Interview with Mariano Ximénez, CEO, Ximenez Group

06 Apr Interview with Mariano Ximénez, CEO, Ximenez Group

What makes Andalusia a strategic business hub, and how has it evolved to attract international investment?

Economically, Andalusia benefits from a privileged geographic location at the center of everything. It serves as a bridge between Europe, Africa and Latin America, offering excellent infrastructure and improving connectivity to both America and Asia. For instance, Málaga International Airport now has direct flights to China and the US, which makes it an ideal location for global business.

Beyond its strategic position, Andalusia has become a strong hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, fostering business growth and foreign investment. The region has implemented economic policies that support new company development and its robust business ecosystem, high-quality infrastructure and institutional support create an environment where companies can thrive.

With 80 years of business experience, we at Ximenez Group have witnessed the region’s significant development over the past five years. From our headquarters in Puente Genil, Córdoba, we can proudly say that we remain here because, beyond being our birthplace, Andalusia provides a highly favorable business environment.

Moreover, Andalusia has successfully balanced preserving its traditions with a modern and ever-evolving landscape, which has helped us maintain our global leadership in decorative lighting. Over the past year, we have also felt the government’s strong support, particularly through the Association of Entrepreneurs in Southern Spain, CESUR.

I believe Andalusia has enormous growth potential at both the regional and European levels. It could also evolve into a strategic hub for companies from other regions, including the United States, looking to establish operations and leverage its privileged location. Furthermore, the most important factor is that people in Andalusia enjoy their work, thanks to the region’s outstanding quality of life.

What distinguishes Ximenez Group in the decorative lighting industry and sets it apart from competitors?

We always strive to offer a complete, end-to-end service to our clients. We differentiate ourselves by being one of the few companies capable of designing, manufacturing, transporting, installing and monitoring a project – then deinstalling and storing it once the job is done. Many companies focus on production and distribution, but we go further, offering installation under rental and sales agreements, covering the entire business spectrum.

Our 360-degree model has always been fundamental to our identity, as is our personalized approach. We also stand out by having our own factory in Andalusia, which allows us to produce highly customized projects quickly.

With this ideology, we also work to provide a full range of services that our clients may need. We form partnerships and alliances with other companies, allowing us to manage all aspects of lighting projects. This is evident in our collaborations for drone shows and key partnerships that help us finalize and deliver our projects.

Which new initiatives or business lines will drive Ximenez Group’s growth in the near future?

In recent years, Ximenez Group has continued to demonstrate its capacity for innovation through projects that incorporate new technologies and explore new possibilities in the lighting segment. In 2025, we aim to consolidate two key initiatives.

One is our entertainment line, which focuses on organizing light festivals and immersive experiences for both private and public events. We can promote these experiences independently or design custom festivals for cities looking to expand their entertainment offerings during key periods, such as Christmas or other major holidays.

Last year we also launched a new line of drone shows, another area we plan to strengthen in the coming year as we continue to grow and push the boundaries of innovation in the entertainment sector.

How has Ximenez Group embraced innovation, and which recent technologies have had the biggest impact? 

In this field, our most significant development is our flagship product, Ecogreenlux, which is set to revolutionize the world of decorative lighting. Today’s technology allows us to make great strides in these systems, and Ecogreenlux stands out with its innovative design, both aesthetically and environmentally. It is the only patented product of its kind, featuring a light concentration system that reduces light pollution by up to 93%, practically eliminating it.

Ecogreenlux consumes up to 60% less energy per square meter compared to traditional lighting. It is made from recycled materials, and we are working on developing biodegradable materials for its production. The manufacturing process eliminates welding and plastic parts, allowing for fully autonomous assembly.

From an aesthetic standpoint, it provides 24-hour decoration, consuming energy only for three to five hours when illuminated at night. Its design ensures that the display seen at night is the same as during the day.

Furthermore, its concentrated lighting system minimizes light pollution, making it ideal for use in sensitive environments like zoos and urban parks without disturbing wildlife. We believe Ecogreenlux is the future of lighting.

In digitalization and technological development, we launched Smart Analytics a few years ago – a tool that measures the return on investment of our projects. Decorative lighting is often misunderstood, with both positive and negative impacts. A well-executed project benefits the entire local population, while poor execution can harm society and commerce.

