With nearly a decade of prior knowledge of the sector from working at another company, José Fernández Dios — recently retired — worked at Grupo Castrosua from November 1994 until October 2024. Over these 30 years, he carried out different types of roles both at the Carsa facilities and at Castrosua itself. Today, now retired, he reflects on his time at the company, highlighting its long-standing social commitment and all the milestones achieved during his three decades working with us.
1.- During 30 years you developed your professional career at Grupo Castrosua. Did you know the bodywork sector before joining our company? What had you done until then?
After finishing my studies, I began working at Unión Carrocera S.A. (UNICAR) back in October 1985, a company where I carried out my professional work for a period of nine years. During the first two years I was responsible for Homologations, and for the remaining seven years I was head of the Technical Department.
Therefore, when I joined Grupo Castrosua, I already knew the bodywork sector and also brought with me the experience accumulated over those nine years.
2.- During the first decade, between 1994 and 2004, you worked directly at the Castrosua plant in Santiago. What were your responsibilities? What memories do you have of that period?
Since Management’s idea was for me to take on Manufacturing duties and responsibilities in the medium term, and as I had no previous experience in this area, when I joined Castrosua I started by taking charge of coordinating Manufacturing on the afternoon shift, with the help and supervision of Castrosua’s Manufacturing manager, who mainly oversaw the morning shift and who helped me, guided me and set me “homework” so that the next day the production lines would have made the planned progress.
Once this settling-in phase was over, and following the retirement of the Manufacturing manager, I took on those duties and responsibilities myself.
I have many memories of that period, among which I would highlight:
- The approximately eight months in which, as soon as I arrived at Castrosua, I got to know and worked for two-month periods in the departments that interacted most with Manufacturing — Sales, Purchasing, Quality and Manufacturing itself — in order not only to get to know the people, but also to understand how they interacted with each other and the timelines we worked with to draw up the manufacturing schedules. This helped me a great deal to gain a global and clear idea of how the company operated.
- The duties and responsibilities of the Manufacturing manager demanded full dedication to the company. Two work shifts had to be covered — the morning shift being considerably larger — both increased by the people who came in to work overtime on the opposite shift, even working on Saturday mornings.
- To organize production and meet the manufacturing schedule, cohesion and mutual trust between the Manufacturing manager and his team — section heads — were essential. I will always be grateful for the support and commitment of the section heads in achieving the objectives set for us.
- In August we took holidays and, taking advantage of the inactivity in the workshop, during the first 10 days of the month we carried out maintenance work on the paint booths, overhead cranes, lifts, press brakes, shears, etc., with a team of around 12 people who volunteered for this work, exchanging by mutual agreement the holiday days that corresponded to them.
3.- Between 2005 and 2009 you joined the Carsa workforce in Vilagarcía de Arousa, specifically in the Technical Office. What exactly did you do there? Which colleagues did you have the closest relationship with at that time?
At the end of 2004, the company proposed that I move to the Carsa factory to lead the small Technical Office team that had been created a few years earlier, and I accepted and took on the challenge.
Our work consisted of preparing, on time, all the technical documentation needed for the vehicles to enter production on the scheduled date, as well as the documentation required to process their homologation on time.
To do this, we made use, as far as possible, of the relevant technical information or documentation available at Castrosua and completed or adapted it to the definition of the Specification Sheet. For this reason, in essence, we depended on Castrosua’s Technical Office, but at the same time we had autonomy to make the adaptations requested by the customer that were not available in Castrosua’s basic technical documentation.
We also had autonomy to develop models of new polyester parts which, without needing to stop the vehicle in production, were required in order to meet the customer’s requirements. We documented and made proposals for improvements in materials or processes, in agreement with Quality and Manufacturing.
The truth is that I have fond memories of all the colleagues who helped us bring the work entrusted to us to a successful conclusion. I would especially like to highlight the collaboration of Antonio Barreiro, Agustín Gómez, César Gómez, Oscar García, María Fajo, Ignacio Ansedes and Braulio Alcalde.
4.- During the last 15 years you returned to the company’s facilities in Santiago. What tasks were you responsible for during these last three five-year periods?
During the first five-year period there were quite a few changes in the company’s organization, including the centralization of the human resources of the different departments at the Santiago facilities, which meant that Castrosua was responsible for generating all the technical documentation that Carsa required.
