giant

A Spanish giant is about to make history going out in the United States: Travelperk

by

Travelperk has hired Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Jefferies, he published The Informationto prepare your IPO in the United States. It would be the most relevant Spanish -to -the -Spanish of recent years and a Wall Street appetite test for European startups. The company of Catalan origin manages trips and corporate expenses for companies. Its last assessment reached 2.7 billion dollars in January 2025, twice a year earlier. The context. Travelperk is not any startup: You have investors behind SoftBank Vision Fund, Capital Sequoia and Blackstone. Its CEO, Avi Meir, has built a company with more than 1,500 employees that has multiplied its income from before the pandemic. He Timing It seems favorable. Business trips have recovered the pulse after the pandemic: the world market reached 1.5 billion dollars in 2024, 6% more than before COVID. Yes, but. The IPO of European technology companies in the US have had disparate results. The US market is demanding, and competition, fierce. Travelperk has to demonstrate that he can grow sustainably in a sector dominated by American giants such as SAP Concur or American Express GBT (in addition newly allied). The company has been preparing the land: in June acquired Amtrav to reinforce your presence in the American market. He also closed the purchase of the Switzerland Yokoy to expand to financial services. Between the lines. The movement responds to a clear strategy: Travelperk identified A 200,000 million market Between the US and Europe, where half of the trips are still without centralized management. Medium -sized companies reserve on their own in Booking or Expedia, losing control and money. The platform promises to solve that chaos with technology and IA. Although the CEO does not fear autonomous agents of AI as Openai Operator, it recognizes that technological competition intensifies, according to an article by CNBC In January. At stake. A successful IPO would send a powerful signal to the Spanish ecosystem, in need of success cases that show that global companies can be created here. Travelperk could become that reference, especially after few Spanish startups have reached assessments of that level in recent years. And now what. The company has not confirmed dates or details of the operation. But hiring three first level investment banks suggests that the process is advanced. The next months will be key to knowing if Travelperk can achieve a virtually unpublished feat. In fact, the question is not so much if Travelperk will go over (it seems clear that), but when and what price. The answer will say a lot about the future of Spanish startups in international markets. In Xataka | Something is changing in Spanish startups: they are increasingly thought of global from the beginning Outstanding image | Travelperk

Australia has decided to make a contribution to the lunar race in the most Australian way possible: with a giant spider

by

The new lunar race does not consist only of returning to the moon, but to stay. And for that infrastructure is needed. NASA wants lunar concrete houses for 2040ESA has already found a method to pave roads from the regolitoand China trust that 3D impression accelerates your plans to create a large lunar base. Now an Australian company has put its own bet on the table, one that could not be more Australian: a Robot spider. A giant robot spider that prints houses. His name is Charlotte, and he is a hexapod robot (entomologists will forgive me) that displays his six legs to become a huge 3D printer capable of moving along the land as he built a house. Presented during the 76th International Congress of Astronautics in Sydney, this creation of Australian companies Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt Technology has been Designed for a double purpose: Solve the housing crisis on Earth and, incidentally, prepare to build the first bases on the moon, something that Australia could contribute as a partner of the Artemis program. Build at the speed of 100 masons. Although the most striking of Charlotte is the arthropod inspiration design, its true magic lies in the combination of advanced robotics with a very particular 3D printing system, which can have a key advantage on the moon. Instead of depending on massive porches, such as other 3D construction printers, Charlotte promises to place himself on the walls that he creates and walk with his six legs to move as he adds layers to the building. This gives it an agility and portability that traditional printers do not have. According to its creators, you can build A 200 square meter house in 24 hours, so it will work at the speed of 100 masons. On the moon the whole floor is concrete. On paper, Charlotte meets several of the requirements to manufacture on the moon: it is light, you can fold its legs to occupy much less space in a rocket, and is designed to collect the materials available locally. On Earth, it promises to manufacture houses with sand, earth or crushed brick. On the moon, the plan is to collect soil regolito, compress it in a flexible tank and use the compacted material to form the layers of walls with already tested 3D printing techniques. It is an industrial and automated version of the construction technique with sacks. The regolite, the fine and abrasive dust that covers the lunar surface, is both a problem and a solution. It was a nightmare for Apollo missions, adhering to costumes and equipment, but it is also The fundamental raw material For any lunar construction project. If one day there are people living on the moon, they may do so in houses built in the most Australian way: with a gigantic spider (forgiveness, hexapod) robot. Image | Crest Robotics In Xataka | Forget the “little step for man.” The new moon career is not for glory, it is for the control of its resources

