June 2005 · nº 42 New plant - Grupo Antolin · June 2005 · nº 42 New plant in CHINA Opening of...

June 2005 · nº 42

New plant in CHINA

Opening of Antolin Shanghai Autoparts

On the road to Six SigmaThe end of one stage and the beginning of another

news grupo antolin · june 20052

NEWS Published by Grupo Antolin

Grupo Antolin is an internationalcompany,leader in the design andmanufacture of interior componentsfor the automotive industry

It is present in 20 countries, and hasmore than 9,600 employees.

EDITORGrupo AntolinHuman Resources DivisionCarretera Madrid Irún, km. 244,8E 09007 BURGOS - SPAINTel. 34 947 47 77 00Fax: 34 947 47 79 48www.grupoantolin.com

DIRECTIONHuman Resources DivisionEva Romero· [email protected]

DESIGNGermán Delgado· [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHYRafa Sáiz

PRINTED BYCOIMANC/ Marqués de Portugalete, 16E 28027 MADRID - SPAINTel. 34 91 742 12 03Fax: 34 91 742 67 81 Summary

page. 3 in first person

page. 4 on the cover Opening of Antolin Shanghai Autoparts

page. 6 designing the future “Class A” Surfaces

page. 8 special Latest trends, towards a new form of segmentation

page. 12 in picture On the road towards Six Sigma

page. 14 the history corner Volkswagen

page. 16 short news News in brief

page. 20 health Careful with the Sun!

page. 22 on the way Prague

june 2005 · news grupo antolin 3

Revitalising the improvement based on a new organisational model that focuses on twomain aspects, product and customer, is an objective that we all pursue and whose fruitsare essential to respond to the growing demands of our market.

The changes are progressively taking place in the organisation and all of them must befully operative after the summer break. Our managers are making a considerable effortto implement these changes and I wish take the opportunity to thank them for theextraordinary work they are doing.

All changes represent the commencement of new improvement opportunities. If thechanges are efficiently managed, we will be able to foreseen the difficulties to know howto overcome them, and we will become aware of the opportunities in order to takeadvantage of them.

The greatest opportunities may come from improving the interfaces, which have beenmore problematic in the past

Integrating our Commercial Development and Production Areas with common goals andresponsibilities is a basic objective for the New Organisation and, to a great extent ourimprovement will depend on them being fulfilled.

To attain these goals and responsibilities we must act bravely and proactively, giving pow-ers and competences to those who, regardless of whether they belong to Central orPeripheral Departments or Production Plants, are, due to their knowledge, betterequipped to respond to the work requirements.

The only intelligent way of facing up to these challenges is to use the right resources,wherever they may be, and these must be used without any kind of restriction.

I am convinced that this intelligent attitude is going to prevail in our acts and that theremodelling of the organisation is going to dynamise the integration of our creative andmanagement potential, using the knowledge of our entire human team to overcome theimportant challenges that the automotive sector, and consequently our company, aresubmitted to.

José Manuel Temiño Chief Executive Officer

...in

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son


ON THE COVER

Opening of Antolin

ShanghaiAutoparts

Briefly-speaking, Grupo Antolin startedits project for the future in China at thebeginning of the new century, encour-aged, doubtless to say, by the profoundchanges that country was going through,both in economic terms in general, withChina's entry in the WTO, and also in theautomobile sector in particular, where an-nual growth rates for the production ofpassenger vehicles were over 30%. In justa short while, China has gone from beingthe great unknown for the vast majorityof people to appearing every day as front-page news.

In 2001, an agreement was reached forcooperation with a local firm supplying com-ponents by means of a contract to transfertechnology and know-how, which enabledus to approach the market from a privilegedposition, full of tremendous expectations,while at the same time being quite “unfa-miliar” with it. In this way, it has been pos-sible for us to be active witnesses of the spec-tacular growth that has taken place over thelast few years, and of the profound changementioned above that has occurred in theautomobile sector with the arrival of all themain actors in this country.

Many of you are aware that the official opening recently took place on 25th

May of our new industrial plant in China, Antolin Shanghai Autoparts. Present at theceremony were Mr José Montilla, the Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, our

Chairman, Mr José Antolin, along with other distinguished local authorities. The opening ofthis manufacturing plant is undoubtedly an important step in the strategy being followed by the

Group to develop its presence on the Chinese market.

The Spanish minister for Industry,Mr José Montilla,visited the installationsaccompanied, amongst others, by MrJosé Antolin, before the openingceremony

From right to left: Mr. José Montilla, Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, Mr. JoséAntolin, Mr. Pablo Baroja and Mr. Rafael Martín on behalf of Grupo Antolin and Mr. Jorge Dajani,Chief Executive for the Spanish Department of Trade in Shanghai


More recently, the Group decided to builda Technico-Commercial Department inShanghai for the purposes of strengthen-ing its presence in the country and hencedevelop a series of activities that will un-doubtedly lead to a subsequent step thatis noticeably more ambitious, such as thecreation of our own industrial presencein such an active, dynamic market, whichnowadays is considered to be a key fac-tor in the global market of the car industry.

Today, this project has now become a real-ity with Grupo Antolin opening an indus-trial plant, Antolin Shanghai Autoparts,in the city of Jiading (known as the Auto-mobile City), where overhead systems arenow currently being manufactured. Theplant has a constructed area of 5,200 sq m,erected on a site measuring 11,200 sq m,with a production capacity for 1,000,000roofs per year. It currently has a staff of 34people, although it is envisaged that thisnumber will rise to 200 by the year 2008.

