SOME OF OUR SUCCESS STORIES

AFRON

“The company’s corporate structure is now orderly and ready to face future challenges with greater solvency.”

ALBERTO GUTKNECHT DONOSO
AFRON managing partner

AFRON is a family business, and in turn the oldest company in the sale and rental of lifting platforms in Spain, operating since 1981.

The evolution of its organic growth and internationalization strategy had created a wide and complicated commercial structure, made up of companies domiciled mainly in Spain and South America.

After an analysis of the weaknesses of the situation and an evaluation of the possibilities, together with those responsible for the company, CONFIANZ advised the owner family in the constitution of a family Holding Company to act as the parent company of all the companies in the group, Through a Securities Exchange and a Financial Spin-off, with the aim that the South American companies were not owned by Afron Spain, but by the Holding Company, which facilitated strategic decision-making between the different companies.

Thanks to this new corporate structure, the Madrid-based platform company has fundamentally achieved two important competitive advantages: Professionalize the management of family property, being represented in a qualified way before third parties; and professionalize the structure of the company, before the future entry of new partners or other needs.

TERRANOVA SEAFOOD

“Confianz got involved thoroughly and gave us great confidence.”

PAULA ESTÉVEZ 
Partner and board member of the Terranova group

Terranova Seafood: corporate reform in a reference group in seafood distribution

The Estévez family owns one of the groups with greatest tradition in seafood distribution in Spain, centered around the companies Jaime Estévez SL and Terranova Seafood SL. With the advice of Confianz, the family group has undertaken a deep corporate restructuring that, among other advantages, offers now more efficiency and significantly better prospects for the continuity of a reference business in the sector.

The restructuring has merged the branches of commercial activity of both companies, which has contributed to significantly rationalize the structure of the group. In addition, with the new organization, control of the activity of the entire group has been simplified and greater coordination has been achieved through more centralized and efficient management.

Paula Estévez, partner and board member of the Terranova group, points out that the operation “meant a great change in our company and we had some uncertainty, but Confianz provided us with a detailed planning of how it should be done and gave us a lot of confidence from the beginning.” Estevez underlines the proximity of Confianz throughout the process, “we went to speak with our banks with them and we had a lot of work to fit all the pieces of the operation, but Confianz got deeply involved and always gave us a lot of confidence that things were going to work out. ”

Similarly, corporate restructuring has managed to separate an important assets from business risk. These actions have also facilitated the business succession of the group, through a corporate structure that allows the shareholder property to value different succession paths at all times.

Confianz estimates that the new corporate structure will also imply greater financing capacity when the operating company needs liquidity, since the guarantee of the real estate company may be granted, if deemed appropriate, thus offering greater guarantees to financial institutions than if real estate were within the operating society as before.

PLASEX

“Confianz raised the possibility of reorganizing the family business, in the face of an upcoming generational succession; a reorganization aimed above all at ensuring the continuity of the company.”

JOSÉ MARÍA PAREJO 
Administrator of Plasex 

Plasex becomes a family holding company to strengthen itself as a business group
Confianz has carried out the corporate transformation of Plasex, a family owned business based in Toledo, Spain, specializing in the manufacture of PVC and polyethylene pipes, of which it is a supplier of large multinationals such as Leroy Merlin.

The company owned several assets related subject to possible business risk  and Confianz first advised the establishment of a family holding company, as a   parent company for the group.

The corporate operation has allowed in the first place  to separate high value  assets from risk. As a result greater financing capacity has been generated for the liquidity needs of the operating company, an also greater guarantees for financial institutions than if this real estate were subject to the ordinary risk of the business.

In this way the continuity for the business has been strengthened and the business structure has been professionalized, before the possible entry into the group of new family generations.

The restructuring has also managed to generate a better patrimonial structure and professionalize the management of a family-owned group, thus being represented in a qualified manner before third parties. The process, points out José María Parejo, Plasex administrator, “beginning with the proposal of a new structure, has been carried out with professionalism and dedication, always taking into account the concerns and observations that we proposed from the company’s management”.

MARISKONE

“The peace of mind and assurance of being in the hands of experts that generate trust.”
“We were living in a situation of major uncertainty regarding the company’s future, as all its partners were in the process of retiring. Confianz advised us on how to set about ensuring our continuity by making the workers partners and arranging the purchase of the company from the former shareholders.
From securing funding through to the transfer of assets to an equity company and the incorporation of a holding company for purchasing, professionalising and syndicating an atomised ownership structure. We felt very secure throughout the entire process, and the company now has a much more robust structure for facing the future”.
ALFREDO MARIJUAN
CEO Mariskone

UNIFORMES UNIVERSALES

“Proximity, dedication and resolution capacity have been key in the performance of Confianz.”

