‘The real competition is always with oneself’

• RDT celebrates 18 years as a benchmark in advanced engineering, highlighting the importance of its team, its sustained growth and its business diversification.

• The key to RDT’s success has been to focus on continuous improvement without comparing itself to others, achieving an annual growth of 18%.

• At a time of corporate consolidation, the RDT team now numbers 1800 people.

• “The first and most important thing is that the image we project to the outside world is consistent with what we really are inside the company: agile, humble, transformers and hard-working people,” says Benjamin Rosende, CEO and founder.

 

RDT celebrates its eighteenth anniversary consolidated as a benchmark in the development of advanced engineering projects. Since its beginnings in 2006, people have always been the main value of a company that started as a small engineering company and has been growing for almost two decades thanks to the dedication of the people who are part of its trajectory and business diversification.

RDT is today a corporation capable of providing innovative and tailor-made solutions in engineering, industrial asset management, digital transformation, industry 4.0, photonics and electronics, numerical simulation and BIM and industrial design. Behind RDT, there are more than 1800 people making it possible for engineering to transform the world.

Benjamín Rosende, CEO and founder of RDT, makes a small balance of the company’s trajectory, closely linked to his own path and experience these almost two decades and offers some keys in the future of the firm.

 

We are already in the middle of the 18th anniversary, how do you feel looking back and seeing all that has been achieved?

I feel immensely fortunate to be able to surround myself with such a talented and committed team, whose effort and dedication are the foundation of our success. I am deeply grateful to have clients who not only value our work, but also trust us and drive us to keep improving every day. In addition, I feel enormously loved and supported by my family, who are already actively working for the future of the next generation. It is a privilege to have this support and to be part of this constant growth, both professionally and personally.

 

If we exclude the COVID period, RDT has experienced an average annual growth of 18% since its inception. What have been the key factors behind these figures?

The first key factor is not to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others or wasting time observing how others are doing, as this only distracts you from your true purpose. Instead, it is essential to focus on improving every day, on surpassing your own expectations and limits. The real competition is always with yourself. Probably, if we had set a growth goal of this magnitude from the beginning, we might not have achieved it, either because of pressure, unrealistic expectations or external comparisons. However, by focusing on a process of continuous improvement, without obsessing about numbers or what is going on around us, we have been able to overcome our own barriers and achieve growth that might otherwise have seemed unattainable.

 

“The first major achievement was to develop a sustainable business model without relying on external financing outside the banking system. This has given us the freedom to be masters of our own destiny and make decisions with full autonomy.”

 

Today, RDT has 1,800 employees. What has been the challenge of growing so quickly without losing the values of commitment and closeness?

The most important thing for the culture we have created is to lead by example, demonstrating in every action a true vocation for service and a deep respect for both our colleagues and our clients. This leadership is not only about leading, but also about being at the service of others, supporting and collaborating with them in a genuine way.

Furthermore, our culture is based on providing constant value, arising from expert knowledge, continuous innovation and, above all, transparency in everything we do. These principles guide us, allowing trust and mutual respect to remain at the heart of our working relationships. When these values are firmly established, everything else flows naturally.

 

 

What has been the biggest challenge the company has faced?

The biggest challenge we faced as a company was in the early years, when the environment was extremely hostile. It was not only about generating profits to stay afloat, but also about securing strong liquidity to survive. In those days, there were powerful interests with large financial resources and a clear intention to eliminate us from the market. It was a constant struggle, where every decision was crucial for our survival. At some point, when I find the right time, I will write what will surely be the best crime novel about management, convinced that this story, when it sees the light of day, will make us more viral and visible. That time will come.

 

Over the past 18 years, what have been RDT’s major milestones?

The first major achievement was to develop a sustainable business model without relying on external financing outside the banking system. This has given us the freedom to be masters of our own destiny and to make decisions with full autonomy.

The second milestone was internationalisation, a challenge in which we had to adapt our model, as what works in Spain is not always replicated in other countries. We adapted and managed to maintain the same entrepreneurial spirit that characterises us.

The third milestone is the one we are now reaching with the creation of a solid corporate structure, which will provide us with the necessary foundations for more stable and robust long-term growth.

Finally, the fourth milestone will be my succession and the creation of the family council, a process that is still in its early stages, but which will be key to ensuring continuity and legacy in the future.

 

“The truth is that we are far from that, we still have a long way to go before we consider that we have achieved something truly relevant. Our real aspiration is not just to become a ‘top X’ company, but to change the world for the next generatio”.

 

How has the sector changed since you decided to found RDT?

Everything has changed completely. Our business model has nothing to do with what we did at the beginning. Today, investment in our own technology, in innovative systems and in methodologies that optimise our clients’ results is the solid foundation of our present and the pillar of our future.

I would also like to highlight the attractiveness we have generated to attract talent, the exceptional quality of our client panel, and our strong commitment to patents, technology and training, positioning us to revolutionise sectors. We will become a lever that will boost our clients’ competitiveness, which will make our relevance grow even more. We have a duty to be agents of transformation.

 

In a sector as dynamic as engineering, how has RDT managed to stay at the forefront in terms of innovation and adapting to technological change?

First and foremost, the image we project to the outside world is consistent with what we really are inside the company: agile, humble, transformational and hard-working people. We don’t need to boast or celebrate superficial achievements. The day we make noise or join in the ‘posturing’ it will be because we will have reached a significant milestone, and that will be the time to take the photo that captures that status or milestone.

But, the truth is that we are far from that, we still have a long way to go before we consider that we have achieved something truly relevant. Our real aspiration is not just to become a ‘top X’ company, but to change the world for the next generation.

 

What are the next challenges or steps RDT faces for the future?

The main challenge is to maintain the same values and preserve our essence, even as we grow as a company, ensuring that entrepreneurship remains a fundamental part of our DNA.

 

 

About RDT

RDT is an innovative corporation whose field of activity is the development of advanced engineering projects, participating in projects with a high technological component where it provides flexibility in the outsourcing strategy of large companies. RDT’s mission is to provide engineering solutions that give our clients a competitive advantage based on efficiency, flexibility and reliability. Its main purpose: that engineers enjoy engineering.