Current projects are Ford C307 (China+Tai-wan), Mazda J48, Ford Galaxy, Nissan X11J(China+Taiwan), Suzuki K5 and Isuzu Elf forJapan. Negotiations are also at a fairly ad-vanced stage for new projects with Ford(Mondeo and B-car), Mazda and the lo-cal manufacturer, Cherry.

Furthermore, during the recent monthof April, we formed a new company inChongqing for assembling modular roofs.This involves a mixed company with a lo-

cal partner and trades under the nameof Chongqing Antolin Tuopu OverheadSystems.

It is our firm intention to promote our re-sources to the utmost in the area so asto take advantage of all the opportuni-ties that might arise. In keeping with thisapproach, we already have a new indus-trial activity in the North of China that is ina very advanced stage of development andclose to becoming a reality, for produc-ing electric windows and door modulesover there. We are also concluding anagreement for the transfer of technolo-gy with a local company for the manufac-

ture of seats for the Mercedes NCV2,along with other agreements for manu-facturing seats for the railway.

We must not forget that it is important forus to make the most of our presence inChina to increase the significant purchas-ing opportunities that are around for ex-porting components from China to oth-er centres run by the Group in the restof the world. This task is obviously of para-mount importance for us to be able tomaintain the competitive levels that areconstantly being demanded by our cus-tomers.

Nevertheless, we should also point outthat there are serious problems to be hadin entering this market. The obvious cul-tural differences, the clear symptoms ofovercapacity, provoking an extremely dif-ficult price war and the significant weightstill given to personal relations in theprocess of obtaining orders (Guang-Xi)all offer important challenges. We arefully aware of such problems and are con-vinced of the appropriateness of this chal-lenge, and that we shall be able to carryit off successfully.

We would not like to finish without ex-pressing our sincerest thanks to all thosepeople in our Group that, whether di-rectly or indirectly, have contributed bothin China and in Spain to making the dis-tant dream of establishing our presence inChina come true.

Ant

olin

Shan

ghai

Aut

opar

tsThe staff iscurrently madeup of 34 people,although thisnumber isexpected to riseto 200 people bythe year 2008

DESIGNING THE FUTURE

We are all aware of the fact that today'sproducts are not only designed to complywith functional factors, but that it is alsobecoming more and more important tolook after their aesthetic or visual appear-ance in order to attract the user.

Visual appearance constitutes a com-petitive advantage that distinguishesbetween two products with the samefeatures and technical specifications.

The aim of a good surface modeler is tocomply with all feasibility requirements,while maintaining the design that wasoriginally conceived in the creative phases

beforehand, and at the same time tomaximize the time available, this being acrucial factor for achieving a greaterdegree of competitiveness on the market.

To meet this commitment the concept of“Class A Surfaces” has emerged for theface of the products.

Class A is synonymous with geometricalcontinuity. There can be different types ofcontinuity: tangency, position and curva-ture. What is important is that the bestquality is always obtained through surfacesthat are continuous, regular and simple,thereby maximizing resources.

Industrial Design is a creative process, and as such usesvarious tools throughout the different stages. In movingfrom 2D (outlines, sketches) to 3D (modeling)it becomesa very important part of the process. During this phase,creativity and initial ideas are converted into stylishsurfaces. Being able to guarantee the quality of suchsurfaces, and also meet feasibility requirements are thusfactors of paramount importance.

Clase ASurfaces

Internal Project by the Dept. of Design

Héctor Gutiérrez / Silvia PérezGRUPO ANTOLIN-INGENIERIA-DIM


For this reason, Class A surfaces haveto comply with the following conditions:

1. Aesthetic conditions, keeping theforms proposed by the designer and/orcustomer in line with appropriate polish-ing lines.

2. Mathematical conditions, the simplestconnection possible between surfacesand mathematic equation.

3. Adequate conditions for productionand feasibility of design.

In order to achieve the quality required,apart from using the Alias Studio Toolsprogram, the Department of IndustrialDesign at Grupo Antolin has startedmodeling with ICEM Surf, one of themost advanced pieces of software thatexist for creating Class A surfaces.

At the same time, the ICEM Surf pro-gram also offers a perfect link with oth-er software packages (CATIA, I-DEAS,ALIAS, etc).

Based on the initial sketches, it is possi-ble to obtain high-quality surfaces rightfrom the first stage in the process of cre-ating a product.

Using its tools for modeling, analysis anddiagnosis, it is possible to achieve a thor-ough control of the aesthetic and tech-nical aspects of the surfaces containedin the model.

However, a powerful tool for creating sur-faces is useless without the good crite-ria of the modeling team and designers.

Due to the importance acquired by theperceived quality of the car interior, ourcustomers are becoming more and morediscerning and demanding. Being readyand able to offer the right answer at theirlevel of expectation is fundamental.

Interpretation of polishing lines

Diagnosis of curvature

As can be seen in the picture, continuity between two surfaces

may be at the point of tangency and curvature depending on

how the control points are aligned.

Types of transitions from geometric objects to planes of symmetry

Criteria that help guarantee surface quality

Transition of continuous curve

Continuous transitionOriginal geometry

Transition of continuous tangency

Plane of Symmetry

Plane of Symmetry Plane of Symmetry

Plane of Symmetry


noticias grupo antolin · junio 20058

SPECIAL

Latest trendstowards a new form of segmentation

Fifty years ago, life was much easier foranalysts in the car industry. Manufacturersbuilt and sold vehicles in two basic sizes:apart from trucks, they came in small andlarge, and that was the end of it.

