Pilar Alvarez Delgado has joined ABP Induction as Vice President Service – bringing heart, energy and a clear focus for people and opportunity
When you listen to Pilar Alvarez Delgado speak, you immediately sense it: she brings more than experience – she brings attitude. A warm, open way of engaging with others that draws you in. And a clarity of thought that shows how seriously she takes her new role at ABP Induction. “I am an engineer,” she says with a small smile – knowing well that this is only one part of her story. Born in Asturias in northern Spain, later earning an MBA in Maastricht, she has been living in Germany for almost 20 years, now based in Cologne with her husband and their four-year-old son.
Her career previously led her to General Electric and Baker Hughes in the oil and gas industry, where she worked in engineering, technical sales and, for the past ten years, in service leadership roles. Lean Six Sigma, data analysis and continuous improvement have shaped her professional journey. “These experiences help me enormously today. Data, structure, continuous improvement – that matters to me,” she says. But something else matters just as much: reliability. “A dependable say-do ratio is essential. If we say we will do something, then we do it.” This demand of trust – both internally and externally – permeates everything she expresses.
Service that connects people
For the service organization at ABP, Pilar follows a clear strategic direction: structuring processes, improving data quality, aligning knowledge globally and continuing to professionalize the service business. To her, service is not just a department – it is “an attitude toward the customer.” The days when engineers would “just quickly” go on-site to solve a problem are over, she says. Today, it is about more: solutions, real outcomes, the use of technology as reflected in the ABP claim, and a deep understanding of what customers truly need. It is about delivering success – another word in the ABP claim – and about the people who make that success possible.
She describes the transformation currently happening across the industry as profound. Service has evolved far beyond repairs or field interventions. The whole industrial landscape is shifting: service is transforming from a cost center into a strategic profit center. Customers increasingly expect solution-oriented, outcome-based services. Not material or hours, but results: systems that run reliably, efficiently and predictably. This creates new challenges, but also huge opportunities.
What matters greatly to her is teamwork: bringing experience and fresh ideas together, sharing knowledge, staying curious. “Without risk there is no progress and no success,” she says, “but it must be a calculated risk.”
A global company thrives on closeness
At the same time, she recognizes similar challenges around the world: demographic change as highly experienced colleagues retire; young employees bringing new perspectives and drive; and the need to use digitalization and AI wisely. “Good data and good documentation are the basis for using digital tools effectively and for sharing knowledge in the best possible way,” she emphasizes.
During her first few weeks at ABP, Pilar Alvarez Delgado spent a lot of time getting to know people – not only at the headquarters in Dortmund, but also at the national subsidiaries in China, India, the US and Thailand. What she witnessed everywhere was deeply impressive to her: “I‘ve seen teams that are incredibly committed. And that have a genuine relationship with their customers.”
It is this personal connection she mentions repeatedly. Service is not an abstract process; service happens between people. And this, she says, is why ABP is so strong in her eyes: because all over the world, colleagues understand what drives customers – and how to support them as true partners.
Different markets – same expectations for reliability
Of course, there are cultural differences. In some regions, personal contact is more important; in others, availability of spare parts plays a larger role. Young teams in Asia, deep experience in Europe – all of this comes together. “But in the end, everyone wants the same thing: a system that operates reliably, is available as much as possible and operates efficiently.”
What is important to her is that ABP sees this diversity not as a challenge, but as a strength. A global company, she says, needs both: a service understanding that is internationally aligned and the ability to listen locally. She experienced this firsthand during her first visits to foundries and steel plants: “The technology is fascinating,” she says – and you can hear the genuine enthusiasm in her voice. At the same time, another topic is close to her heart: decarbonization. “There is no way back,” she says with conviction. For ABP, she sees not only responsibility here, but also significant opportunities – technologically, economically and strategically.
What she appreciates most about ABP are the people, she says. The long tenure of many colleagues, their willingness to support even after retirement, and the remarkable mix of experience and forward momentum. “It is an atmosphere in which you enjoy working,” says the service expert. And you believe her immediately, without hesitation.