In 2024 an asteroid loaded with precious metals psó touching us. The goal is now to hunt the next one with a giant bag

by

A year ago, astronomers saw how an asteroid entered the orbit of our planet and accompanied us for almost two months. This “mini-luna” baptized as 2024 PT5 was a warning sign for an industry that never ends up detachment: space mining. The passage of the rock full of rare metals lit the fuse of a new race to not let the next one. The new objective of space mining. The idea that asteroids are floating treasures is not new. According to NASA’s calculationsthe metals contained in the asteroid belt could be equivalent to 100 million dollars for each person on Earth. The problem has always been the same: the prohibitive cost of reaching them. But this type of “mini-lunas” like 2024 PT5, that we are able to detect with current technologythe rules of the game change when approaching us, becoming much more affordable objectives. The Plan: Not Atrices, capture. Landing in an asteroid is a logistics nightmare. They turn at high speed, do not have a significant seriousness that maintains an anchored ship and are covered with a powder that would stuck any machinery. Therefore, the new strategy is not to perch on them, but to capture them in full flight. This is where concepts that seem taken from a science fiction film come into play. Companies like the Tethers Unlimited disappeared They worked on satellite designs capable of launching a gigantic network to catch an asteroid and tow it to a stable orbit. The company failed, but its idea prevails: stop the rotation of asteroids to process them. NASA to hunt asteroids. One of the companies that leads this race was founded by a veteran of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of La NASA, Joel Sercel. The plan of Transaster It is a three -phase technological deployment: Detect: its Sutter telescope system has been designed to find small, dark and fast objects, such as asteroids close to the earth that until now went unnoticed. Capture: His proposal is called Capture Bag, and is a kind of giant inflatable bag designed to completely wrap the asteroid. Process: Once trapped, they would use a technology called optical mining. It consists of using concentrated sunlight with a kind of magnifying glass on an industrial scale to heat the asteroid. This allows you to extract water (in the form of ice) and separate precious metals such as platinum, cobalt or nickel. Precious metals … and precious water. Although metals are the fat prize, the most valuable short -term resource is water. As Joel Serce explains In an interview for Caltechwater is the “oil” of the solar system. It can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to create rocket fuel. Extract water from an asteroid and store it in orbit would create the first “space gas stations”. Being quantifies it: 100 tons of water extracted from an asteroid the size of a house, enough to fill a pool, they would have an approximate value of 1,000 million dollars in space. Simply because of the cost that would mean throwing so much water from the earth. To move these loads, Transastra is developing a fleet of tugs called worker bee whose engines can use that water as propellant. Waiting for the next mini-luna. The passage of 2024 PT5 was a lost opportunity. “If we had had our systems in operation, we could have gone for it,” he confessed to being. The industry was not ready, but the starting gun has already sounded. The next time a cosmic treasure approaches the earth, there may be giant networks or bags waiting for it. The 21st century gold fever does not look underground, but towards the stars. Image | NASA, JPL In Xataka | The Earth has lost its miniluna, but posed for a photo before leaving (and promised to return soon)

The Spanish rail giant had planned to build a lightwail between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Now has a problem