Later on, as the range and type of vehi-cles on offer increased, it became popularto use letters to refer to the various differ-ent segments, a labeling system that is stillused by car rental firms today. From “A”,referring to the segment of vehicles that aresmaller in size and have fewer features, andthen “C”, for medium-sized vehicles, andfinally to “F” for real luxury cars and “G”for sports cars.

But apart from the size, it is the body stylesthat lead to the greatest amount of con-fusion nowadays. Not so long ago it was noproblem to classify the basic types: coupé,convertible, sedan,

compact, family car or break, and minivan.Then the four-wheel drives, or SUVs (SportUtility Vehicles), burst onto the scene in a bigway, along with the MPVs (Multi-Purpose Ve-hicles); with these two segments being sub-

divided in turn into a number of differentniches so that the range on offer could becustomized to satisfy the various require-ments of the most demanding clients.Nowadays, we can say that the number ofsegments has grown to 20 in Europe, agrowth rate that shows no sign of abating atthe moment. In an attempt to shed a littlelight on the intricate world of segmentation,on the next page we refer to the newest andmost original segments of the market

Future launches in Niches

Rosalía Arribas Grupo Antolin-DIM

It used to be easy to slice up thesegments of the “pie” for the car industryinto five or six portions of varying sizes.Nowadays, however, this pie is dividedinto so many portions, that it is difficultto say exactly how many there are.Thereare niches inside other niches...


According to JD Power,a forecasting consul-tancy for the car industry, last year over 3 mil-lion “niche vehicles” were sold in Europe,which amounts to an increase of 17% withrespect to the previous year. At the same timethere was a 6% drop in the sale of tradi-tional versions like compact vehicles, sedansand family cars.

What is the reason for this pheno-menon? One of the main reasons is theincrease in the speed with which a mod-el can move from the initial stages of de-sign to production thanks to the progressmade in CAD-type technologies. Whatused to take 30 to 36 months can now be

done in 20 to 24 months, and accordingto some manufacturers, this figure mightsoon be whittled down to 18 months.

How is Grupo Antolin tackling this situation? The Group is well aware of thetrends in the market and is working on anumber of projects to be incorporated inniche vehicles.

Such projects require intelligent, uniquesolutions that are a one-off and can beadapted to spaces that are becoming moreand more diverse and intricate: enormousoverhead consoles, original panoramic sys-tems, adjustable seats, more versatile sunvi-

sors, light-weight materials, etc. Solutionsthat require continuous effort for their con-ception on the part of the Departments ofMarketing, Design and Innovation, in theanalysis of supply and demand and the in-creasingly more sophisticated needs of ourcustomers.

Most of the activities set up in these depart-ments lead to a greater understanding ofwhat the end user expects from these nichevehicles: analyses of Perceived Value, stu-dies on ergonomics, exploring new trends,virtual designs, etc. all place value on thewishes and needs of the end customer sothat we can bring them to fruition.

Nissan Murano

Chrysler Pacífica

Audi Allroad

Renault Kangoo

Crossover

A light-weight variant of the four-wheel drive, or SUV with the featu-res of a compact vehicle.This is a trend that is on the rise; in 4 or 5 years'time nearly all manufacturers will offer this type of model. Examplesinclude the Nissan Murano and the Honda C-RV.

Sport Wagon

Vehicles with the morphology of a family car (more luggage space, ormore headroom), but as functional as an SUV. By way of example, we canmention the Audi Allroad and the Volvo XC70.

Multi Activity Vehicle

Vehicles that combine the features of a monospace vehicle with the sporti-ness of a four-wheel-drive. Examples:The Chrysler Pacific or the Mazda 5.

Mini MPV

These are small monospace vehicles derived from a compact vehicle.Notable examples include the Ford Focus C-Max or the Renault Scenic,derived from the Megane. Even the smallest vehicles have a mini MPV de-rivative: the Opel Meriva was based on the Corsa, the Ford Fusion onthe Fiesta and the Renault Modus on the Clio.

MultiSpace

These are sedans that are derived from minivans, and were pioneered by theFrench with the Kangoo, Berlingo and Partner, models which were born in amore or less rudimentary fashion,but which are gradually becoming more andmore sophisticated.

Other variants

These vehicles each offer different versions depending on the make, but sin-ce there are so many of them,they should best be left for another debate:“SportActivity Vehicles”, “Urban Activity Vehicles”, “Compact Sports Tourer”,“Space Functional Concepts”.

Honda C-RV

Volvo XC70

Renault Modus

Opel Meriva

Mazda 5

Ford Focus C-Max


IN PICTURE

The end of one stage and the beginning of another

On the road to Six Sigma

Graduation of the Third Wave of Black Belts and Business Green Belts1. Michal Vojtechovsky

(BB) G.A. Bohemia

2. Rosalía Arribas (DFSS GB) I & M Division

3. Miguel Ángel Grande (DFSS GB) Overhead Systems Divison

4. David Mena (BB) G.A. Aragusa

5. Robby Vollstädt (DMAIC GB) G.A. Logistik Deutschland

6. Adelaida Antolin (DFSS GB) I & M Division

7. Fernando Dal-Re Chief Human Resources Officer

8. José Manuel Temiño Chief Executive Officer

9. Nuria Pastor (DMAIC GB) G.A.Palencia

10. Montserrat Santillán(DFSS GB) Human Resources Divison

11. Cédric Boulanger(DMAIC GB) G.A. Logistique Douai

12. Carlos Ortega(BB) G.A. Dapsa

13. Miguel Ángel Angulo(BB) G.A. Ardasa

14. Julio Asensio (BB) G.A. Ara

15. Thomas Cepl (BB) G.A. Autoform

16. Iratxe Burgos (DMAIC GB) G.A. Álava

17. Esther Gonzalez(DFSS GB) Door Systems Divison

18. Félix Sáiz(DFSS GB) Quality Division

19. Adrián Cana (BB) G.A. Autotrim

Ausentes:Fco. Javier Rodríguez Girón

(DMAIC GB)Suppliers Management Divison

NB: DMAIC GB Áureo Alessandri Jr. (Iramec)has also graduated, following training by2nd Wave BB, Edson Pereira.

