GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
AND SPECIALIZED CONSTRUCTION WITH SOLID GLOBAL SUPPORT
With a wide presence across Central America, Rodio Swissboring is an outstanding partner for the civil engineering and energy sectors, taking care of specialized tasks in underground construction, maritime engineering and tunneling
Produced by Jassen Pintado
Written by Mateo Rafael Tablado
Interviewee
Federico Rosenberg, CEO
Rodio Swissboring 60 años LATAM
Rodio Swissboring started more than 60 years ago, when the company opened in El Salvador as the Swissboring Overseas Crp. Ltd. The company’s history goes back to 1930s Switzerland. After the first projects were completed in El Salvador, the company’s headquarters moved to Guatemala in 1970, and new offices opened in the rest of the Central American countries through the years.
Once in the 21st century, the company’s partnership went through changes, ending up in Soletanche Bachy owning 100% of Rodio Swissboring from 2015 on, with the latter bringing leadership in geotechnical engineering, mining, maritime engineering and specialized civil engineering to the French group’s leadership.
“Since our beginnings, we have taken part in different stages during the construction of the main infrastructure
projects in the region”, said Federico Rosenberg, Regional Director for Rodio Swissboring in Central America, which has also taken part in important projects in other regions, precisely in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Mexico.
Rosenberg, a geologist and civil engineer graduated from Texas A&M. “I’ve been part of the group for 30 years. Had my start in Spain holding different positions, from project engineer, engineer in charge of machinery, production manager, CEO at Guatemala and finally as the regional director for the last ten years,” Rosenberg commented.
ENGAGEMENT IN IMPORTANT PROJECTS IN THE REGION
Rodio Swissboring’s involvement along the Central American market through the years has taken place in projects for both the private and public sectors. This market shares plenty of features, but it also presents different conditions, and its constant evolution demands adaptability and versatility.
- Federico Rosenberg, CEO for Rodio Swissboring in Central America
“We have taken part in the main infrastructure projects in the region”
“One of the key aspects to maintain ourselves at the forefront of the market is focusing on our clients’ needs, bringing as many innovative solutions as possible,” the executive declared.
Rodio Swissboring engages in highscale projects such as the Panama Canal, taking part in the canal’s recent expansion and its new third set of locks, as well as laying the
We are a group of investors and experts in the infrastructure sector with the objective of developing and building with strong bonds so that constructions are of great value and forever.
We set our bases to to respond effectively to the great challenges, because we understood that it is possible to believe in an infrastructure at international levels with the current requirements.
Infrastructures so well made, that they last forever.
Visit us at: vitsa.co
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees: 50+
Year Established: 2004
Industry: Construction
Main Services:
Bridge builder specializing in launching mixed configuration superstructures.
Recent Projects:
Superestructura PUENTE 15- VAS.
The project consists of planning the engineering and Construction of the bridge. Scope, assembly, transport of the parts, launching of the superstructure and assurance of the maquila. The typology of “BRIDGE 15”, object of this contract, is of three (3) spans of fifty-one (51), fifty (50) and sixty (60) meters, the ground plan is curved throughout its length following a circular alignment with a radius of one hundred forty-eight (148) meters with a constant longitudinal slope of three point fifteen percent (3.15%) ascending from the abutment identified with number one (1) to abutment number two (2). The cross section has a superelevation of seven point six percent (7.6%) and is designed to be launched from a platform to its final position. Total weight 1490 tons.
CEO: Alfredo Fernandez Valenzuela
Webpage: www.vitsa.co
foundations for the third bridge across the artificial waterway; also in Panama, the company worked in Line 1 of the Panama Metro rapid transit system. In San José, Rodio Swissboring was in charge of the excavation and protection of the basements at the building of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. Also in the Costa
Rican capital, the company laid down the foundations and built the slope protection at the new US Embassy in Tegucigalpa (Honduras); both of these last processes were also performed at the new US Embassy in Guatemala, as the next headquarters for the US in these two countries are currently under construction.
AVANT-GARDE PROCEDURES
Rodio Swissboring has brought to the territory a wide array of procedures and techniques supported by late-generation technology, such as introducing ground improvement to Central America. Ground improvement is becoming a standard procedure in complex grounds, using a proper
technique according to the land’s conditions. Rodio Swissboring relies on support from sister company MENARD when a plot of land must undergo such a specialized process. MENARD, also a Soletanche Bachy company, is a global leader in ground improvement and is constantly investing in avant-garde machinery
Active anchor blocks and struts in the Quo and Granat building project in Guatemala City
and equipment to perform these tasks.