by

The Basque CAF It is found In the international view for its participation in the Jerusalem Railway Project, which connects Israeli settlements considered illegal by the United Nations. The pressure on the company has intensified after appearing cited in An official report of the UN on companies that benefit from the occupation. A dispute project. CAF has been part of a consortium with the Israeli Shapir since 2019 to build and expand the red and green lines of the Light Jerusalem Rail. The project, valued at 1.8 billion euros, includes 27 kilometers of new roads and 50 stations that connect settlements in the West Jerusalem. The Basque company would take more than 500 million euros for construction and equipment, in addition to its participation in management for 15 to 25 years. Why is it problematic. The UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, has included to CAF in its report “of the economy of occupation to the economy of the genocide”, presented before the Human Rights Council. According to the document, these infrastructure “contribute to the maintenance and consolidation of illegal settlements” and connect the colonies with Israel “while excluding and segregating the Palestinians.” The Human Rights Council itself declared the project illegal in 2016 and 2017. The pressure intensifies. Amnesty International has been asking CA for years to leave the project. “CAF cannot continue looking the other way and not meet international recommendations,” affirms Esteban Beltrán, director of the NGO in Spain. The organization also claims the Spanish government and the Basque Government, a shareholder of the company, to evaluate the CAF links with “the illegal behavior of Israel.” Others are retiring. The case It is not isolated. In 2024, the Catalan Comsa withdrew from the consortium that had won the construction of the blue line of the Jerusalem tram. The Basque Acerera Sidenor also announced that it will stop serving steel to Israeli companies. International funds such as the Norwegian sovereign have retired their participations from Shapir, a partner of CAF, and the manager Storeband excluded CAF from his portfolio for his participation in the project. CAF’s response. The company maintains in its sustainability reports that “no violation of human rights has been detected” derived from their participation and describes the territories as “object of political controversy.” However, for international organizations, CAF is obviating the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the European Union and the International Court of Justice on the illegality of settlements. Between the lines. The project places CAF at a crossroads between commercial interests and international pressure. Your shareholders include to the Basque Government, Kutxabank, the Matrix of the Mayoral Textile and the workers themselves with 25% of the shares. Meanwhile, the geopolitical context has hardened after the attacks of October 7 and the Israeli response in Gaza, increasing international scrutiny over any company linked to occupied territories. Cover image | Alexander Berezhnoy In Xataka | Ryanair’s escape in small airports has taken Andalusia to a radical idea: his own independent “aena”

There is a new “technological giant” in the US. The surprise is that it is not from the US, but from Switzerland

by

ANDThe Swiss National Bank (SNB), a traditionally conservative institution, has ceased to be. In fact, it has silenced one of the most important technological investors in the world. The firm has accumulated a portfolio of actions of such magnitude that its value is equivalent to almost a fifth of the annual economic production of Switzerland. What happened. According to records From the US stock and values ​​commission (SEC) of the month of June, the SNB has 167,000 million dollars in shares of US companies, distributed in more than 2,300 positions. That makes the entity a first -order investor in Silicon Valley. Love for Big Five. More than 42,000 million of that portfolio are invested in just five technological giants: Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia. SNB has A special focus on Applecompany in which it has invested almost 10,000 million dollars, and in Nvidia, where it has invested more than 11,000 million dollars. A gigantic entity. The Swiss National Bank is not a sovereign fund as such: its main mission is not active investment to make the country’s money grow. However, its asset balance, which amounts to 855,000 million dollars, places it in a league comparable to that of large investment vehicles from countries such as Singapore or Qatar. Experts, yes, They point that SNB is an entity that does not seek to influence these companies, and only uses its portfolio as a management tool for its currency. Banks do not do this. The SNB approach – which is not owned by the national government – is really atypical. The Bank of Japan For example, it makes use of mechanisms such as ETFs for its operation, and usually also buy shares from your own country. In Switzerland there are requests that the SNB manages that portfolio actively (as an investment fund) to make more profitability. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank warns that shares can be overvalued. And our Bank of Spain? The Bank of Spain, on the other hand, buys governments bonds to control inflation and interest rates throughout the eurozone. They all differ in their strategy, and clearly that of the SNB resembles an investment company than a traditional banking entity. SNB positions in US companies. Source: Financial Times with sec data. Switzerland is small to snb. But the Swiss bond market is too small for SNB operations, and that causes the entity to invest the foreign currencies that it acquires (mainly dollars and euros). He does it in bonds and, as we have seen, in abroad actions, a strategy that some analysts They call “Foreign quantitative flexibility” and that has led him to invest in those actions of technology companies in the US. The powerful Swiss Franco. The argument that defends that strategy is that of the Swiss Franco strengthconsidered a global shelter currency. Having a strong currency is fantastic, but it is not good that it is too much Strong because it slows exports and can cause deflation: the extrin products become very cheap for the Swiss and make the Swiss companies very difficult to compete. To counteract all this, SNB does the opposite of what investors do. Sells francs – adding the offer – and buy foreign currencies that he does not want to have stops, so he invests them in companies such as Apple or Nvidia. Passive-agreesive strategy. Although SNB philosophy is basically passive and does not exercise its voting rights in those companies, this entity adjusts its positions. The sec data reveals a great increase in their participation in NVIDIA or the creation of a new position in Berkshire Hathaway, and a reduction of assets in Meta and Netflix in the last two years. That, of course, has its risksbut SNB does not seem to go bad at the moment. In Xataka | All against Nvidia: the strongest Chinese companies in Chips and IA have created a historical alliance