1

23 4 5

67 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15

16 1718 19

This information is developed on page 18

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1

2

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6

7

8

9

10

11 11 Certification of 1st

Wave of Black Belts1. Miguel San Román

(G.A. RyA), on behalf of Mª Cristina Laguna (G.A. RyA)

2. Óscar Ruiz (Information Systems Dept.)

3. Susana Navarro (DEOM)

4. Pedro Ruiz (I & M Division)

5. Merche Rodríguez (Human Resources Division)

6. Gonzalo Castro (DEOM)

7. Luis Adán (Quality Division)

8. Jesús Herrero (DEOM)

9. Álvaro Godino (Business Development Division)

10. José Manuel Temiño (Chief Executive Officer)

11. Jim Brown (G.A. Kentucky)

Absent:Salvador Peris

(G.A Kent-JIT Solihull)


THE HISTORY CORNER

Nowadays Volkswagen employs morethan 133,000 workers all over the worldand amongst its vehicles includes models such as the Golf, the Passat orthe Polo, and upper range models like thePhaeton and the Touareg. Seven modelsof the Beetle and a total number of fivegenerations of Golf are milestones in thehistory of this development. A total of 21.5million Beetles, 23 million Golfs, 13 millionPassats and 9 million Polos are the bestproof of its success.

We shall now turn our attention brieflyto the years that have marked the histo-ry of this car-manufacturer.

The “BEETLE” is born

The history of Volkswagen begins with thelegendary Beetle. In 1934, the Germangovernment receives a proposal for a de-sign from Ferdinand Porsche to developa car intended for the people, ("Volk-swagen” in German). Thus is born oneof the best-known symbols of the Germancar industry. However, it will not be until1938 when the VW 38 is presented to thegeneral public, and ironically christened"Beetle" by the New York Times because

of the model's very original and attrac-tive shape.

Production started at the Wolfsburg fac-tory in 1945 with an output of 1,800 Bee-tles and gradually increased until, five yearslater, they reached the first million units.At the same time, a new, more elegantand sophisticated model was presented,developed together with Karmann, andknown as the "Karmann Ghia Coupé".

VW suffers its first sales crisis in 1967. Out-put was reduced by 300,000 units andsales dropped off by the same amount.However, in 1972 it bounced back, be-coming the number one car manufac-turer in the world. The "Beetle" thus sur-passes the legendary record of the Fordmodel T.

The new VWgeneration

We now enter the decade of the seventieswith the presentation in 1973 of the "Pas-sat", which is the starting point for its newgeneration models. Production is alsostarted for a model that is still somethingof a legend today: the "Golf", which fast

becomes a huge sales success, and is soonconsidered the legitimate successor to thelegendary "Beetle" since, following 30years of existence and with almost twelvemillion units manufactured, the Wolfsburgplant ceases to manufacture it.

Alliances and greatresults

In 1978, Volkswagen and Audi unite theirsales structure all over the world under theV.A.G. trademark. At the end of that sameyear they had 211,000 employees. Thedecade of the seventies closes with theproduction of the “Jetta” at the Wolfsburgplant.

The 1980s see the birth of the second gen-eration of the "Passat", with a more ele-gant and streamlined body and more spa-cious interior, which goes into produc-tion in Wolfsburg.

Furthermore, the start of production of thesecond generation of the "Golf" intro-duces great technological changes in ma-nufacturing processes. For the first time, avehicle is designed for highly automatedassembly with the support of robotics.

The generationof the people's car

“Volkswagen”

BEETLE


At the annual meeting of shareholders,approval is given to change the name ofthe company from

Volkswagenwerk AG to Volkswagen AG.In 1982, the cooperation agreementsigned with Sociedad Española de Au-tomóviles de Turismo S.A., (SEAT) enablesVolkswagenwerk AG to prepare the wayfor opening up the market in Spain to themodels manufactured by the Group. SEATbecomes the third independent trademarkof the Volkswagen consortium. VW as-sumes control of Skoda in 1990, therebyobtaining excellent access to the automarket in Central and Eastern Europe.

In 1998, it acquires the makes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghi-ni. From 1999 onwards, it begins cons-truction of an original glass factory inDresden, to assemble the make's luxurymodels, where the project for "ConceptD" will be drawn up, with this prototypesubsequently being christened with thename of "Phaeton", a sedan at the topend of the market with an imposing de-sign, setting up new models of techni-cal, aesthetic and functional criteria.

Recent history

During the last decade of the twentiethcentury, VAG starts to draw up differentstrategies for its various makes of car,grouping together VW and Skoda, witha more traditional feel about them, andSEAT and Audi with another more exclu-sive, sporty appeal, but none of the makes

produced by the group have lost that ro-bustness and personal character that its ri-vals try so hard to copy without success.Is it because it is German?

We cannot speak about the VW consor-tium without referring to the “Autostadt “(The Automobile City). This is located in thecity of Wolfsburg, a city that is essentially”Volkswagen”. The Autostadt provides aplatform for service and communication forthe VW consortium, in total harmony withits slogan: ”People, automobiles and what-ever moves us”. Between the time of itsfoundation and 2000, Autostadt had al-ready received seven million visitors.

