Teknia Drives Generational Renewal as a Lever for Competitiveness

• The industrial company strengthens its commitment to people through a campaign that highlights the value of knowledge transfer and intergenerational leadership

Teknia, a Spanish multinational specialized in the manufacture of metal and plastic components for mobility, has launched a campaign under the slogan #PartbyPart, with the aim of accompanying the company’s generational transition in a structured way. This initiative is part of its strategy and reinforces Teknia’s commitment to a sustainable growth model based on the continuity of knowledge, corporate culture, and the values that define the organization.

As a medium-sized company with a global presence, Teknia shares a reality common to many industrial firms of its size: operating with the agility of medium-sized enterprises (MSEs) while facing challenges typical of large corporations. This duality requires addressing complex processes such as generational transition with tailored solutions that are close to people and adapted to each operational context.

Generational transition is a natural and inevitable process that, when properly managed, becomes a great competitive advantage. For this reason, Teknia, a Spanish company with a presence in 12 countries, 22 production plants, and a member of SERNAUTO (the Spanish Association of Automotive Suppliers), has focused its latest campaign on this topic. Alongside the natural transition of its team of more than 3,500 people, the multinational has also undergone a leadership handover in recent years. Javier Quesada de Luis, the current CEO of the Group, succeeded his father and Teknia’s founder, Javier Quesada Suescun, after almost three decades leading the company.

Under the title #PartbyPart, Teknia delves into the benefits of generational diversity through different conversations among colleagues of various ages. The campaign began with the participation of the founder and the CEO, in which Javier Quesada Suescun emphasized: “I believe that the new executive team has many ideas that can be very useful to the Teknia of the future. Because we have to look to the future.”

In the different dialogues, people from diverse generations, positions, and nationalities talked about leadership, decision-making, the importance of continuous training, and the evolution of manufacturing, among many other topics. “In companies like ours, where there are different generations, it’s important to listen to everyone’s opinions so that decisions are more accurate,” says José María Sánchez, Head of Purchasing at Teknia.

Beyond experience and technical skills, the different generations also present differences on a personal level. While senior workers tend to value stability and long-term planning, the younger generations, raised in the digital era, are used to immediacy, flexibility, and instant access to information.

In the conversation recorded at Teknia Brazil, Paula Souza, 55 years old and Head of Human Resources at the plant, comments that young people “come full of energy, wanting everything very quickly.” Meanwhile, Victor Cardoso, 24 years old and a logistics technician, admitted that his generation needs to learn to have more emotional control and “to be observant, to stay curious and accept new challenges, because experience is built through challenges.”

An important part of this campaign is to promote the legacy of the people who have built Teknia’s history among the current team. To this end, the company interviewed Malcolm Picton on the occasion of his retirement after 29 years with the Group. In his remarks, he highlighted three principles that have guided his professional career: enjoying work, striving for improvement, and applying common sense in every decision.

In an interview with El País, CEO Javier Quesada de Luis highlighted that we live in “a time in which generations have succeeded one another very quickly. They used to last 15 or 20 years; now they’ve become segmented, and within a span of 20 years there may be three different generations, whereas before there was just one.”

Generational transition is not only a challenge but also an opportunity to transform companies, regardless of their size. Companies like Teknia demonstrate that combining experience and innovation is the key to leading the future. Betting on generational diversity means ensuring growth, competitiveness, and success.

The #PartbyPart campaign has a dual objective: to prepare the organization for the generational changes that will take place in the coming years, and to recognize the key role of senior professionals in building the company, fostering intergenerational collaboration environments.

At Teknia, many of these profiles have been linked to the project since its early stages and are fundamental in transferring knowledge and know-how to new generations. At the same time, the company is promoting the development of young talent through real opportunities for training, professional growth, and participation in decision-making. All of this takes place within a shared leadership model, where different generations contribute complementary visions that enrich the way of working and addressing the challenges of the sector.

Javier Quesada de Luis, CEO of Teknia: “Medium-sized companies have a great opportunity before us: to turn generational transition into a structural process that strengthens our identity and allows us to grow solidly. At Teknia, we are convinced that by putting people at the center and managing this transition proactively, we can ensure the continuity of the business project in the long term.”