Spain is an agricultural giant with mud feet

by

To understand the current problem of the Canarian banana only two figures are needed: the first is 0.42 (“The average price that the producer will receive for the most quality fruit (…) per kilo “); the second is 0.75 (” the production costs “of that same kilo of bananas). To understand the full problem, we have to take perspective. Because, if right now the Canarian sector is dying, a couple of months ago we saw the bananas in the peninsula up to seven euros per kilo. What is happening? As Roman Delgado explainedtoday (and with the data of week 36 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) prices “continue to generate losses in the crop, because with them the exploitation costs are not covered.” And yet, this would not have to be as bad as it really is. The Canarian banana, Thanks to the Posei Program of the European Unionhas one of the most refined compensation systems in the country. In principle and in these circumstances, the EU would complete the producers’ accounts with 33 cents. However, the situation is so tense that (in many cases) or with those aids, costs would be covered. And that prices have not been as low as they feared. Above all, because it has entered much less Latin American banana in the peninsula of what was expected. Meteorological problems on the other side of the puddle and logistics problems have produced a relative shortage of peninsular markets. This means that, although (as happened in 2024) everyone expected a price drop – related to the decrease in institutional demand with the arrival of summer, fortunately the collapse has been lower. Map (Via Canarias now) A problem that comes from afar … That is, the banana has saved furniture at the last moment and, even so, they are in free fall. But the key question is why: and the answer is a succession of years between bad and nefarious that have led On the verge of bankruptcy to any of the main cooperatives of the archipelago (which dragged problems from the eruption of the palm). … And that nobody is clear how long it will arrive. Because, remember, 2025 was the good year. That is, everything seems to indicate that as is the case with other traditional Spanish crops (such as the olive tree), the Canary Islands banana is on the edge of death and does not know. For now, it is still alive because the possei is armored until 2027, when the next budget framework of the Union is approved. The problem is that chaining another three bad years waiting for a solution from heaven to “fall very similar to” survive hooked to a machine. ” Even more when The ghost of the European agreement with Mercosur Threat to complicate (even more) the situation. The truth is that Canary Islands, Like the rest of Spanish agricultureneed a background reflection: it has grown thanks to the European “regulatory walls”, but those walls have been cracking for years. It’s time to reflect seriously about what we want to be older. Image | Brando Makes Branding / Diego Catto In Xataka | If the question is what to do with the millions of bananas that Canary Islands throw every year, there are already those who are clear: wine

There is an Italian technology giant that is enriched buying the corpses of Silicon Valley at the price of bargain and then relive them