The last few years have seen the appear-ance of the “New Beetle Cabriolet", whichoffers a unique, avant-garde design, the"Touran", which is the make's first com-pact minivan or people-carrier, and also the"Touareg", a successful four-wheel-drivevehicle.

Furthermore, only a short time ago produc-tion commenced for the fifth generationof the "Golf", characterised by its marked-ly sportscar-type features and the impos-ing design of its body, which is adaptedto the latest demands for family vehiclesand launched as the Golf Plus.

The final product to be launched with aguarantee of success is the new Pasta,which aims to attract customers throughits suggestive advertising, full of sensitivityand appeal to the senses.

In future issues we shall delve deeper in-to the history of the makes that form partof the VW consortium.

GO

LF

Passat 2005

Touareg

Phaeton


GrupoAntolinawardedwith a prizeby AEDIPEThe “Asociación Española deDirección y Desarrollo de Per-sonas (AEDIPE)” (The Spa-nish Association of PersonnelManagement and Develop-ment) and Human has award-ed Grupo Antolín with one ofthe 2005 Prizes for Innovationin Human Resources for itsMentoring program.

The current Mentoring pro-gram, set within the context ofthe Program for Managementand Development of Talent,has won a prize awarded byAEDIPE, the most prestigiousprofessional association in thefield of Human Resources,with more than 3,600 profes-sional partners from over2,100 companies, in collabo-ration with the human re-sources consultants, Human.

The Group's Human ResourceDepartment presented thepreparation, philosophy, execu-tion and results of the first Men-toring circuit set up in the com-pany within the Talent Programto the 6th Edition of the AEDIPE-HUMAN Awards for Innovationin Human Resources.

In our Mentoring Programthere are currently several pairsof mentors and mentees par-ticipating, who are placing em-phasis, through mutual advice,on the development of spe-cific competences captured intheir development plans.

The novelty and specific char-acteristics of the Mentoringprogram are based on the di-versity and absolute separationof duties between mentor and

IN BRIEF

“CDTI”visitsour plantin IndiaThe Spanish Secretary Gen-eral for Industry and Chair-man of the Centre for Indus-trial and Technological Deve-lopment,(CDTI), Joan Trul-lén Thomas, was given thechance last April to find out inperson about the experiencesof Grupo Antolín while set-ting up the manufacturingplant, Grupo Antolin-Pune,in India.

CDTI has decided to set upa delegation here since this isthe most advanced country,technologically-speaking, inthe region, with a high po-tential for development andhas many Spanish companieswith installations on its soilthat have become interna-tional firms, includingGRUPO ANTOLIN.

This visit is organised withinthe framework of activitiesset up for the Indo-HispanicSeminar on the auto partssector run by SERNAUTO(Asociación Española de Fab-ricantes de Equipos y Com-ponentes para Automoción),(the Spanish Association ofManufacturers of Auto partsand Equipment), ICEX (Insti-tuto Español de ComercioExterior) (the Spanish Insti-tute of Foreign Trade) andthe Secretary General for In-dustry, co-ordinated by theOficina Comercial de España(the Spanish Office of Tradein India), for the purposesof obtaining a better know-ledge of the Indian marketfor auto parts, promoting the

overseas activities of our sec-tor and at the same time fa-cilitating the search for re-presentatives and dealers bythe Spanish companies in-volved, and establishingtrade agreements. This actled to bilateral meetings withmore than 60 Indian compa-nies from the manufacturingsector for auto parts, for thepurposes of making our busi-ness and industrial intentionsknown to each other.


mentee, thereby helping theprogram to focus on the deve-lopment of personal skills be-yond the technical or develop-mental approach to theore-tical or formative aspects re-ceived by the person so far.

The way to understand MEN-TORING at Grupo Antolin isvery special: two people thatbelong to the organisationwithout there being any func-tional or hierarchical relation-ship between them and withdifferent personal and profes-sional competences establisha series of periodic meetingsover the course of 6 months, inwhich the employee with therole of MENTOR offers theirknowledge, skills, and experi-ence to another employee, theMENTEE, a person that hasbeen identified as havingenough potential to continueto advance further in their Pro-fessional Development. Thisprogram responds well to thecultural restlessness to encour-age internal communicationbetween diverse areas and/ordepartments, companies, tech-nical centres, and also the fur-ther need to manage the Diver-sity in which our company ismoving, to extend theprospects of our people, be-come better acquainted withone another and share our dif-ferent cultures. Concepts suchas creativity, common sense,the courage to make an idea re-al and "bring it down to earth",the transfer of skills from someindividuals to others, the con-viction that there is alreadyenough talent inside the com-pany to liberate and share withour colleagues, without alwaysseeking for external advice...Thishas all contributed to making itpossible for the program ofwhich we are the driving force,to be awarded the much-de-served CONSOLATION PRIZEfor Innovation in Human Re-sources, as mentioned in theemotional prize-giving speechon 19th April in Madrid.

Workshopwithmanagers from GrupoAntolin

On 12th May at the Palace ofSaldañuela (Sarracín-Burgos) ameeting was held with all thePlant Managers from GrupoAntolin for the purposes of defin-ing the work strategies for the pe-riod 2005 - 2008 for everythingrelated to Total Quality and Im-provement Operations.

