30. October 2024: José Giner stands in the production hall of his company, Gimetal, facing the wreckage of everything he has built. Water floods into his production area, rising to a height of one and a half meters. Mud and washed-up debris clog up the machines. Over the past eight hours, the Spanish region of Valencia has seen huge amounts of rain, with up to 422 liters per square meter falling. Bringing with it: flash floods and mudslides. Spain experiences one of the worst floods in its history – a state of emergency prevails. José Giner in Paiporta is also affected. The municipality south of the regional capital Valencia is hit particularly hard.
Traces of destruction
Giner remembers: "The roads were full of mud. At first we had no space to move the masses of earth and rubble outside." Everyone is impacted on multiple levels: during the day, his employees try to clean the Gimetal buildings, and in the evening they continue working on their flooded homes. Giner says: "There was no water, so they couldn't even wash properly. Supermarkets and restaurants remained closed, aid organizations brought cooked food and groceries."
José Giner remembers: "That's how high the water and mud were in the production facility after the flood.
Mud, water and debris had completely destroyed the facilities.
But the Gimetal team worked together and cleaned the production halls for days on end.
While Gimetal's offices on the first floor remain undamaged, the production area is severely affected: "Our material stocks and all machines with electrical components were completely destroyed." Experts estimate the damage at 1.2 million euros. Particularly bitter for Giner: he had only just invested in a TruLaser 1030 fiber 2D laser cutting machine from TRUMPF with the LiftMaster Compact automation solution as a loading and unloading unit and the ergonomic PartMaster sorting aid in 2022 and 2023. Now they stand before him, completely destroyed.
"Back to normal" in record time
30. April 2025: José Giner walks through his production facility and watches as the new TruLaser 5030 2D laser cutting system cuts part after part. There's bustling activity everywhere. "Today, not only have we returned to pre-disaster production levels, but we are overwhelmed by the number of orders. We are currently hiring staff in various areas to eliminate bottlenecks," says the managing director. However, the path to fully functional production is a rocky one: "We had to start from scratch," says Giner. "We were unable to produce anything for the first month after the flood. With the help of employees, families, friends and volunteers, we got production up and running again step by step."
Strong bank, swift support
Andrea Straube from TRUMPF Bank is a ray of hope during this time. José Giner knows her from a previous visit to Gimetal. He contacts her in the emergency situation - and she quickly provides support. Giner has the choice of leasing new TRUMPF machines or financing them with a loan. "I was particularly impressed that TRUMPF Bank, as a German company, was aware of what was happening here in Valencia and that they offered us all the financing options at the best conditions." According to Giner, the support was incredible right from the start. "And the most important thing: TRUMPF promised to deliver the machines within two months - despite the Christmas holidays."
With the TruBend 5230 bending machine and a TruLaser 5030 2D laser cutting system, the Gimetal managing director is opting for larger and more powerful machines. "We were very satisfied with the TruLaser 1030, but the TruLaser 5030 now enables us to cut thicker sheets even faster." Gimetal can now bend larger parts on the bending machine than before. "I am impressed by the quality of the machines. They can also be easily scaled using automation components and we will be able to implement the Oseon production software in the future." There is good news for the LiftMaster Compact and the PartMaster: TRUMPF technicians can repair them, which saved Giner additional costs.
Today, the employees at Gimetal have their hands full again, as production is back in full swing.
Gimetal can bend larger parts than before on the new TruBend 5230 bending machine.
Thanks to TRUMPF, production at Gimetal was back up and running at full speed in record time.
At the same time, the company is undergoing an extensive transformation and is implementing a quality management and lean management system.
Grown together
Six months after the flood, José Giner is optimistic about the future. His production is running at full speed and the company is in the midst of a major transformation: Gimetal is implementing a quality management system and preparing for certification for welded components. At the same time, the introduction of a lean management system is being launched: "It is important to me that all our processes are carried out according to a defined procedure and in compliance with safety standards. It is also important that our employees feel comfortable at work and treat each other and our customers with respect," says Giner.
José Giner and his team have therefore emerged from the flood stronger than ever: "Having to survive such extreme conditions has strengthened the relationships between employees, families, customers and suppliers," he says. "At the same time, it accelerated the introduction of a lean culture and made us realize how grateful we are for our colleagues." Giner is also grateful for the strong partner at his side: "TRUMPF Bank acted as a life jacket for us in during the flood disaster."
José Giner founded Gimetal in 2001 in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain. Today, the company employs 18 people and has two main pillars: on the one hand, Gimetal supplies local mechanical engineering and engineering companies as well as manufacturers of water parks with steel and stainless steel components on a contract manufacturing basis. On the other hand, Gimetal has also made a name for itself as an expert in art installations and sculptures made of stainless and Corten steel. For a project by the Egyptian artist Ghada Amer, for example, Giner's team produced letters of different sizes from three-millimeter-thick Corten steel. Amer arranged these in the Jardines del Turia in Valencia to form the slogan "This will save us". She planted various regional vegetables in the letters.
More about the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=dvMJVuUu5gQ
