Within the framework of IQS Tech Factory lectures, last May we got a visit from Buildair’s founder Javier Marcipar . This talk provided us the opportunity to discover the experiences that were hidden behind a successful case like Buildair.
Javier Marcipar started the talk stepping back in time and remembering that it all began in 2001. After spending a lot of time researching and working on inflatable structures, he and his team realized they had created a differential technology, a technology that to date no one had brought to market. After receiving the encouragement of all those who had known her, Javier Marcipar and his partners decided to create Buildair, a company dedicated to manufacture inflatable structures that until today, unites engineering and architecture.
“Behind every structure there is a very complicated design process. Our innovation is in the calculation, design and prediction of the shape that are going to have our structures once inflated, considering all weather conditions.”
The history of the company started with the construction of a zeppelin to transport goods, but as the months went by his idea took a new turn. They realized they could become the number one company in the Spanish market building inflatable and itinerant structures for marketing events, and they did it. “We found that our buildings were lightweight and efficient for temporary purposes, and also offered the possibility to create open spaces within them” Marcipar said.
With this business model they grew rapidly in the Spanish market and expanded its activity to Asia, where they created a branch office in Singapore to access in the Asian market. It was there, where in 2011 a new opportunity arose, work for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Singapore. “It was a great experience, we learned a lot but we also lost quite some money. Then we realized the more we produced, the more we lost money.” It was at this moment when they looked back and appreciated the importance of the work they did for the airline LAN CHILE Airlines.
“In 2008 something strange happened, LAN CHILE contacted us through our website and asked us to build them a hangar to place it on top of a mobile platform to transport it easily through the airport. We accepted and we realized that we had an excellent opportunity in the aeronautical sector for both scheduled maintenance and aircraft protection in different places.”
After the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Singapore, something was about to change the course of Buildair, a phone call from Airbus. “His logistics company called us and ordered a large hangar, a size in which we had not worked previously.” Marcipar and its partners accepted the proposal and initiated a process of engineering research, adapting the assembly to the needs of the costumer. “It was a revolution, we had six months to do that, we innovated in a new system, we presented it to Airbus and it worked great.” The founder of Buildair stressed that the aerospace company laid the foundations for the future of the company and also the future of its founder. “I realized that the contract was too difficult to manage, that had nothing to do with engineering. For this reason I stopped being CEO of Buildair and hired a professional one to do the job.”
After signing the first contract with Airbus, the team reconsidered Buildair’s situation and decided to leave everything they had done so far, to focus entirely on the construction of hangars. “We detected that there was a greater and growing need. Since 2011 we have sold many hangars, seven to Airbus, four to of Saudi Arabia Air Forces and two to Lufthansa. ”
Find this new niche market also helped them to explore other that have proved to be important for Buildair. “We have discovered that the industrial sector is also interesting for us, especially in the works that are done outside the urban urban areas. With our structures we can protect people and machines that in the outside. ”
Currently Buildair also works in the field of humanitarian emergencies, creating large shelters with a quick deployment that generate power, and ultralight bridges that are capable of holding five times their weight. Later this year they will begin testing to convert the latest into a real product.
Since its beginning, Buildair is headquartered in Spain and sells through local suppliers. Currently it has contracts in Chile, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel and North America, and continues working on innovation and creating new products.
Click here to read the Spanish version: El caso de Buildair, cuando ingeniería y arquitectura van de la mano