Smart Analytics helps clients track their investments and measure returns through data analysis. We monitor key metrics before and after events, gathering insights on attendance, lodging, dining and shopping trends. This information helps businesses better understand consumer behavior and optimize their strategies..

How is Ximenez Group promoting sustainability across its operations? 

At Ximenez Group, sustainability is not just a principle but a fundamental guideline in all our operations and product development. In addition to launching Ecogreenlux, the most eco-friendly decorative lighting on the market, we have taken several steps to integrate sustainability into all aspects of our daily work. One example is the installation of solar panels at our headquarters, which currently generate 71% of the energy we consume, significantly reducing our carbon footprint. We are also installing solar panels to all our new buildings to make them self-sufficient.

At the logistics level, we have optimized vehicle movements, improving assembly, loading and unloading routes to minimize emissions. We are exploring real-time monitoring technology to enhance shipment tracking. Moreover, most vehicles acquired in the last five years run on natural gas. For heavy-duty vehicles that lack a sustainable alternative, we have partnered with companies like Repsol to ensure our fleet uses the most environmentally friendly fuel available.

We continuously evolve to meet our environmental goals. For example, we are developing new industrial platforms, including a 22,000-square-meter facility a few kilometers from our headquaters. We are also set to begin construction on another facility spanning 60,000 square meters, which will significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

The Ximenez Foundation plays a key role in our sustainability commitment. Each year, we organize seminars to assess and improve the environmental impact of our industrial and business activities. We collaborate with global specialists and universities to develop innovative solutions in this area. Today, all companies must adopt a sustainable vision for the future – and we are committed to leading by example.

What is your international expansion strategy, and which markets are your top priorities?

We have experienced significant growth over the past three years, nearly tripling our revenue and business volume. Our goal now is to strengthen our position in Spain, where we already hold a considerable market share and focus on international expansion.

Since 2014, global markets have been our priority. The United States is particularly important, and while we have already completed multiple projects there, we now aim to establish a local partnership. By combining our expertise in production and project development with a partner’s market knowledge, we can execute larger-scale projects. While we have completed smaller projects in the US, our objective is to establish a long-term presence through strategic partnerships and commercial alliances. We are open to different locations but would prefer a central base for logistical and operational efficiency.

Our expansion efforts are also advancing in Europe and Latin America. We began operations in France this year and entered the United Kingdom and Portugal the year before. We aim to establish a continuous presence in these regions, not only through local partnerships but also with physical offices to strengthen our position.

Instead of focusing solely on one-off projects, we are shifting toward long-term collaborations with local partners specializing in lighting. This approach will help us achieve steady growth and maintain a consistent presence in key international markets.

Looking ahead to 2025, what are the company’s top strategic priorities?

Our main priority is to strengthen our position in Spain while continuing international growth, aiming for a 50/50 balance between domestic and global revenue by 2030. Currently, we’re at around 80/20.

Over the past three years, we have overcome numerous challenges, with digitalization being one of the most significant. Since I became CEO, digital transformation has been a top priority, fundamentally changing how we operate. This shift has had a major impact on both our employees and customers, and we achieved it within a relatively short timeframe.

We are also expanding nearly three times faster than before. One of my biggest challenges was overhauling company policies. We have created new departments, restructured existing ones and brought in new talent – 80% of our team are recent hires.

Beyond structural changes, we have seen a radical shift in company culture, sales strategies and operational processes, including the introduction of a completely new digital system. This transformation is being driven by a team that is excited to build something almost from the ground up. For me, creating something from scratch is far more exciting than modifying an existing structure. While we have successfully navigated many challenges, new ones will undoubtedly arise as we continue to grow.

What is your long-term vision for Ximenez Group? 

My long-term goal is to further internationalize the company. We have already expanded to five continents and completed projects in more than 50 countries. However, my vision is to establish Ximenez as a true global leader in decorative lighting, with a permanent presence in key markets such as the US, Australia and Singapore.

Although we are already well-known within the industry, our objective is to replicate the strong market position we have in Spain on a global scale. Rather than focusing solely on one-off projects, we want to build a lasting presence in these regions, making Ximenez a recognized name worldwide.