Ilian T. Blajev
Executive Director of Samarco Ltd.
„We’ve tried to create a so-to-speak “fan” to cover all types of professions difficult to fill for employment in the Spanish labor market”
Samarco Ltd. is a company providing personnel selection from Bulgaria, specializing in construction sites professions such as electricity networks specialists, civil engineering, roofs and metal constructions, refreshment of façade structures.
How did Samarco Ltd. began its business activity?
Samarco Ltd. was founded in 2000 as family company by father and son: Todor and Ilian Blajev. Todor Blajev has acquired experience in his long-term employment record. Initially he was employed as member of various companies in electricity related businesses and mechanization. He has acquired international experience as engineer-consultant in Morocco and Cuba and since 1990 he lives and works in Spain.
In Spain he has worked for different companies and in 1996 he founded his own company T&T Project. We are talking about a Bulgarian company helping Spanish businesses – civil-engineering and engineering-consultancy, involved in projects in East European countries. During the years his company has provided engineering assistance and services to large Spanish and European companies in the field of industry and civil engineering, willing to be present in the developing markets in Eastern Europe. Our main asset is the experience of the company applied in the formation of European teams for work in projects, financed by the European Union and the ability to join multi-national and cross-industry teams.
It all began when companies like Semi and Asfaltos naturales de Campezo won public procurement orders for European sites in Sofia and have acquired confidence in the way of making business of the Bulgarian operators. The companies turned to the Bulgarian embassy in Spain in order to search the possibility to hire qualified personnel in their sites in Spain. The companies needed specialists in contact networks, personnel for the traction and transformer substations, erectors of big lines, casing and shuttering workers, steel erectors and many other. The embassy informed that the selection of personnel services have to be completed by private company. Our company fitted the profile as civil engineering and construction company aware of the requirements in the sector in Spain.
The formation of the first teams was very difficult because the Spanish legislation was hindering much the selection. However, Royal Decree № 864/July 2001 (then) and Royal Decree № 2393/December 30, 2004 changed the situation and since then the country issues a permit type “А”, in order to allow foreigners to work in big infrastructural projects of companies as AVE, Metrosur, Renfe and other, for a period of one year. The new legal situation has given us impetus to found Samarco.
Which are the main services provided by Samarco?
The service we provide is personnel selection from Bulgaria, specializing in construction sites professions such as electricity networks specialists, civil engineering, roofs and metal constructions, refreshment of façade structures. In our data base we keep as well lists of teams of welders, pipe workers, blacksmiths, casing and shuttering workers, electricity network fitters, electricians specializing in low, middle and high voltage systems, teams for safety and precaution measures in construction sites, erectors of roofs made of copper, zinc, lead and/or shiffer, stone workers (marble processing), specialists in various equipment and installations, erectors. For more than five years in the business, we have been able to get involved in many sectors of the industry and our seal is always considered as mark of quality for high qualified personnel. However, our distinctive field of specialization is the electricity sector. We have started from there and we have most of our contacts established in this sector.
It has to be stressed that Samarco selects teams to work in Bulgaria. We do not select workers from Spain, except if they have already been employed in a company of the same sector in Bulgaria. Thus we avoid the hassle of acclimatization, which may cause low initial productivity.
How does Samarco complete the process of selection of personnel?
The selection process of candidates before leaving for Spain is not easy to complete. The teams are usually formed of twelve to fifteen persons with one or more leaders to guide them during the stay in Spain. The personnel selection process is the task of T&T Project, holder of license from the Labor Ministry of Bulgaria. All candidates pass through five tests selection process: professional, medical, legal, technical and linguistic. Their professional experience is put under scrutiny and their certificates and documents checked; their medical and psychological conditions are examined; the full legal documentation issued by the both countries is demanded; real tests take place in industrial polygons and some hours of learning Spanish take place, when candidates learn at least 1 000 words, about one third of which are engineering technology for the specific sector. Of course the last word is always to our client in Spain, with whom we always discuss details concerning the engineering leaders and the personnel. We always have a reserve team to offer, but clients usually chose the first one, selected by us.
