“One of the keys to the success of the foreign sector is to be accompanied by companies that know internationalization and that help them improve”

Interview with Javier Alberola, managing partner of Aphineon

In this interview space of Empresa Exterior, we interview Javier Alberola, managing partner of Aphineon, an outsourcing company that provides coverage to companies with international activity in the accounting, tax, labor, administrative, or legal fields.

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What we have seen in the 2008st century has been a success for the Spanish foreign sector, which has not stopped growing in exports and investments (with the stoppages caused by the financial crisis of 19 and the covid-2020 crisis in XNUMX), which have been the keys and protagonists that have led us to these good data?       

 

Javier Alberola: "Precisely One of those two potholes greatly promoted the internationalization of the Spanish company as a whole. In the first crisis of 2007, when both public investment and the local market stopped, there were a series of brave companies that decided to go to other markets more out of obligation than devotion. The local market was in the doldrums. What happened is that they were successful in this trip abroad, and the rest of the companies that at that time had not yet considered it or were not doing it, said, 'well, it's not that complicated, we have to go out and try it.' I think that That was the trigger for the Spanish company to have had such an outrageous expansion abroad. in recent years. 

 

This, together with the entry into the euro in 2002; The 103 double taxation agreements that we have signed in Spain with 103 countries that facilitate the tax issue, the good name of the Spanish company abroad... all this made that best practice became an example for companies to go abroad.

 

And I think that also, and it is not a minor issue, the be accompanied by companies that know internationalization and that can help clients improve. In the end we have daily cases that happen to us with various clients who provide great experience in overcoming obstacles.”

 

How has the outsourcing company sector evolved in this time? Have new services appeared?

 

JA: “I think the services in demand have changed radically. He outsourcing It began in the 80s, especially due to the technological part, and it is true that since 2000 we have had sustained growth, of approximately 15%, in the sector.. 

 

We distinguish three types: el outsourcing basic, strategic and value-added. Aphineon goes in the last of the three, that of added value. He outsourcing basic, which is no less important, is when companies subcontract all the cleaning, security, services that are not related to the core business. Then you have the strategic, which is, for example, product design, logistics, which is absolutely related to the core business. And finally you have that of added value, which is ours, which is fiscal, accounting, labor, which without being totally related to the core business of the company, It greatly influences the good work of the company and the optimization of its resources.. 

 

I believe that the market has evolved towards the latter, making the latter the most valued and the one that provides the greatest added value.”

 

And over these years can it be said that the profile of companies that turn to companies like yours has also changed?

 

JA: “It has changed but above all it has become widespread. In the past, only large companies did outsourcing and now they are all. It is very difficult to find companies that do not do something outsourcing. The outsourcing It basically gives you three benefits: allows you to save time in tasks that are not core business; second, the service you are hiring should be highly specialized, and third, it should be made to order a cost equal to or less than what it would cost you to do it as a company. 

 

To give a few examples: there are very few companies that do payroll today. in company. Does all human resources management add value in outsourcing? A lot. The payroll? The payroll is a commodity what you need to know about; and knowing a lot and being up to date is complicated for a company, but for a company outsourcing No, because that's what he does every day.

 

Another example, the issue of international taxation. When a client is in eight or nine countries... Accounting is the same here as in China but taxation is not. In the accounting part you have many similarities, it is true that the accounts change, country to country, etc. but not taxation. You may be an accounting expert in your company and can perfectly understand the accounting of many countries, but you cannot have 10 tax experts from 10 countries in your company, that is unfeasible. That's why what we add value there are local teams; We believe in local teams, we do not believe that having 15 tax experts in Spain is going to be useful because they will be outdated in six months. There are markets, for example, Latin America, whose regulations change very frequently, and it is very difficult to stay up to date if you are not local. 

 

We have a series of collaborators spread around the world with whom we have been working for many years, whom we trust, and we make them available to our clients so that the outsourcing be a success.” 

 

Aphineon is a company founded in 2018; In this short career, what is the highlight of your evolution and what expectations do you have in the medium term?

 

JA: “We started in 2018 but it is true that we had already been working in this sector for many years. Right now we are actively working in 28 countries and we have possibilities and acquaintances up to 40. The clients with whom we gain trust, when they want to go to another country, the first thing they ask us is 'do you have acquaintances in this country or not? If you have them right, and if not, find them for me and give me the quality standard that you give me the same as in the rest of the countries.' 

 

We have helped companies go abroad. This always happens more or less the same: a CEO tells his CCO 'we have decided in the board of directors that we are going abroad, to the Dominican Republic, to Panama or to Israel' and then the man does not know, because he does not have Why know about the whole world, or what company to establish in Israel, or in Panama, or what the tax rate is like, or what employees you can have, you don't know many things. What we do there is a first effort to try to help all these companies to update them on all the information they need to understand a country, of course for free at first. Do you want to go to Paraguay? I'm going to tell you about my experience in Paraguay because I already have a client there and I'm going to give you a man so that you can ask him all the questions, and from there, let's start working. 

 

We have tried to become a reference for companies that have to internationalize and then provide peace of mind and confidence in these services that do not make up the core business of the company but they are very important.” 

 

Are there any future trends that are already being seen in the outsourcing company sector?

 

JA: “Look, according to the latest study published by the Business Institute, 80% of SMEs are going to increase their investment abroad and 50% expect their income to be higher abroad than in Spain. That makes you see that the sector of outsourcing will continue to grow and these companies will continue to need help. As? I think we we have accelerated the technological process which is necessary in all companies, the contribution of technology, control and being a fundamental ally of companies, I think will be basic in the future. In the end the use of technology is going to be imperative; Increasing trust and transparency with your client is going to be essential, and with some clients we are managing to become part of their teams. We already have enough work meetings in which we feel part of our clients and in which we try to help them do everything they have to do, let's say in a way that is aligned with all the regulations, but looking for the best way to comply with them.

 

I think that is the future of outsourcing, be part of those teams; not simply that they give you a job, do it well and return it, but try to improve it, be with them, share it and try to evolve together, and suffer together sometimes; to be part of them and to be able to enjoy their successes.”