by

Vimeo He has just announced Its acquisition by the Italian conglomerate Bending Spoons, which will pay $ 1,380 million for it. A priori the operation seems totally normal, but it is not at all: it is the last of the acquisitions of a company that has become a unique “technological vulture”. One that, yes, seems to be managing to reimprorate the businesses you acquire. The numbers. Vimeo investors will receive $ 7.85 per share, which represents a price of 91% higher than the average value of the share in the last 60 days. The purchase process will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the payment of these amounts will be made completely in cash. They already tried. As they point out in Bloomberg, Bending Spoon has been raising an acquisition of Vimeo since March 2024. The Italian conglomerate, which he received A financing round That raised its valuation to 2.6 billion dollars, since then sought new acquisitions, and Vimeo was a clear objective. Evolution of the value of Vimeo’s actions in Nasdaq. Source: Google Finance YouTube was too youtube. Vimeo created in 2004, tried to stand out as a Premium video platform, but after several innovation and focus change milestones became a B2B service company for video. During pandemia He added 30 million new membersand that ended up in 2021 to go over. Profitability problems caused personnel cuts, and stock assessment ended up falling drastically. Vimeo has been living a difficult situation for the last years and without getting up. And that is just what blessing spoons has taken advantage of … because it is what it usually does. The Evernote case. What happened with Vimeo happened before with Evernote. The one that in the early last decade It was the notes and productivity app par excellence He ended up falling little by little for oblivion and losing ground in front of competitors such as Notion, Onenote or Obsidian. In November 2022 Evernote It was acquired by Bending Spoons And then what happened happened. After the purchase, layoffs and price uploads of the service. After the acquisition, Bending Spoons He fired most of the original team and transferred the headquarters to Europe. Then a strong price increase was implemented, and the personal plan rose 63% prices while the free version imposed more restrictive limits to use the platform. Source: Bloomberg But also, business resurrection and service. Although many left the platform, Evernote returned to profitability and revenues became 162 million dollars in 2022 to 700 million dollars in 2023. The rhythm of improvements and updates also He has revivedand the company seems to have lived a unique rebirth. Wetransfer, another exampleSimilar some also occurred with Wetransfer, which after being founded in 2009 was positioned as a simple transfer leader of large files. After a failed attempt to go over in 2022, Bending Spoons acquired Wetransfer In July 2024 and applied the same formula as with Evernote: dismissed 75% of the template to try to be more efficient. A few months ago the service suffered a great controversy for using user data To train their AI modelsalthough it ended Reculting. The service was relatively healthy before acquisition, and it seems that the operation is also being successful for the platform and, of course, for Bending Spoans. Diversifying successfully. In Bending Spoons they already applied that same strategy with previous acquisitions such as Filmic – of which He fired his entire template– Or Meetup —which too transferred its headquarters to Europe-. One of its most remarkable success is that of Reminia photo editing platform with AI that the Italian conglomerate acquired in 2021 and that it has managed to become a reference in this market, even surpassing in the most unloaded Apps lists from China to Douyin, its rival of Tiktok. In Xataka | An Italian winery installed solar panels on its vineyards and discovered something unexpected: they improve the quality of wine

Dreame has presented washing machines, refrigerators and even ovens. The vacuum brand wants to become a home giant