So I joined Castrosua’s Technical Department, although now under the orders of the department manager, while I continued to travel twice a week to Carsa, either to resolve incidents arising in production or to participate in the development of the Stellae project, whose production was to be focused exclusively at Carsa.
For most of the second five-year period, I was dedicated to preparing drawings for the Sales Department for the Stellae product range, carrying out a technical analysis of competitor vehicles in the touring coach range and responding to all the technical feasibility requests we received from Sales.
Changes continued to take place in the company’s organization, and for the last six years I was head of the Technical Office, which also includes Prototypes and Homologations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues in the Technical area for their support and commitment in the development of the projects we worked on over these last few years.
5.- What would you highlight most from your 30 years of work in our business group?
Regarding Grupo Castrosua’s industrial activity, I would highlight the following milestones:
- Development and industrialization of the first low-floor urban bus bodywork in the Spanish market, on a MAN chassis.
- CIDSA’s ability to complete the assembly of the different SCANIA urban chassis models — NUB, NUA, CCB, CCA, etc. — for subsequent bodywork.
- Development and industrialization of the Master 36 touring coach bodywork on a VOLVO B12R chassis.
- Development and industrialization of the Tempus hybrid urban bus.
- Development and industrialization of the Stellae touring coach bodywork on different chassis, with lengths of 12, 13 and 15 metres and heights of 3.45 and 3.6 metres.
- Analysis of structural rollover behaviour through simulation, based on the complete 3D design of the bodywork.
- Strengthening of the Technical Department through the reinforcement of human resources, improvement of technical capacity and continuous staff training, provision and updating of design tools to continue advancing in its digitalization.
- Development and industrialization of the NELEC bodywork for urban buses and low-floor electric-drive chassis.
- Development of the NENO urban micromobility vehicle project.
- Development and industrialization of the 75 CS bodywork for suburban buses and low-entry electric-drive chassis.
- Innovation: search for and application of recycled and lighter materials to reduce consumption.
- Increasing ease of access from brands to much more complete chassis information — bodywork standards, 3D files of the chassis structure, electrical diagrams of the chassis and its connection to the bodywork, etc.
6.- Which of the company’s corporate values would you highlight?
I would highlight the company’s social commitment, people’s proactivity, the commitment to meeting delivery deadlines, the pursuit of customer satisfaction, the promotion of people within the company, teamwork, innovation and continuous improvement, professionalism…
7.- And what was your relationship with colleagues and managers like throughout all that time?
In 30 years of relationship with the company, you experience all kinds of situations: calmer ones during periods of market and workload stability, and more tense and delicate ones when market demand falls significantly and forces workforce adjustments in all areas of the company, which is when tensions can arise in relationships with colleagues.
In any of the above situations, I believe I maintained a relationship of loyalty, cordiality and respect both towards managers and towards colleagues.
8.- What would you say to a young person starting work at Grupo Castrosua?
Essentially, I would tell them that Castrosua is an important and serious company, with a long tradition in the bodywork sector, which constantly strives to remain in the market by improving and evolving its products; that it values people’s ability to defend their job; that if you want to continue developing, you will have opportunities for promotion within the company; and that you will also have to give your very best. In short, that you are lucky to work for a great company.
9.- How has your day-to-day life changed? What plans do you have for your retirement?
Well now, in one fell swoop, all the worries related to professional performance — which usually take up quite a lot of your time — have been “erased”. Although in life you always have concerns to deal with, removing the former allows you to devote more time to analysing the latter and facing them more calmly. The daily routines imposed by working life also disappear, and now you have much more freedom to organize your tasks, without skimping on the time needed to carry them out.
In my opinion, the important thing is to find a way to stay busy, both physically and mentally, and I am not finding it difficult, as it is like giving continuity to what I had been doing at weekends, and so far I am managing to do so.
My plans for retirement include enjoying my family and friends much more; maintaining physical activities such as cycling, swimming, canoeing or hiking; travelling; becoming more involved in household chores; and enjoying reading and free time.
At Grupo Castrosua, we would like to thank our colleague José Fernández for his dedication to the company over so many years. José Fernández held different responsibilities over 30 years and always rose to the occasion. Thank you very much for granting us this interview and… happy retirement!