ALFONSO CASTILLO  
CEO of Alae Univer

Uniformes Universal streamlines its management with the creation of a holding as the group’s parent company.

Uniformes Universal is one of the main Spanish manufacturers of uniformity garments and it supplies large business groups such as El Corte Inglés and Mercadona, and Alae Weltmark, a Moroccan company that also makes fashion garments for Inditex and Grupo Tendam. Operating through several dispersed societies, they undertook a deep corporate restructuring with the support of Confianz. The restructuring meant the creation of a holding company  as the parent company of all the group’s companies.

The new structure has streamlined the management of the entire group, and given it access  to the advantages of fiscal consolidation and, in general, improved its equity structure and the financing possibilities of each of the companies.

Alfonso Castillo, CEO of Alae Univer, highlights the throughness and dedication to the client as the basis of Confianz’s work. “They have shown great dedication to get to know the company thoroughly before looking for the required solutions,” he says. Proximity to the client and the capacity of resolution of Confianz for different situations, were also, in the opinion of Alfonso Castillo, key questions to successfully bring about the corporate restructuring, which will boost the management of the group and help consolidate its position in the market.

CARTONAJES JUÁREZ

“Quickly, and without giving us much work, Confianz detected the problems, reordered the business structure and is now ready for the next generation, we no longer plan to sell.”

ÁUREA JUÁREZ 
Manager of CARTONAJES JUÁREZ

Cartonajes Juárez creates a family holding company to improve its management
CARTONAJES JUAREZ is a family business from Segovia (San Ildefonso de la Granja) specialized in the manufacture and distribution of paper and cardboard.Like many others, the company owned some real estate assets affected by the business risk of the business and, with the advice of Confianz, the property managed the constitution of a real estate leasing company (through a spin-off operation), in which he placed the real estate properties that were within the trading company; and also constituted a family holding company, which was the parent company of all the companies in the group.

In the words of Áurea Juarez, Manager, “thanks to the work of Confianz, the different societies are now ordered, each of the brothers is clear about our role, and the business is more prepared to face day to day and, above all, to the continuity of the next generation ”.

With these changes, Juarez has achieved several important objectives to ensure the continuity of the company and minimize risks for the owner families: separate a high-value assets from business risk; generate greater financing capacity for the operating company when it needs liquidity, since the company may grant the guarantee of the financial company, if it deems appropriate, offering greater guarantees to the bank; professionalize the structure before the entry of successive family generations; generate a better patrimonial structure, being able to replenish the monetary surpluses of investees, and thus diversify the investment; Professionalize the management of the holding company, being better represented before third parties.

MADRIFERR

“With the help of Confianz, we have reinforced the possibilities of continuity of the group.”

IGNACIO BULLEJOS 
Manager GRUPO MADRIFERR

Madriferr owners segregate the company’s real estate assets

MADRIFERR SL, a family owned group, is one of the main firms supplying industrial hardware and other products for the construction sector of the Madrid region. The company was created 25 years ago, and currently has facilities of 5,000 square meters and more than 40,000 references of products in stock.

There were several real estate assets held in the company that does the main business activity. With the help and advice of Confianz, they decided to reorder the assets and activities avoiding  inefficient involvement.

The strategy put in place by Confianz included  the creation of a real estate leasing company (through a spin-off operation), in which several  properties were placed, and the constitution of a family Holding Company as a parent company for all the firms in the group.

The restructuring has also meant the following advantages:

– Generation of a greater financing capacity for the operating company when it needs liquidity, since it can provide the guarantee of the real estate company.

– Strengthening the possibilities of continuity of the group and reinforcement of social peace.

– Professionalization of the structure of society before the future entry of successive family generations; and the management of Family Property, being represented in a qualified manner before third parties.

– Generation of a better patrimonial structure, parking the monetary surpluses of the investee companies, via exempt dividend, and thus diversifying the investment in more activities or financing the investees via loan.

ONDIZ

“They have a team of skilled professionals, and above all they are people that generate trust.”
“We were presented with an opportunity to pursue a domestic expansion project in tandem with a UK multinational. Confianz helped us to successfully conclude the negotiations, providing legal, fiscal and labour advice.
Ten years ago they helped us to draw up a family protocol, and since then we have always worked together. Their team knows how to do things properly and professionally”.
IÑIGO NÚÑEZ
Managing Director of Ferreterías Ondiz