ABC Sevilla published this morning an article on the history of the company, which now has 1,000 employees, offices in nine countries and sells in 25 markets. has 1,000 employees, offices in nine countries and sells in 25 markets.
AUTHOR: NOELIA RUIZ
Ghenova is the story of how two managers bought the Andalusian subsidiary of an engineering company that was about to close its delegation and ended up participating in the largest cruise ship in the world.
It all began in 2006, when Carlos Alejo and Francisco Cuervas – now the president and CEO – were working in the southern delegation of the engineering firm Ghesa and decided to acquire the business lines that had been launched from Andalusia.
The company had opted to grow outside the region and it was then that the naval, infrastructure and aeronautics lines were acquired and they took on a workforce of 100 employees.
Shortly thereafter, the new group, Ghenova, opened its first foreign subsidiary with a branch in Brazil. It currently has offices in nine countries, 1,000 employees and its business is present in more than 25 markets.
The naval and defense sector is the company’s most representative sector, with 65% of its sales, although it is also involved in digital transformation, infrastructure and energy. One of its main customers is Navantia.
The firm recently participated in the engineering of the world’s largest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas. “There is a competition in the sector to beat the record for the largest in the world,” marine and defense director Rafael Calderón told ABC.
The ship has a capacity for 5,610 passengers, 2,805 cabins and is 365 meters long. Specifically, Ghenova has been in charge of the engineering to build the structures.
As a novelty, it has just been awarded the complete engineering of a luxury cruise ship that the Portuguese shipyard West Sea is building for a Japanese shipowner. The Sevillian firm will be in charge of shaping the 3D model over the next 15 months.
How to measure the luxury of a cruise?
The ratio of passengers to crew is one of the features that luxury yachts most ‘boast’. For the reader’s convenience, the usual figure for a commercial cruise ship is three passengers per crewmember. In the case of the one being built for the Japanese shipowner, it is only 1.3.
Back to candles
A sailboat powered by liquefied natural gas will be a reality by the end of 2025. This is another of the most significant contracts the company is working on. It is ‘Silenseas’, a ship that makes no noise, does not vibrate and has “zero emissions”.
This development is part of an emerging trend in the industry to include sails on ships, as it helps to improve on the European Union’s energy rating indicators.
On the other hand, the firm has also closed a contract to help Armas Transmediterránea to decarbonize its fleet and, in addition, is participating in the engineering of two river cruisers for the Portuguese shipyard West Sea.
Boosting defense
These projects confirm a recovery of the naval division, which came to a screeching halt during the Covid-19 pandemic. After 2022, demand for cruise ships has soared, as has that for defense vessels, due to the boost in public spending in the face of Europe’s closer proximity to war conflicts.
In the defense line,the company is participating in the F110 frigates, one of the Navy’s star programs pending modernization over the next few years. Its project portfolio amounts to more than 47 million euros, a record figure, according to the company.
Ghenova is 100% owned by three partners: the chairman and CEO each share 45%, while the corporate general manager, Raúl Arévalo, holds 10%.
