People in Lighting: Ana García-Baños López
For more than a century, Schréder has been at the forefront of lighting solutions thanks to the hard work of its employees. Life@Schréder highlights the people who make this company what it is, across the 70 countries where we do business. Our diverse, international, workforce is united by an ongoing dedication to excellence in lighting.
Spain is home to some of Schréder’s most ambitious projects. From the 48km of tunnels built under the M30 in Madrid, which we lit in 2007 with over 27,000 luminaires, to architectural floodlights which make the most of the spectacular facade of the country’s Supreme Court, we have listened to customers and helped make their vision a reality.
Ana García-Baños López joined Schréder 16 years ago, just as the LED revolution was getting underway. Based at our Guadalajara site, just outside Madrid, she started as an LED Product Manager, before becoming Marketing Manager. Responsible for our business plans in the region, she uses her expertise to ensure that we support our customers at every stage of their journey.
I was born in Burgos in northern Spain…
I moved to Madrid when I went to university, because I wanted to study industrial engineering. When I finished my university studies, I decided to stay - I love the hustle and bustle of the city. I'm very happy in Madrid, even if I have a long commute from the city centre, where I live, to the factory.
When I graduated, I went to work for Osram...
I started working with LEDs just as the technology was emerging. I worked with them as a component because Osram manufactures the chips. So, that was my introduction to the world of lighting.
I heard about an opportunity to work at Schréder…
It felt like a logical next step, as it moved my focus from working with individual components to designing complete solutions at the luminaire level. The timing was perfect: I started working here just as the company was launching its LED business, so we have grown together.
The company has changed a lot in that time…
At the start, it was much more of a local approach, but I remember our first meetings in Belgium fondly. I was made to feel very welcome and I enjoyed meeting people. Over the last 15 years, the factory has undergone a transformation. Back then, in this vast factory producing HID luminaires, there was just one small table dedicated to LED products. Now, we have a lot of LED automated production lines and the latest technology. People come from all over the world to visit the factory.
My role has changed as the company has evolved…
When I started, I focused on developing LED products, but I have since moved to a more commercial role. I'm the marketing and sales support manager for the Spanish entity. I am responsible for market knowledge and support the sales team by reading the tenders and bids, analysing the competition and collating all this information for reporting to the group. On the other hand, I'm in charge of the sales support department. That involves providing quotations, processing sales, purchases from third party suppliers, quality issues and even handling communications - luckily, I have a great team to support me!
I'm really proud of my team…
They are all aligned with the company vision and they all work really hard to satisfy all our customers. They are really engaged. Initially, I was nervous about managing such a diverse team, including people with more experience than me in the field. Would I be able to provide the support they needed from a manager? Now, however, we have a really good relationship and things run smoothly. I hope they are proud to be part of this team! I'm also proud of myself, because I thought that I was in a “technical” box, but I made the transition to a commercial role!
And the company supported me in learning as well…
I was involved in the digitalisation process that the company started a few years ago. Although it wasn’t official training, I learnt a lot because, with the project, you have to understand the processes and check everything. It was challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it was worth it because it makes daily working life easier for me and my colleagues.
It's a company that is really focused on new technologies and innovation…
As a family-owned company, they value the talents and contributions of their employees highly. At the same time, it’s a large company. They have a presence in many markets and are continually thinking about innovation and the customer, without forgetting sustainability and all the environmental measures a company can take to make the world a better place.
I am always thinking about new lighting projects…
We are working on a very exciting sports project, but it's still in the technical stage so I can't reveal too much. Sorry!
I also have an old favourite…
Soto del Real is a small town, not far from Madrid. Back in 2012, we installed over 2,700 TECEO luminaires to light the main streets, along with 300 special LEDs to replace the traditional ones. The TECEO luminaires had an autonomous dimming system, which resulted in a significant reduction in energy use. But what’s really nice is that it’s stood the test of time. Today, when customers come from different countries to visit the factory, we sometimes take them to see the installation, as the luminaires are still working, and it was one of our first major LED projects.
And we can do incredible things with a CMS…
In Valencia, we delivered over 20,000 luminaires across the city’s old town and historic sites to blend in with the magnificent architecture and our Schréder EXEDRA system controls more than 100,000 luminaires, delivering significant energy savings. We helped city leaders encourage walking and cycling within the city, upgraded the lighting in the Albufera Natural Park to respect the circadian rhythms of its abundant flora and fauna, and reduced light pollution to enable people to enjoy the starry skies.
When I’m not at work…
I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends, especially those who live close by. We meet up several times a week and go to concerts. One big advantage of living in Madrid is that I have the chance to go to lots of gigs – all the big groups come here. I’ve seen my Spanish favourite group, LoL, a dozen times. I've also seen The Cure, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon – we've had some great nights out!
Connect with Ana on LinkedIn.