The engineer from Malaga who found his rural refuge in Iznate and died with his tractor

Events in Malaga

The engineer from Malaga who found his rural refuge in Iznate and died with his tractor

Alejandro Pequeño Boter founded technology companies and developed innovative industrial systems in Malaga

Añádenos en Google Image of the town centre of Iznate, with the deceased engineer at the top. (E. CABEZAS Y SUR)

Eugenio Cabezas

25/05/2026 a las 11:10h.

The tragedy that occurred on Sunday 3 May when a 48-year-old man died after a tractor fell on him at a farm in Iznate ... has left a deep shock not only in the Axarquía area of Malaga province, but also in the technological and business sector of both Malaga and Seville.

The victim of the fatal accident with a tractor was Alejandro Pequeño Boter, a Malaga industrial engineer, entrepreneur and designer of precision machinery, considered by those who knew him as "a genius" and "a visionary" and "one of the most brilliant and creative minds in Malaga" in the field of industrial machinery design.

A native of the Malaga city district of Cerrado de Calderón and a long-time resident of Rincón de la Victoria, Pequeño Boter had developed a solid professional career linked to industrial engineering, automation and technological design. He studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Malaga (UMA) and later founded his own company related to industrial machinery, robotics and automation systems.

He studied Industrial Engineering at the UMA and later founded his own company related to industrial machinery, robotics and automation systems.

His name even became internationally known more than a decade ago thanks to the development of a three-dimensional laser rangefinder that he designed, the technology of which was eventually used by the Japanese Ministry of Defence. Alejandro himself told SUR in an interview in April 2012 how he received an unexpected email from Japan asking about his invention.

"The patent is registered with the University of Malaga because the original design was my final year project," the engineer explained to SUR at the time. His innovation made it possible to considerably reduce the costs of existing three-dimensional laser measurement systems on the market, opening up applications in fields such as architecture, industry and even the military defence sector.

Alejandro Pequeño Boter was also a well-known person in certain technological and university circles in Malaga, where many remember him as being "ahead of his time". His inventive and entrepreneurial skills allowed him to carve a niche for himself with limited resources in the midst of the economic crisis in the late 2000s.

"He was a pioneer".

In that interview published by SUR in April 2012 , the engineer himself recalled how he had to ask for a family loan of just 4,000 euros to start his business, after finding no financial support from the banks. Just two years later, he had already achieved an annual turnover of more than 100,000 euros thanks to his technological developments and precision machinery.

The 3D rangefinder was only the beginning of his brilliant career, Alejandro Pequeño Boter designed and manufactured many precision machines, such as automated systems for industrial cutting, machinery for carving surfboards, automatisms for food and industrial companies, intelligent warehouses and the list goes on. In recent years, he has been strongly linked to the manufacture of specific machinery for the aeronautical industry.

Those who worked with him remember his enormous ability to find solutions to complex technical problems and to turn seemingly impossible ideas into real projects. His last patented machine was called UGF3, a high-precision machine for the aeronautical sector, innovative and unique in the world, registered the week before his death, which he considered his "masterpiece", according to what his family told SUR.

His last patented machine was called UGF3, a high-precision machine for the aeronautical sector, innovative and unique in the world, was registered the week before his death.

"He was a pioneer. He was always creating something new," explains a person close to the family. "He was very bright, but at the same time he was a simple and approachable person," add those who shared professional and personal projects with him.

Alejandro also had a great capacity to teach and shared his knowledge, adapting it to anyone who might need it, while continuing to learn himself every day. He also regularly took part in talks at the University of Malaga so that his experience could help others.

However, for some years now, part of his life and his dreams had also been linked to the Axarquía countryside. Alejandro had bought an unirrigated farm in Iznate, with an old muscatel grape vineyard, olive, almond and avocado trees. Together with his partner of 27 years, Ana Elena, they spent much of their free time dedicated to their new life project: creating an energy independent and sustainable farm, reforesting with species that require little water, with chickens and a vegetable garden for their own use.

Although he was not a professional farmer, he had developed a great fondness for the rural world and had a variety of agricultural machinery which he used regularly on his property. Friends and acquaintances point out that he particularly enjoyed working on the farm, tending the trees and planning new improvements to the land.

"He was very excited about it. He loved the countryside, disconnecting there and also experimenting with machinery and systems," people close to him have told SUR. The farm had become a personal refuge away from the business and technological pace that had marked much of his professional career.

The death of Alejandro Pequeño Boter has caused enormous sadness in Iznate, Rincón de la Victoria and Malaga city.

The death of Alejandro Pequeño Boter has caused enormous sadness in Iznate, Rincón de la Victoria and Malaga city. His death also puts the spotlight back on the risks associated with the use of tractors and heavy agricultural machinery on the steep slopes of the Axarquía countryside, where accidents of this type continue to leave fatalities.

Family, friends and acquaintances remember Alejandro Pequeño as "a good, generous, brilliant, restless and enormously creative person", someone who knew how to combine technological innovation with his growing passion for the countryside and rural life in the Axarquía.