Taiyo Europe, responsible for the renovation of the “Estadio Metropolitano.”
Project achieves kick-off on the appointed day with the King in attendance.

Estadio Metropolitano, a dedicated soccer stadium in Madrid, Spain, is home to Atletico Madrid, a professional soccer team. The stadium itself was completed in 1993. Twenty-four years later, on September 16, 2017, a renewal opening ceremony was held at the stadium, which had undergone a major renovation by Taiyo Europe (TEG). Shortly thereafter, the home team’s match kicked off as the King of Spain watched. Andrejus Cernysevas, who directed the entire project to install the stadium’s membrane roof, was with his family at the game, attended by enthusiastic fans.

An extensive and difficult project with hundreds of staff members all working as one. Meticulous design and delicate work were carried out. Taiyo Kogyo Group has been involved in many stadiums, but Estadio Metropolitano was one of the largest projects yet.

Construction including cable nets and materials required 4~5 times more than usual projects. The distinctive roof design meant raising the cable was not an easy feat.

To overcome the challenges and deliver the project safely and on time, meticulous design and detailed work planning were essential.

Cernysevas:

There are many characteristics of this project. The fact that 20% of the total project was a combination of renovation work and 80% new construction. Another is the fact that we received an order for a cable net, which is normally outside the scope of our work. I believe that this cable netting work has made this project one of the top projects of the Taiyo Kogyo Group in terms of scale and complexity.

Accordingly, the contract value was also very large. Estadio Metropolitano was a double-layered membrane (top and bottom) with a large material area, so the supply chain had to deal with materials to the equivalent of 4-5 typical projects: approximately 83,000 ㎡ of PTFE membrane, 600 tons of cable netting, and 250 tons of steel frame. The project involved about 20 subcontractors and 120 technicians. Approximately 20 subcontractors and 120 technicians were involved in the installation on site.

I was the lead project manager for the entire project and was responsible for managing the entire project until the handover of the project. This included the installation of the cable netting and associated steel frame and membrane.

The ongoing challenges of this project were to create a project team, motivate and inspire workers, build and manage the supply chain, manage the project schedule, and control the budget.

The project has been in planning since 2010.
TEG made a concerted effort to participate in the project..

There were rumors in the European building industry, that “the stadium is going to be renovated.”

It was around 2010, seven years before the Estadio Metropolitano renovation was to be completed. Upon hearing rumors of this large-scale project, builders from various countries began to move forward.

Cernysevas:

I moved from Taiyo Membrane Corporation (TMC) in Australia to TEG in Germany in 2014, so it was before then that word surfaced in the industry around 2010 that there was going to be a stadium renovation project, TEG began working to obtain the projectr. However, even after several years, bidding activities were still difficult. Other competitors from Spain, Germany, Italy, and other countries were also working on this project in parallel, and I heard that the sales staff was having a hard time observing the activities of these rivals and finding investors for the project.

I first heard about this project at a technical conference in Osaka around 2012 and was very interested in it because of its size, complexity, and difficulty. In June 2015, during a trip to Venice with my family, I received a phone call with good news: TEG had been awarded the project and I had been named lead project manager! We heard the very good news and celebrated with my family.

Relocation to Madrid with his family.
A long and extensive two-year construction project began.

Many firms in the European construction industry had their hands in the stadium’s renovation.

TEG, which was awarded the order, appointed Andrejus Cernysevas who had relocated from TMC as the lead project manager.

Cernysevas:

From the moment it was decided that I would be in charge of this project, it was obvious that I would be stationed on site. I relocated to Madrid with my wife and two-month-old son to coincide with the start of on-site construction. I had previously been stationed in India for a year. From that experience, I knew that for difficult projects or projects with large contract amounts, the project manager would need to be on site.

We knew that many challenges awaited us in the two-year construction process. Because of the overwhelming scale of the project, we first carefully prepared for construction.

The greater the gap between the start and the finish line,design decisions made early in a project can have a significant impact on later construction. In this project, we placed particular emphasis on the construction aspect. We worked with the engineers to create a detailed roadmap for each step of the project, and took great care to analyze, discuss, evaluate, and agree on any changes that were necessary before moving on to the next step.

Once you move forward, there is no going back.

In a situation where work that is not normally assigned is also added,what was is the method of construction that realized the delicate and beautifully drawn design to perfection?

Cernysevas:

For the construction, when building a roof membrane like in this project, the cables are assembled on the ground in advance in the “ground assembly” work, and then lifted up at once when everything is assembled. It is no exaggeration to say that the entire process depends on the success of this lifting operation. It takes several weeks to lift the cables, and once they are lifted, there is no going back. If we have to go back, it means a delay of one or two years, so it is of the utmost importance that we meet the lifting date correctly.

Complicating the ground assembly work was the fact that TEG was awarded the task of assembling the cable netting, which it is not in our usual scope of work. The structural design of the stadium consists of a steel truss compression ring on the outer perimeter, like a bicycle wheel, and a cable tension con ring on the inner perimeter, each with 96 diagonal cables connecting the two rings. The rings are not perfect circles, but ellipses with a twist, and unless the lengths and angles of the 96 cables are precisely calculated, the structure will not be shaped as designed, but will have an irregular shape.

Materials are ordered more than one year before lifting. For example, cables are cut to the pre-directed length and delivered to the site in a processed state, with parts attached, etc., so changes cannot be made once they arrive. All components must be of perfect quality, and the cables must be in perfect position before being lifted. And when lifting, the balance of tension and stress must be uniform to ensure success. Thus, there were many complications in the construction process.