In some cases our clients wish to travel to Sofia in order to meet personally with his future workers and employees. it is an easy step as the flight is only about 4 hours and there are direct flights Madrid - Sofia almost every day of the week. The rest is our task.
To which sectors are your serves directed to?
We’ve tried to create a so to speak “fan” to cover all types of demanded professions, but difficult to fill for employment in the Spanish labor market. Due to the active development in civil engineering and infrastructure projects, such as new railway sections, aerial lines for transport of energy, highways, tunnels, the Madrid underground, petrol processing plants and many other industrial sites, our clients have difficulty to rely on an efficient team both on the profit level and of the expenses of starting the site. We are ready to take this market niche. How? We prepare a team ready to leave for Spain at client’s demand, 100% mobile, willing to work, with excellent qualification and with our engineering and personal assistance during the entire team stay in Spain.
When we are talking about erection of contact network of АVЕ or for the underground, electricity supply lines with high voltage, substation or a section from the substation to end-user, electricity erection for equipment or industrial installations, pipelines or air-conditioning installations, Samarco Ltd. has always the capacity to chose the suitable personnel and team of specialists.
We had our teams for covering the Royal Palace at Aranjuez, The Museum of Queen Sophia, the new Palace of Sports in Madrid, the new terminal for airport Barajas. We had our teams employed in the new tunnel in airport Barajas, in the exchange line of the New Ministries. Specialists that we have selected have been employed to lay asphalts on highways in Guipúzcoa. Our workers have been employed on paratroopers brigade site of Ajalvir. We have sent specialists for erection of high-speed contact network in the UK. In short – we reach there, where there is shortage or lack of qualified workers.
Can you name some of the major obstacles and problems you encounter in your business?
Our major obstacle was the Spanish administration and its aptitude toward foreign workers. We had to overcome bureaucratic impediments on our way. However, we succeeded with much patience and assistance from both embassies – Bulgarian in Madrid and the Spanish in Sofia. There is a proverb saying that you make a road by walking on it and our case was absolutely similar. We think that we have established our image by transparency in our activity and firm position concerning the legal migration, both quality and just for the worker and employer. On the other hand the administration have tuned much more flexible in its procedures.
From our clients’ point of view, the biggest worry was if the Bulgarian personnel shall fulfill the requirements and expectations when hiring. The percentage of successful selection is very high - over 80%. In addition, many of the personnel is hired for a longer period of time after the expiration of the 12 months period. Our will is to establish a continuous relationship with our clients. This is the reason why we prove to be flexible and act with each company specifically, depending of its needs and forecast for work load in short-term and medium-term periods.
Finally, would you state what is the prospective in selection of personnel?
We consider that the future of this business in very bright for the following reasons. On one hand Bulgaria is going to become a full member of the EU in the beginning of year 2007. This means that our clients shall be able to rely on construction workers from the Community, but with qualification and will to work much higher than the existing at the moment. For the same reason that the Spaniard, for example migrated to Germany to work seasonally, the Bulgarians are seeking better work conditions and higher wages than in their country. This trend shall last at least some more years.
On the other hand, given the fact that the European funds are going to take their share in the market of East European countries, the Spanish companies may decide to work on such markets and a company with experience in forming Bulgarian teams shall be well positioned in such markets. This means that one Spanish company with Bulgarian workers in its personnel, winning a construction site in Bulgaria shall have many advantages in starting immediately operations in the country. Imagine that we just have to move our Bulgarian specialists to a railways site, on a highway construction site or a high voltage line in Bulgaria – there are no communication problems, no logistical problems and it is not necessary to start look onsite for the suitable workers. In addition the personnel shall be well acknowledged with the way of working and the know-how of the company. We do consider that this is a very serious advantage that Spanish companies shall have in mind.
As far as the Spanish labor market is concerned, the forecast indicate that there shall not be many people oriented to such labor segments as the ones we operate within. Quite the contrary – there shall be still plenty of work in Spain. And if there will be Olympic Games in Madrid in 2012, as we all hope, we shall not lack of work at all.
(Source: MMI)
