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	Underground air, made to measure

	Zitrón has been working underground since 1963. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing ventilation systems for tunnels, and its equipment can be found in subways and highways around the world. Zitrón’s ventilators (www.zitron.com) can be found in subways and highway tunnels in numerous countries. The Spanish manufacturer is one of the few companies in the world that specializes in designing and manufacturing air systems for underground spaces, with equipment known for energy efficiency and durability. In addition to its factory in Spain, Zitrón has centers in Australia, India, Holland and Chile. “We are the Rolls Royce of ventilation,” boasts Pedro Quirós, marketing manager. “Not only do we try to ensure that our ventilation systems surpass their official two-year guarantee, but that, with the appropriate maintenance, the equipment will work for more than 15 years.” The group’s activities include the design, production, assembly and installation of the ventilators and cooling systems, as well as shovels, drills and loading and transport machinery. Zitrón’s operations began in the mining village of Porcayo in northern Spain. In the 1960s, this area was home to nearly 200 coal mines. The Ortiz family, the company founders, supplied the necessary equipment and technology for better ventilation, drilling and transport in these mines. In 1990, with the restructuring of the coal sector and the end of the local mining industry, Zitrón had two options: to accept European funds to close its business, or to move into another activity other than coal. The company chose the second option and decided to specialize in tunnel ventilation, an area that it had been working on since the company was founded. Today, the company has more than 140 shareholders and annual sales of €100 million. “The name Zitrón comes from “Nietos de Ortiz” (Ortiz’s grandchildren) read backwards,” explains Quirós, and in fact the third generation of Ortizs are still at the helm of the business. Underground Ventilation Zitrón has worked on the subway systems around the world, including those in Marseille, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and a section of the New York subway. The company has supplied more than 170 emergency ventilators to the Madrid subway, and 26 to the Valencia subway in eastern Spain. Zitrón products can also be found on highways, providing ventilation in long tunnels, such as the four-kilometer Negrón Tunnel in northern Spain, the Lisbon ring road, and the Mumbai-Pune highway in India. But the company’s most ambitious project to date is the ventilation of the underground sections of the M30 highway in Madrid. The route incorporates more than 1,000 ventilators at an approximate cost of €30 million. Though the principal clients are highway and rail construction companies, the mining sector also generates demand for Zitrón’s services, albeit to a lesser degree. “These clients are increasingly rare in Spain, but there is still demand from other countries, such as Russia or South Africa,” says Quirós. Zitrón’s second largest project is in coal mines in Russia, where the ventilation system cost more than €6.0 million.

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"The company’s most ambitious project to date is the ventilation of the underground sections of the M30 highway in Madrid. The route incorporates more than 1,000 ventilators at an approximate cost of €30 million." Resources