The Conference was openedby our Chairman, Mr José An-tolin, who insisted on the ideaof IMPROVEMENT as an es-sential requirement of ourGroup, along with the impor-tance of inspiring those colla-borating with us to achieve

our business objectives. Fol-lowing this, Mª Hélène Antolin(DEOM Manager) talkedabout the new organisation ofthe area she is in charge ofand introduced the work planfor the rest of the conference.

The remainder of the day wasspent with the plant Ma-nagers analysing, in variousworkshops, the state of themanagement systems in eachof Grupo Antolin's companiesand territories.

The specific outcome of theday's work was the definingof personalised plans for im-provement for each of ourcompanies with a view tofavouring improvement andstrengthening their weakpoints over the next few years.Our Chief Executive, Mr JoséManuel Temiño, closed theconference by encouragingthose present to continue towork to improve our proce-dures and increase our eco-nomic efficiency. Worthy ofmention is the magnificentwork carried out by all theManagers at the meeting andtheir interest in becoming per-sonally enriched by the viewsof the other people attendingthe conference.


2nd Congress onExcellence and Qualityin Castilla y León

On 7th and 8th April 2005, the2nd Congress on Excellence andQuality in Castilla y León washeld in the city of Ávila withthe slogan:"Modernisation andCompetitiveness: our commit-ment to society". This secondedition of the conference waschaired by Grupo Antolin.

The Congress started with thewords of Mª Hélène Antolinoutlining the importance ofthese meetings to spread the

culture of Excellence as a ba-sic factor for success. GrupoAntolin also participated withthe paper entitled "DeployingSix Sigma at Grupo Antolin",in which Susana Quintano ex-plained to those present theprocess followed in setting upand monitoring the Six Sig-ma methodology in theGroup.

Apart from the people specifically mentioned on these pages, wewould like to thank the following for their collaboration: PabloBaroja, Rafael Martin (DOAAP), Mónica Calzada, SusanaSancho, Nuncha Marañón (DIM), Maite Sadornil ((MedicalDepartment Grupo Antolin-Burgos), Berta Fernández, SusanaQuintano (DEOM), Ana I Solas, Pablo Tamayo (Dept. HumanResources), Frantisek Hejlik (GA Turnov).

On the roadtowardsSix Sigma

On 6th April at Grupo An-tolin's head office a ceremonywas held that was of great sig-nificance to the Group's De-ployment of Six Sigma: theGraduation Ceremony of theThird Business Green BeltsWave of Black Belts andGreen Belts and the presenta-tion of Certificates to the FirstWave of Black Belts.

As we have often reported,the Third Wave of BusinessGreen Belts, Black Belts andGreen Belts underwent train-ing between September 2004and January 2005, and arenow in the middle of develop-ing their Six Sigma projects.

The First Wave of Black Belts,on the other hand, weretrained between September

2002 and January 2003, sothat as far as the Deploymentof Six Sigma projects is con-cerned, they have already ac-cumulated over two years ex-perience. It is worth dra-wing attention to the hugeeffort invested by the FirstWave of Black Belts, whowere pioneers in the develop-ment of projects using SixSigma methodology, andhave now moved on to car-ry out other activities withinthe Group.

We would like to take the op-portunity to offer our con-gratulations to all the award-ed and to thank all those thatattended the Ceremony,which was presented by MªHélène Antolin (Manager ofthe DEOM) and enjoyed thecollaboration of José ManuelTemiño (Chief Executive Offi-cer) and Fernando Dal-Re(Chief Human Resources Of-ficer), who helped to give thegraduates and certificates.

Continued from pages 12 and 13

Acknowledgements


GranZarcillode OroThe Burgos families Antolinand Arranz Acinas, with ties toBodegas Imperiales ever sinceits foundation, take greatpleasure in announcing theaward of the 2005 'GranZarcillo de Oro' to the wineAbadía de San Quirce Reser-va 1999.

“Abadía de San Quirce Reserva1999,a long-lasting resilient wineto try,with a fully integratedtaste of wood,and an exuber-ance of fruit,with quite a highpercentage of alcohol,althoughthis is offset by its acidity”

The Chairman of the Board presents theprize to Daniel Aguirre, manager ofBodegas Imperiales.

“The wines of Ribera delDuero win all the majorZarcillo awards”

“San Quirce and Rodero,Winners of the 2005 GranZarcillo de Oro awards”

“The winners are the winesof Ribera del Duero,Almansa and Jerez”

The regional minister for Agriculture,José Valín (centre), and the managerof the Enological Station, PascualHerrera (right), during the ceremonyfor the 2005 Zarcillo awards

“Castilla y León obtains 52 of the 145Zarcillo Awards for Wine”



Sunburn appears as a result of being over-exposed to the harmful ultraviolet raysof the sun. Although the symptoms areusually only temporary (such as redness ofthe skin, which is painful to the touch),damage to the skin is often permanent,with serious long-term effects on health,including skin cancer.

It should be remembered that there isno such thing as the so-called “healthytan”. Exposure to the sun without protec-tion causes premature ageing of the skin.

Exposure to the sun can lead to first andsecond degree burns.

Skin cancer normally appears in adult-hood, but is caused by exposure to the sunand sunburn that originated in childhood.

Moderate exposure to the sun can be pleasant, but too much can bedangerous, since the ultraviolet rays can lead to painful sunburn. They

can also cause more serious side effects, including skin cancer, prematureageing of the skin and other skin ailments; as well as causing cataracts and

other problems with your sight, and inhibition of the immune system.Children are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of the sun, since most

people that are over-exposed to the sun are still under 18 years of age.

HEALTH

¡Careful whit the SUN!