Other specialized procedures also carried by Rodio Swissboring in Central America is tunnel and microtunnel boring and construction, with support from BESSAC, another sister company specialized in these kind of projects, useful for the mining, energy and transportation sectors as well as for public waterworks, to name a few.
PARTNERS AND PURVEYORS: BEYOND MERE COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS
Machinery, tools and equipment stand out from Rodio Swissboring’s supply chain. The company takes part in projects which demand specialized procedures in construction, mining and the energy sectors, among others; thus requiring unique machinery and equipment with certain features and capabilities, taking Rodio Swissboring into joining manufacturers in their R&D department, engaging with design and upgrades to equipment for required, specific functions.
“We deal with the subsoil and all of what’s below the surface, where conditions are always changing; there will always be some improvement to adapt ourselves to it and
Anchor blocks and soil nailing at the Vía Alterna Sur highway in Guatemala
Anchor pile foundation at Jiboa bridge, El Salvador
Piles and sheetpiling at Miraflores locks in the Panama Canal
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees: 450+
Year Established: 1954
Industry:
Mixto Listo belongs to the Construction Industry, specifically to the production and distribution of ready-mix concrete.
Main Services:
Guatemalan company with more than 65 years of experience in the production and distribution of ready-mix concrete, along with the services associated with its placement. We have been present in the construction of the most important infrastructure, building and housing projects in the country, as well as in the construction of thousands of private projects. We have more than 10 production plants strategically distributed throughout the country to serve all kinds of construction projects.
Recent Proyects:
We take part in the construction of the most relevant projects in the country, such as: Fuentes del Valle Norte, Altos de San Nicolás, Portal San Isidro residential projects; infrastructure projects such as the Quetzal Container Terminal and the new Embassy of the United States of America, among others.
Unit Manager: Astrid Pellecer
Webpage: www.mixtolisto.com
optimize our performance,” Rosenberg summed it up.
PART OF A GLOBAL NETWORK OF MUTUAL SUPPORT
The heralded support Rodio Swissboring receives from other Soletanche Bachy companies such as BESSAC and MENARD, among others, displays the advantages of being part of a solid group with global presence. There is technical and logistic support and plentiful resources, besides relying on a wide network of experts sharing experience, processes and new techniques. On its behalf, the Central American operation of Rodio Swissboring is highly specialized in mining and geothermal exploration and also offers support to other companies in the Soletanche Bachy Group.
“We have a fine-tuned network. Most companies have a specialty in a specific area and support each other,” the regional director commented.
Another advantage shared by every company in the group is that personnel receives specialized training, which is considered a crucial factor for the success of Rodio Swissboring.
“We regularly send our staff either to train based in specific programs in technical or operational areas or in other group companies, thus creating important opportunities for development,” Rosenberg explained.
LINKS TO THE COMMUNITY: EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENT
Rodio Swissboring’s CSR efforts are focused on programs related to education, a crucial factor for every country’s development.
The company is also developing an action plan with the main purpose of reducing its carbon footprint by 30% before 2030.
“Our global group policy is this important commitment to the environment, which increasingly impacts our operation,” the executive pointed out.
UP NEXT: A WAGER INTO PROJECT CONTINUITY
2021 is foreseen as a very interesting year for Rodio Swissboring, facing different projects both for the private and public sectors which had to be stopped or started during 2020 and which certainly will go on
dywidaggroup.com | ventas.colombia@sistemasdywidag.com
- Federico Rosenberg, CEO for Rodio Swissboring in Central America
PH-6 Puente Honda – Colombia
Rio del Este Shopping Center Rionegro – Colombia
Supplier Profile
Number of Employees: 1500+
Year Established: 1865
Industry:
We offer solutions for Infrastructure, Commercial and Residential Construction, monitoring services, maintenance and repair
Main Services: eotechnics. Rock and soil anchoring systems for the stabilization of the soil and its infrastructure Life span management. Maintenance work, monitoring schemes and robotic inspections for each phase of the project.
Recent Projects: Hidroeléctrica Chivor - Colombia. Supply of 84 active ground anchors with DYWIDAG 47 bars with double corrosion protection for the stabilization of partially submerged slopes (1,775 m in total).
CEO:
Matti Kuivalainen,
Chief Executive Officer
Webpage: www.dywidaggroup.com/
during 2021, which means the company will certainly be engaged in infrastructure mega projects for transportation, energy, mining, maritime engineering and tunneling -to name a few-, both on its own and also with support from other Soletanche Bachy companies.
“We foresee 2021 as a very interesting year with a lot of challenges. Our main goal is to become more consolidated in the region and keep taking part in important projects as general contractors,” Federico Rosenberg finalized.