Zitrón


	Underground air, made to measure

	Zitrón has been working underground since 1963. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing ventilation systems for tunnels, and its equipment can be found in subways and highways around the world. Zitrón’s ventilators (www.zitron.com) can be found in subways and highway tunnels in numerous countries. The Spanish manufacturer is one of the few companies in the world that specializes in designing and manufacturing air systems for underground spaces, with equipment known for energy efficiency and durability. In addition to its factory in Spain, Zitrón has centers in Australia, India, Holland and Chile. “We are the Rolls Royce of ventilation,” boasts Pedro Quirós, marketing manager. “Not only do we try to ensure that our ventilation systems surpass their official two-year guarantee, but that, with the appropriate maintenance, the equipment will work for more than 15 years.” The group’s activities include the design, production, assembly and installation of the ventilators and cooling systems, as well as shovels, drills and loading and transport machinery. Zitrón’s operations began in the mining village of Porcayo in northern Spain. In the 1960s, this area was home to nearly 200 coal mines. The Ortiz family, the company founders, supplied the necessary equipment and technology for better ventilation, drilling and transport in these mines. In 1990, with the restructuring of the coal sector and the end of the local mining industry, Zitrón had two options: to accept European funds to close its business, or to move into another activity other than coal. The company chose the second option and decided to specialize in tunnel ventilation, an area that it had been working on since the company was founded. Today, the company has more than 140 shareholders and annual sales of €100 million. “The name Zitrón comes from “Nietos de Ortiz” (Ortiz’s grandchildren) read backwards,” explains Quirós, and in fact the third generation of Ortizs are still at the helm of the business. Underground Ventilation Zitrón has worked on the subway systems around the world, including those in Marseille, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and a section of the New York subway. The company has supplied more than 170 emergency ventilators to the Madrid subway, and 26 to the Valencia subway in eastern Spain. Zitrón products can also be found on highways, providing ventilation in long tunnels, such as the four-kilometer Negrón Tunnel in northern Spain, the Lisbon ring road, and the Mumbai-Pune highway in India. But the company’s most ambitious project to date is the ventilation of the underground sections of the M30 highway in Madrid. The route incorporates more than 1,000 ventilators at an approximate cost of €30 million. Though the principal clients are highway and rail construction companies, the mining sector also generates demand for Zitrón’s services, albeit to a lesser degree. “These clients are increasingly rare in Spain, but there is still demand from other countries, such as Russia or South Africa,” says Quirós. Zitrón’s second largest project is in coal mines in Russia, where the ventilation system cost more than €6.0 million.

.Resources.


	Underground air, made to measure

	Zitrón has been working underground since 1963. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing ventilation systems for tunnels, and its equipment can be found in subways and highways around the world. Zitrón’s ventilators (www.zitron.com) can be found in subways and highway tunnels in numerous countries. The Spanish manufacturer is one of the few companies in the world that specializes in designing and manufacturing air systems for underground spaces, with equipment known for energy efficiency and durability. In addition to its factory in Spain, Zitrón has centers in Australia, India, Holland and Chile. “We are the Rolls Royce of ventilation,” boasts Pedro Quirós, marketing manager. “Not only do we try to ensure that our ventilation systems surpass their official two-year guarantee, but that, with the appropriate maintenance, the equipment will work for more than 15 years.” The group’s activities include the design, production, assembly and installation of the ventilators and cooling systems, as well as shovels, drills and loading and transport machinery. Zitrón’s operations began in the mining village of Porcayo in northern Spain. In the 1960s, this area was home to nearly 200 coal mines. The Ortiz family, the company founders, supplied the necessary equipment and technology for better ventilation, drilling and transport in these mines. In 1990, with the restructuring of the coal sector and the end of the local mining industry, Zitrón had two options: to accept European funds to close its business, or to move into another activity other than coal. The company chose the second option and decided to specialize in tunnel ventilation, an area that it had been working on since the company was founded. Today, the company has more than 140 shareholders and annual sales of €100 million. “The name Zitrón comes from “Nietos de Ortiz” (Ortiz’s grandchildren) read backwards,” explains Quirós, and in fact the third generation of Ortizs are still at the helm of the business. Underground Ventilation Zitrón has worked on the subway systems around the world, including those in Marseille, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and a section of the New York subway. The company has supplied more than 170 emergency ventilators to the Madrid subway, and 26 to the Valencia subway in eastern Spain. Zitrón products can also be found on highways, providing ventilation in long tunnels, such as the four-kilometer Negrón Tunnel in northern Spain, the Lisbon ring road, and the Mumbai-Pune highway in India. But the company’s most ambitious project to date is the ventilation of the underground sections of the M30 highway in Madrid. The route incorporates more than 1,000 ventilators at an approximate cost of €30 million. Though the principal clients are highway and rail construction companies, the mining sector also generates demand for Zitrón’s services, albeit to a lesser degree. “These clients are increasingly rare in Spain, but there is still demand from other countries, such as Russia or South Africa,” says Quirós. Zitrón’s second largest project is in coal mines in Russia, where the ventilation system cost more than €6.0 million.

Resources