IKUSI: usual company

1989/04/01 Irazabalbeitia, Inaki - kimikaria eta zientzia-dibulgatzaileaElhuyar Fundazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Enpresa

One day in late January, the well-known physicist Pedro Miguel Etxenike told me the need to give a lecture to the IKUSI workers. He told me that the talk was part of the company's training plan. From the beginning I found the subject surprising and I was very surprised when I learned that the subject raised to Etxenike, so to speak, was entitled “the current milestone of physical research”. So I decided that I had to know something more about the company IKUSI and its formative work, because it is not very common for Basque companies to have such plans.

To satisfy my curiosity I went to Anjel Iglesias, president of the board of directors of IKUSI. The following lines are the result of the conversation I had with this talking and friendly man.

Throughout the interview, Anjel Iglesias stressed on numerous occasions the importance he gives to the education of workers: From the very moment I had the first employee I took care that the workers were more trained. The payment of 75% of the studies that IKUSI workers want to receive, Anjel Iglesias told us, and these payments are not limited to topics directly related to the work of the company: the Basque language also has room. That is, in 1988 9,800,000 pesetas. Permanent training plan for the staff employed.

Anjel Iglesias is very concerned about communication between people and insisted that communication channels must be facilitated. The talks and conferences given by Etxenike aim to achieve this communication. All this in order to exchange ideas in the future that serve the development of the company. Through these talks, which are given in working hours, it is intended to show the people involved in the work of the company what is happening abroad and not only what happens in the field of technology and technology.

Anjel Iglesias himself offered the first talks and the aim was to report on the same IKUSI. Where does the company want to go? What is the company doing? What is the dynamics of the company? Anjel Iglesias tried to answer similar questions.

The intention and goal of Anjel Iglesias is to repeat from time to time conferences like that of Etxenike.

What is “SEEING”?

Currently IKUSI is a company located in the San Sebastian district of Martutene and has two large pavilions of 9,000 m2 ^occupied by its 225 workers.

The story, however, began about 35 years ago in a small camera where the radios were repaired. Like the North Americans call Self Made Man, Anjel Iglesias' company increased and thanks to the skill, broad vision and courage of its boss, it has become one of the most important electronics companies in the Basque Country.

Angel insists that you have to be attentive to see where the path of technology is going and, once detected, you have to work hard on it. Anjel Iglesias is a philosophy that is collected in the words “You have to learn what those outside do, analyze it and work it later”. At IKUSI they attach special importance to the couple “Research + Development” and the products marketed by them are mostly developed by them. Of the 225 employees that the company has, 50 are technicians (28 superiors and 22 media). This proportion is not bad. In addition, during 1988 104,000,000 pesetas. were used directly in R&D.

Witness to the quality of the products manufactured at IKUSI, are its markets. It currently sells its products in France, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Ireland, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and other locations in the Persian Gulf. In addition, those from IKUSI have to open a branch in Portugal and are studying doing the same in other European countries. Are we in the creation of a multinational of Basque origin?

If we compare it with ordinary companies in the Basque Country, it cannot be denied that IKUSI is a conventional company. Who knows if it is the best model? However, if the management of IKUSI had a broader view of the operation of the company, the situation of the Basque economy would probably be different

1. Department of high level frequencies
   Television for professionals: satellite television, fiber optic and teledistribución.
   Consumer television: antennas, electronics and distribution.
2. Department of Electronic Systems
   Telemando: radioicontrols applied to crane bridges.
   Telemedida: Remote control systems for water, electricity, etc.
   Security
   monitoring: Protection systems, access control, fire control, etc.
   Information systems: liquid crystal electronic panels, hearing aid systems, etc.