by

If we look at Dreame’s catalog we will see vacuum cleanerssome Robot cleaninga hair dryer or water dispensers, but above all vacuum cleaners. That has just changed. There is a trend of Chinese brands entering the world of large appliances and in Dreame they seem to have said “hold me the cubata” because They just entered fifteen new home categoriesincluding large appliance. Thus, suddenly. How many appliances have Dreame presented? Yeah Washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, dishwasher, ovens … of everything. Dreame comes with a very ambitious home bet. Let’s see what everything they have presented: Audiovisual DREAME AURA MINI LED 4K TV S100 Dreame opens on audiovisual devices with DREAME AURA MINI LED 4K TV S100, a TV which stands out for the integration of more powerful speakers that, according to Dreame, is like having an integrated sound bar. There are also projectors, specifically three, all laptops. The Triple Laser Portable Projector T3 stands out for being able to become a screen of up to 100 inches with a very short run. They also have the T2 model that has a battery that lasts up to 2 hours and the T1, the most modest of the three. Within this category we also have the X4000 series monitor and the Home Cinema System Pano 5.1.2ch composed of twelve speakers, including sound bar and Subwoofer. Large appliances Tri-Drum Washer washing machine with three drums. PS: I love her. Xiaomi recently presented its range of large appliances And we already seemed ambitious, but Dreame goes even further. In the clothing washing section we have the L9 washing machine and dryer set, the Slimher washing machine, a mini washing machine and the craziest of all: A washer with three separate drums so that we can wash loose garments. DREAME Z-FERE refrigerator They have also presented not one, but two double door refrigerators, the Z-Fresh and Fizz Fresh. The two have A technology that reduces oxygen in the vegetable compartment To last longer. The Fizz Fresh also serves you water with fresh gas. I could not miss a dishwasher, the Z6000 that in addition to washing the dishes, the dry ones. There is even more. Two ovens, the Z6000Pro and Z6000 Steam-Boost, and two Airfryer, the Tasti AF30 and the Tasti DZ30, with double compartment. All ovens and airfryers have steam function so that the food is juicy and at the same time crispy. Air conditioning and others Dreame enters the air conditioning with the X-Wind, an air with a classic format, but with a dark gray design that does not go unnoticed. The most curious model is the Z Wind, a kind of tower that is attached to a corner, both vertically and horizontally. Although they already had some models in their offer, Dreame opens two new air purifiers, one of them with a humidifier function included. We also have a Organic garbage cube that adjusts the temperaturemoisture and avoid bad smells. Finally there is space for Home With home security cameras, smart locks, LED strips and connected bulbs. A blow to the table: here we are I do not remember a deployment of products as large as Dreame has just done in Ifa. We do not know how many of these products will arrive in Spainbut we talk about a brand that It began to be known in 2022 For selling vacuum cleaners in Amazon and suddenly sells dishwasher, ovens, washing machines and even air conditioners. A blow to the table. In addition to expanding their products, they have announced that by the end of the year They will open physical stores In several European cities, among which is Madrid. The truth is that Dreame has made a hole in the Spanish market in a short time and we can already find its products in most large areas. We will see how this bet comes out, but of course they are serious. Images | DREame In Xataka | A Chinese company that you do not know manufactures 35% of all microwaves in the world. Probably yours too

A soda giant assaults coffee by buying the owners of Marcilla and L’Or. Now they go for the Nestlé cake

by

There are two worlds when we talk about coffee brands. On the one hand, the numerous toasters and small brands that focus on the Specialty coffee. On the other, a handful of conglomerates huge that copied the shelves of the supermarkets. Nestlé, Starbucks, Lavazza Or Jde Peet’s are some of those giants, but a brand of sodas arrives to take a good bite to the increasing, coffee cake worldwide. As? Buying to one of its main competitors: the holders of Marcilla or L’Or. KDP. They are the acronym of Keurig Dr Pepper, one of the world’s largest beverage companies. This is the result of the fusion in 2018 of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, holders of the 7up or Schweppes brand, among others, and of Keurig Green Mountaina powerful and historical coffee brand that revolutionized the monodosis system in the United States in the 90s both in offices and in homes. They are a giant with a assessment of about 43,000 million euros. The group manages more than 125 brands, but talking about coffee, in the United States they have Keurig coffee makers With own capsules, In the pure Nestlé style with the Nespresso. Well, that megagroup has just launched an operation of 15.7 billion euros to buy one of the largest coffee companies in Europe, the Dutch Jde Peet’s. Jde Peet’s. This is the matrix of emblematic brands such as Marcilla, Saimaza and L’Or in the Café World, but also of Senso or Hornimans, among others. Before the purchase, the company’s valuation was about 13,000 million euros and, Despite all the problems of the coffee sector these last months and price increases, They closed 2024 with a growth of 13.2%, exceeding the forecasts of the 1,250 million euros. Coffee Empire. Although in Europe they remained stable, performance in areas such as Latin America, Russia, the Middle East and Africa was what promoted the company during the last year, translating in an increase of 21%. And, precisely, that is what KDP seeks with the purchase of Jde Peet’s: entering a market that they have not exploited, but in which the brands of the Dutch are well established. To fulfill the strategy, KDP will create two entities when the purchase is closed: Beverage CO and Global Coffee Co. The latter seems like a rebranding of what so far was Jde Peet’s. Objective: Nestlé. This purchase occurs in a context of a Strong up coffee price increase In recent months thanks to a Perfect storm due to factors such as bad crops and shortage problems, as well as a World demand growth Coffee, especially in China. And the group they have in the sight is Nestlé. This giant has its top priority in coffee, Representing About 20,000 million euros in 2024 with brands such as Nescafé, Nespresso, Dolce Taste, Bonka and a strategic alliance with Starbucks to create home products (more capsules). As we read in Reutersanalysts already estimate that this new KDP entity will have a business size similar to Nestlé, both with a 20% share in the global market. Although the purchase is there and there is an agreement between both parties, such an operation should be reviewed carefully, but it is expected to be resolved in the first half of 2026. We will see what happens with its brands, but in a context in which coffee not only crosses problems due to climate change, but Also for tariffsthis fusion between the American and the European makes all the way. In Xataka | How much coffee a day is too coffee: science has investigated it and has its verdict

