Historical synthesis of EFACEC Group

With more than half century activity the EFACEC started from ELECTRO-MODERNA, a small manufacturer of engines and one of the oldest companies in the sector of the electric equipment. The society was constituted on 12th August 1948, having Engº. António Ricca Gonçalves in its genesis as Director of the ELECTRO-MODERNA.

Engº. António Ricca praised the creation of a solid, financially and technically capable company of imposing in the national market and concurring in equality, with the external competition. Then ELECTRO-MODERNA associates to ACEC Ateliers de Construtions Electrique de Charleroi, to CUF - Manufacter Company Union and to a group of small shareholders. Called EFME, EFA in 1949, and, finally, EFACEC from 1962, initiates a process of technological and human equipping that culminates in the inauguration, in 23th June 1951, of the installations of the Arroteia, Leça of the Balio.

Initially dedicated to the production of electric engines, the EFACEC gives, from 1957, the first steps in the affirmation of its technological and industrial capacity when deciding to also dedicate itself to the production of transformers.

Due to the growth of orders in this sector, the company is consolidated and exceeded the economic conjuncture crises that, cyclically, had shaken the sensible Portuguese industries.

In 1959, EFACEC redefines its partnership structure and establishes, again, a period of growth. It incorporates in this period SOPREL and INEL, increasing its industrial capacity in the areas of High electric equipment, Medium voltage and introducing in its activities the production of elevators and lifters. With these operations EFACEC starts to constitute the biggest Portuguese society in the field of the electrotechnics.

Still at this time EFACEC initiates the manufacture of large power transformers type SHELL, entering in this way in the most restricted ' club ' of the world-wide manufacturers of this equipment.

Between 1966 and 1973, it grows 2.5 times the manufacture area and 6 times the orders volume. Before this growth and expansion, EFACEC shares are admitted, in 1969, in the Lisbon stockmarket. 

When, in 1973, it commemorates 25 years of existence, EFACEC is a company appraised and strongly implanted in the national market, carrying out new developments in the following years.

In this same year acquires a majority position in JORRO, an hydraulic bombs company (incorporated definitively in 1979). It proceeds to the enlargement of the measure  and power transformers production installations, and considerably increases the electrical motors installations located in Maia.

In the years of 1976 and 1977, begins the Traction Systems activity. The first order appears soon in 1977; some 500 CV electrical motors, destined to Diesel-Electric locomotives.

In this last year occurs the delivery of the first 420 kV three-phase transformer, 315 MVA, with 450 tons of weight (the largest three-phase unit constructed in Portugal.

In 1980, the almost totality of the RABOR shares are acquired, providing the constitution of an electric motors production unit at an European scale.

With the leaving in 1987 of the majority partner, ACEC, EFACEC initiate a new period in the history of the company, and the eighties will represent a basic moment in the redefinition of its most important strategical options.

The investment in production means modernization, in products conception and new technologies development had allowed to keep the leadership of EFACEC in some activities where it is involved.

At the end of eighties, occurs the implementation of an internationalization strategy. In a first phase, is created a structure of agents, delegations and branch offices, supporting itself the fast growth of exportations, consubstantiating in the electric motors and transformers sectors (70% of the exportations volume).

The first half nineties represents for EFACEC an increasing attention to the external markets. The understanding of globalization characteristics led to a constant investment in internationalization. However, in a global market, the internationalization of a company does not limit one politics of development of its exportations. 

In June of 1990, was created the first affiliated companies withheld in 100% by EFACEC GROUP. Joining had introduced one strong rationalization of functions and objectives that had characterized each one of the activities. They had also added a commercial aggressiveness and a bigger severity and management disciplines, decisive factors for companies who, such as the companies of EFACEC GROUP, have one strong expression today.

In 1997 EFACEC enters in a new phase of internationalization, of which a basic stage is the beginning of LIAOYANG EFACEC Electrical Equipment, Co. Ltd laboring, joint-venture in China for the production of Power and Distribution Transformers. Others joint-ventures with local companies located in another zones of the globe are constituted.

Still in 1997, EFACEC enters definitively in the market of the telecommunications, through the constitution of the ENT - National Company of Telecommunications, mainly withheld by EFACEC (51%).

In the end of 1999 the orienting principles of a new strategy for Group EFACEC had been approved, which aims at the reinforcement and the consolidation of the competitiveness, through the reorganization in three areas of business (EAS-Engenharia, Environment and Services; EN-Energy; TLE-Telecommunications, Logistics and Electronics). Each one of the new areas of business starts to have a organic structure and proper responsible, being guided for the global necessities of the form customers to optimize the synergies of the Group, allowing the integrated and differentiate ticket for a logic of systems and solutions, for opposition to a product logic. This strategy will have to still allow the reinforcement of the cohesion and of the internal processes and the development of a culture it seats in the satisfaction of the necessities of the customer, the continuous improvement and in the creative involvement of the collaborators of Group EFACEC.

Since it has much that the EFACEC has come to prepare itself for this constant challenge concentrating efforts in the formation of pictures as well as in the most evolved information technologies.