight the combination of sustainability, comfort and connectivity (IOT) that very few companies will be able to offer across the board, as we saw with the Passivhaus standard. This is what our current times demand and it is the best service we can do ourselves and provide for the society we form part of.
Yours sincerely,
Juan Carlos Bandrés