Factors that makesunburn more likely

Young infants and children are particu-larly sensitive to the effects of the sun. Peo-ple with white skin are more likely to suf-fer from sunburn, but even dark or blackskin can burn and needs to be protect-ed. The sun's rays are stronger duringthe hours between 10.00 am and 4.00pm, and also at higher altitudes and lati-tudes closer to the Tropics. The burn maybe exacerbated by the reflection of thesun's rays on the water, sand or snow. Sunlamps can also cause serious burns. Cer-tain medicines (such as the antibiotic dox-icicline) can make the person more suscep-tible to the sun's rays.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of sunburn may notappear for several hours and the over-all effect may not be obvious for ano-ther 24 hours or even later. Amongst thepossible symptoms are the following:

· Sensitive, red skin, warm to the touch.

· Blisters that develop within a few hours,or a few days later.

· Severe reactions (sometimes known as“sun poisoning”), including fever, shi-vering, nausea or rashes.

· Several days after suffering from sun-burn, the burnt skin may start to peel.

First aid

· Provide baths, or cold showers, or applycold, wet compresses to the burn for 10to 15 minutes, several times a day. To al-leviate the pain, bicarbonate of soda canbe added to the water. (Young childrencan suffer from cold very quickly, so thewater should be kept warm).

· Apply a lotion to soothe the skin.

· Aloe vera gel is a common household re-medy for sunburn. Aloe contains activecompounds that help to relieve pain andinflammation of the skin.

· Medication such as acetaminophen oribuprofen may be given for the pain with-out a doctor's prescription.

Aspirin should NOT be given to children.

Don'ts

DO NOT apply vaseline, benzocaine or li-docaine, or butter to sunburn, since thesemake the symptoms worse and can pre-vent healing.

DO NOT wash the burnt skin with strongsoap.

Should the doctor be called?

A doctor should be called at once if thereare signs of shock, heat exhaustion, dehy-dration or any other serious reaction.Such signs include:· Feeling faint or dizzy· Fast pulse rate or rapid breathing (panting)· Extreme thirst, failure to urinate or

sunken eyes· Pale, cold or wet skin· Painful eyes and sensitivity to light· Nausea, fever, shivering or rash· Large, sore blisters

Prevention

We recommend avoiding exposure to thesun during the hours when the sun's raysare strongest. Protective sun cream shouldbe applied generously with an SPF (sunprotection factor) of at least 30, particu-larly on the face, nose, ears and shoulders.

It is advisable to apply sun protection 30minutes before exposure to the sun so thatit can penetrate the skin properly and thenapply it again after swimming and every 2hours for as long as you are outside inthe open air.

It is recommended that a hat be worn. SPFclothes and swimsuits are also available.Sunglasses should be used with UV pro-tection. And also lip salve, with a sun-screen for the lips.

The inner contents ofAloe Vera provide anatural balm for our skin


ON THE WAY

In the second half of the 9th century wasfounded the castle of Prague, under whoseprotection the various settlements devel-oped independently from their environ-ment, to become, over the course of time,the four towns of the city of Prague: the OldTown, already known before 1280 as “thehead of the realm)” (caput regni) and thecapital of the Czech kingdom; the LesserTown; the New Town and the City of theCastle (Hradcany). The capital of the CzechRepublic is the most valuable urban site ofhistorical monuments in the whole country.In 1992, the 866 hectares that make up thehistoric centre of the city became part of the

UNESCO List of protection of Cultural andNational World Heritage sites.

On the city's coat of arms can be read: "Pra-ga caput regni", and quite rightly so, for eversince it was founded, Prague has alwaysplayed a very important role in the history ofthe nation, the country and of Europe.

Since the Middle Ages, Prague has beenfamous for being one of the most beauti-ful cities in the world and has been describedas the “golden city", the “city of the hun-dred towers", the “crown of the world"or the “dream of stone". Important figu-

Prague is one of thoseimportant European

cities that, astraditional

metropolises, areattributed a magic

significance.A large part of this

significance is due tothe location of the

Prague basin, acrossroads and trade

route since timeimmemorial.

PragueMagic

Prague

Cesky Krumlov

Geography of PragueThe city is located on both banks of the

River Vltava, in the region of Bohemia. Ithas a surface area of 496 sq.km. The

distance as the crow flies from Prague tothe three seas is roughly the same: 365

km to the Baltic Sea, 495 km to theNorth Sea and 490 km to the Adriatic.Population There are currently around

1,250,000 inhabitants.Climate A very marked, pleasant

Continental climate, hot in summer and icycold in winter. October and November areusually very wet and the height of winter

there can be incredibly heavy snowfalls (inwinter the temperature always hovers

around freezing and the snow can stay formany weeks at a time).

Language Czech.Currency Czech koruna

(1€ = 31,82 Czech koruna)

Interesting links• http://www.prague-tourist-information.com

• http://www.visitczech.cz

res have paid homage to Prague over the cen-turies. The likes of W. A. Mozart, L. vanBeethoven, G. Apollinaire, P.I.Tchaikovsky, F.M.Dostoyevsky, A. Rodin, O. Kokoschka, andmore recently, Queen Elizabeth II. Prague re-presents a single site of historical monumentsdominated by the Castle, whose towers riseabove the city.

The square, founded in the 12th century, haswitnessed countless historical events. Loca-ted next to the Town Hall in the Old Town andthe Temple of Our Lady of Tyn, the square hasseveral other buildings that also stand out suchas the Baroque church of Saint Nicholas; theRococo palace of the Kinski family, home ofthe pictorial collection of the National Gallery;the House of the Stone Bell, whose rooms arecurrently used as a municipal centre for ex-hibitions and concerts; or the monument tothe religious reformer, Juan Hus.