To ensure the success of the construction, caring for staff is also an important part of the job.

Big projects such as stadiums require hundreds of people involved, to move in the same direction.

As day of the lift approaches, the meticulously planned “groundwork” on the ground progresses.

The key tasks of the project manager are, to ensure the safety of all staff and create an environment in which they can do their best.

Cernysevas:

For a big project like a stadium, there are so many people involved that everyone must be united for the lifting day. As project manager, my key task was to create an environment where each and every staff member could work safely and easily and do their best.

For example, when a designer checks around a site, he or she inevitably points out areas for improvement. And even if they fix it, additional improvements will be made. The staff is tired, and they work hard on weekends, and the engineers, including myself, wonder if we can really lift on the due date.

I had more than 100 technicians and a huge amount of equipment in front of me. And the clients demanded many different things from me. I once had a talk with my father when I was feeling a little defeated, thinking, “I may not be able to do it”. My father gently advised me, “If you can proudly say that you have done everything you can do now perfectly, you will be fine.

With my father’s advice, I returned to the field and thought, I can say to myself that I am doing the best I can. I have confidence in myself as the person in charge, and I will always stand in front of the staff and give them a sense of security by showing a strong presence. I was determined to motivate the staff by smiling and saying, “Don’t worry, we can make improvements,” even when problems arise.

The cable lift was successful.
Feeling a sense of security and accomplishment,
What was even more exciting was the gratitude I felt for the people.

Finally, the day of the cable lift, the day of the event.

The culmination of two years of preparation.

Cernysevas, the tead project manager at the site, looks on

Cernysevas:

As I saw the cables, gradually being lifted, I had been nervous for a week or two before that day.

The lift gradually ascended. I kept praying, “May there be no accidents, and may all the staff’s efforts up to now be rewarded.

And it was lifted without any major problems or accidents. I remember being very relieved at this point because once the lift was over and the cables were secured, it was Taiyo Kogyo’s specialty to put up the membrane. I remember the long work period of more than five years, starting from the time I learned about this project in Osaka, the joy in Venice, the move to Madrid, the many difficulties and challenges during the design and implementation, and the days of encouragement and joy with my colleagues.

After the project was completed, we were overwhelmed with a variety of emotions. There was a sense of relief and accomplishment from having delivered the hard work. At the same time, I felt exhausted. I had used up all my energy in completing the project.

I am grateful for the cooperation I received from those around me, and the success of this project was accomplished with the many people who worked with me. I would like to thank all the people who helped me: the support of Taiyo Kogyo, Shanghai Taiyo for material production, Maffeis Engineering for the structural design, my colleagues at TEG, the Spanish team on site, and all those who collaborated with me. I am still in regular contact with the team members from that time and we still talk about the experience and the time period. It gives me a warm and nostalgic feeling when I recall the project.

This experience has definitely helped me grow. When I first wanted to participate in the project in 2012, it was with the self-centered purpose of stepping up my game. However, after I finished the project, I realized that the experience of working, learning, sharing hardships and joys, discussing and laughing together with various people reminded me more than my own satisfaction, and I felt a strong sense of gratitude toward others. It was a very valuable experience for me and an important part of my life journey.

I hope to use this experience to create a stronger bonded team for our next project.

After its completion, posters of this stadium have been put up in the company as a symbolic project of TEG. I am very proud that I was in charge of this project, as it has become one of the effective tools for our sales activities.

Growth through the experience gained in Europe and Asia,
Future contribution to the Taiyo Kogyo Group.

Cernysevas transferred from Australia to the Taiyo Europe in Germany.

After the project was completed, he returned to his native Lithuania.

What are the strengths of the people and technology of the Taiyo Kogyo Group that I realize once again?

Cernysevas:

There are many advantages to working with the Taiyo Kogyo Group.

First, we have the technological capability to focus on cutting-edge innovation. Our group companies around the world are constantly conducting research and pursuing higher quality products. The staff members who create this quality are diverse in race and personality, creating an environment where people with different knowledge, abilities, and experiences can learn from each other and cooperate with each other. The dedication to the highest quality of the people who work in the Taiyo Kogyo Group is a constant source of learning for me.

I believe that the Taiyo Kogyo Group can be competitive because of its “people” and “value.

The power of “people” that embody how the vision of management becomes a value for the company. People who experience the “value” that takes shape gather in the Taiyo Kogyo Group, and it becomes a spiral of growth for both people and the company. I feel that our members are always honest, never cut corners in their work, and have the ability to work until the customer is satisfied. I believe that the results we have achieved over the past 100 years through this attitude and hard work have become “trust” and have made us well known in Japan and throughout the world.

Work will be a large part of your life. You will spend more time there than with your family. Because it is such an important time, it is important to be able to think of the people you work with as friends and family, and to have an environment where you can enjoy your days and learn.

The Taiyo Kogyo Group and its members are such an existence for me.

I left my native Lithuania in 2004 for England for my studies and career. I moved to Australia, India, Germany, Spain and back to Lithuania with my family in 2020.

I believe that my experiences in each location have helped me grow. I believe I have become more innovative, creative, dedicated, and deepend my learning and exploration. I want to continue to be adventurous, take on even more challenging tasks, and inspire and influence the next generation of Taiyo Kogyo members in their work. By giving my best, I hope to contribute to the achievements of Taiyo Kogyo and our family.