The great Spanish rail giant had in his hands “the contract of the century.” Until France appeared

by

It has been called “the contract of the century.” And it has not been for anything. CAF, the great Spanish rail giant, should be the winner of a huge contract to nurture the Belgian SNCB of trains that circulate on the conventional roads of the country. That is, by “the Belgian Renfe.” A contract that could reach 3,400 million euros. A contract that, now, is in the air after the claims of the French Alstom. “The contract of the century”. This has been called the pre -agreement between the Belgian SNCB and the Spanish CAF, confirmed only a few weeks ago by both companies In a statement in which the following was read: The Board of Directors of NMBS (SNCB-National Society of the Belgian Railways), taking into consideration the resolution of the State Council, has confirmed in this day CAF as preferred bidder of the contract for the development, manufacture and supply of the AM30 trains. In this way, the approval is given to continue the purchase process with the selected company, with the objective of closing the final adjudication of said Framework Agreement. This is a framework agreement with a maximum scope of units for 170,000 places, with an initial base commitment of 1,695 million euros (units for 54,000 places) in case of finally closing the agreement. French resource. This pre -agreement that includes a first operation of almost 1.7 billion euros and that could be folded in the future with the delivery of more trains for renew up to 50% of the fleet From the Belgian transport company, it has been appealed by Alstom, a French company that had also appeared to the contest. Guipuzkoa news He explains that the French company has launched the appeal to try to stop the contract, with the objective that this famous “contract of the century” falls on them, understanding that its offer was better than the Spanish proposal. What do they defend? In the Basque newspaper it is pointed out that Alstom defends its best position because the offer was 107 million euros cheaper than the Spanish proposal and that, in addition, they assured that Belgian labor would be used, which should be an argument of weight when it comes to being the chosen ones. Alstom expected their witch and charlei plants that employ 1,500 people to be decisive when obtaining the contract, they explain in Expansion. The situation is not new. Last April, the Belgium Council suspended the award and forced CNCB to return to the process, noting that the contract had not been awarded with total transparency. Human Rights. After that first closed door, CNCB once again chosen CAF as an ideal company to deliver the trains with which the Belgian fleet will be renewed. In their new report they pointed out that “European regulation prevents considering local presence factors in public procurement,” they explain in Expansion. But, in addition, in the review of the process, the Belgian court asked CAF to demonstrate that its activities meet “With international law and human rights”. Because? Because CAF works on a light subway line in Jerusalem that extends to Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. Yes indeed, In the Basque newspaper They emphasize that the Belgian Mobility and Climate Minister came to remove iron from this matter, highlighting that the country itself maintains diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. A thorny matter. The participation of CAF in the Light Metro of Jerusalem has raised Polvareda and is a stone more than the company has been found when receiving the so -called “contract of the century.” Amnesty International and Other associations In defense of the Palestinian people they demand that CAF leave the Israeli project. The minister on his side. For now, what has been defended by CNCB (and even Belgian minister himself) is that Not only should you look at the initial cost of the project. According to its reports, the Spanish proposal will mean savings with the passage of time to Belgian accounts since CAF trains consume less energy than those of Alstom. Specifically, it is ensured that the Spanish rolling material improves by 4% the technical criteria of the French company, taking into account the sale price of them but also the consumption of the trains provided, the conditions of the purchase contract and the calendar of deliveries to which CAF is compromised. Photo | CAF In Xataka | “Whoever wants to come, to invest”: Ouigo wanted to enter the Madrid-Galicia bird but it already sees it impossible before 2030

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.