On 21st June 1621, the square witnessed theexecution of 27 Czech aristocrats, in whosememory 27 crosses were engraved on thepavement.

Not very far from this spot can be seen themeridian that passes through Prague.

The Town Hall was founded in 1338. In 1364,the tower was added to the chapel and in1470 the building was reconstructed in theGothic style. The east wing of the Town Hallwas destroyed on 8th May 1945 and has yetto be re-built. Another of Prague's great at-tractions is its wide range of cultural offerings:theatres, a large number of concerts at anytime of the year, the well-known, unique“Black Light Theatre”, the marquees set up inthe Main Square for all kinds of fairs…i.e.for anything so as not to get bored.

If you want to go shopping, there's no bet-ter place than the centre of the city, where youwill find original gifts like puppets, the famousBohemian glass, and shops devoted to thesale of amber.

Not very far from the capital are a large num-ber of castles that are highly recommendedfor a visit.

The Mediaeval castle of Karlstein, built be-tween 1348 and 1355 during the reign ofCharles IV to guard over the crown jewels andother objects and state documents.

The Palace of Konopiste, Gothic in style dat-ing back to the 14th century, re-built in the 19th

century, and home to extraordinary collections

of weapons, furniture, paintings and ancienttapestries.

The castle of Krivoklat. The first news ofthis royal castle dates back to the year 1100.The castle of Cesky Sternberk, located onthe River Sazava with its rich stucco decora-tion and an extraordinary exhibition ofweapons.

Three cities nearby are also worthy of ourattention on our trip around the area sur-rounding Prague: Kutna Hora, Cesky Krumlovand Karlovy Vary.

In the Middle Ages, thanks to its rich silvermines, Kutna Hora became the second mostimportant city in the kingdom of Bohemia af-ter Prague. It is here that we find some extraor-dinary Gothic monuments, particularly thetemple of Saint Barbara, one of the mostbeautiful Gothic Czech buildings, the RoyalMint, where the famous coins known as"gros" were minted, the House of Stone, thechurch of St Jacob. The city of Kutna Hora isone of the monuments listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

The Mediaeval city of Cesky Krumlov, in thebeautiful countryside of Southern Bohemia,known as "the pearl of Bohemia”, retainsits Mediaeval appearance. The city's old townwas registered in 1992 in the list of monu-ments as a World Heritage Site under the aus-pices of UNESCO. The city has two extraor-dinary monuments: the castle and the Goth-ic church of St Vitus.

Karlovy Vary is a well-know spa town in west-ern Bohemia that became famous in the Mid-dle Ages thanks to the discovery of the hot ther-mal springs, used for therapeutic purposes.

These are just some of the wonders thatawait us if we visit the soul of the Czech Re-public. Only once our trip is over can wecomplete the list.

Prague CastleThe castle began construction

on its present site in the 9thcentury. It is currently the seatof the Presidency of the CzechRepublic and is considered tobe the historical and politicalcentre of both city and state.

Charles Bridge This is the oldest bridge in

Prague. Its statues and archi-tecture mostly date back tothe 18th century. The bridgeis 515 metres in length and

10 metres in width.

The astronomicalClock at the Town HallThis dates back to the begin-ning of the 15th century andwhen the clock chimes outthe hours, the procession oftwelve apostles appears in awindow located at the top.At the bottom, there are 12medallions with the signs ofthe zodiac.


SPAINGrupo Antolin (Head Office)Grupo Antolin- Alava Grupo Antolin- AraGrupo Antolin- AragusaGrupo Antolin- ArdasaGrupo Antolin -AutotrimGrupo Antolin- DapsaGrupo Antolin- EuroepsilonGrupo Antolin- EurotrimGrupo Antolin- IngenieriaGrupo Antolin- Linara Grupo Antolin- Martorell Grupo Antolin- NavarraGrupo Antolin- Palencia Grupo Antolin- PGA Grupo Antolin- PlasburGrupo Antolin- RyA

ARGENTINAIrauto

GERMANYGrupo Antolin- AutoformGrupo Antolin- Deutschland Grupo Antolin- Logistik Deutschland

BRAZILIntertrimIramec Trimtec

SLOVAQUIAGrupo Antolin- Bratislava

FRANCEGrupo Antolin- FFIGrupo Antolin- FranceGrupo Antolin- HFRGrupo Antolin- IGA Grupo Antolin- Ingenierie SiegesGrupo Antolin- Logistique Douai Grupo Antolin- LoireGrupo Antolin- VosgesTANIS

PORTUGALGrupo Antolin- Lusitania

UNITED KINGDOMGrupo Antolin- Kent Grupo Antolin- U.K.

CZECH REPUBLICGrupo Antolin- BohemiaGrupo Antolin- Turnov

USAGrupo Antolin- Kentucky Grupo Antolin- LouisianaGrupo Antolin- MichiganGrupo Antolin- North AmericaGrupo Antolin- Wayne

MEXICOGrupo Antolin- Silao

CHINA Agency in ShanghaiAntolin Shanghai Autoparts Chongqing Antolin Tuopu Overhead Systems (JV)

INDIAKrishna GrupoAntolin Grupo Antolin -Pune (Desing Centre) Grupo Antolin- Pune

IRAN (Technology License)

JAPANGrupo Antolin- Japan

SOUTH AFRICAGrupo Antolin- Port Elizabeth

THAILAND (Technology License)

TURKEYOtotrim

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