Aspromec addresses competitiveness challenges in Navarra, digitalization and talent of the metalworking industry
The association brings together business leaders in Navarra to analyze the evolution and challenges of machining
The Association of Professionals for the Competitiveness of Machining (Aspromec) celebrated the past 29 September at the facilities of the Navarra Industry Association (AIN), a Cordova (Pamplona), a new edition of the Observatory of the Metalworking Industry of Navarra in which directors of associated companies and different AIN officials participated. The meeting, chaired by Oriol Caballé, President of Aspromec, analyzed the evolution of the machining sector and issues related to digitalization, energy, the formation, internationalization, innovation and business strategies for the coming years.
The day started with the welcome speech by Ana Ursúa Lasheras, general director of AIN, and continued with the opening and summary of the conclusions of previous editions of the observatory by Aspromec. The program was structured into seven discussion tables, focused on different areas that affect the evolution of machining companies and their ability to face changes in the industrial environment.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Aldakin, Castrol, Intercompany, Intermaher, Chrome, Renishaw, lukewarm, Vadillo Advisors, Walter and Zoller, Aspromec member companies, as well as different Navarrese companies linked to the metalworking industry. So, José Javier Mayo participated in the round tables, owner of Estampaciones Mayo; Manuel Munoz, Imeron owner; Iker Etxarri, Gerente de Lamb; Esther Lopez, Liebherr Purchasing Director; Javier Antunez, Perfinasa manager; y, by ZF, Oliver Yerro, technical director, and Oscar Sánchez, Process Promotion Manager.
The first panel was dedicated to the evolution of the sector and competitiveness and was moderated by Swen Hamann, vocals by Aspromec and CEO of Zoller Ibérica. The debate raised questions related to the evolution of the Navarrese machining business fabric during the last decade., its degree of concentration or fragmentation, the impact of globalization and international competition, client sectors, the size of the companies and the orientation towards their own product or outsourcing. Diversification and specialization strategies were also addressed., el papel de las certificaciones y las características que diferencian al mecanizado navarro de otros polos industriales de España y Europa.
digitization, the industry 4.0 y la automatización ocuparon la segunda mesa, moderada por José Luis Gironés, responsable del Área de Tecnologías Digitales de AIN. Entre los asuntos planteados figuraron el grado de digitalización de las empresas y sus procesos productivos, la implantación de sistemas ERP y MES, el uso de tecnologías como el internet de las cosas, la inteligencia artificial y la robótica, así como las inversiones en maquinaria y tecnología. El debate también puso el foco en los procesos de mecanizado de mayor complejidad y en la posible aplicación de soluciones robóticas de precisión para operaciones de mecanizado, machine handling and assistance.
Energy and industrial transformation
The third table analyzed the relationship between energy, decarbonization and sustainability. Natalia Ortega, Engineering Manager, AIN Energy and Sustainability, moderated a debate focused on energy costs, efficiency measures, decarbonization plans and reinforcement of the electrical system. Issues raised included increasing customer demands for energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction, the weight of the energy cost in investment decisions and the renewal of machinery, also taking into account efficiency criteria. The electrification of industry and the needs for capacity and stability of supply were also part of the issues discussed.
The availability of professionals and the evolution of the necessary skills in companies were the focus of the fourth table, dedicated to human capital and training. Susana Otazu, responsible for the Training Area, AIN Selection and Human Resources, moderated a session in which the difficulties of attracting and retaining specialized technical profiles were raised, generational change and training in new technologies and digital skills. The possible use of dual training and collaboration with universities and technology centers was also addressed..
La internacionalización y las nuevas oportunidades de negocio protagonizaron la quinta mesa, moderada por Jesús Varea, vocal de Aspromec y director gerente de Tebis Iberia. El programa planteó analizar el peso de las exportaciones en la facturación de las empresas, sus principales mercados de destino y las barreras que encuentran en los procesos de internacionalización. Europa, América y Asia figuraron entre los mercados considerados, mientras que las diferencias de idioma y cultura empresarial, las barreras arancelarias y normativas y la falta de contactos comerciales en el extranjero se identificaron como cuestiones a debatir.
Cooperación e innovación
La sexta mesa se centró en la innovación y las alianzas y estuvo moderada por Javier Oses, de AIN. The session addressed collaboration between companies, suppliers and technology partners, access to knowledge and specialized advice, the development of networks and clusters and the role of technology centers and universities. Among the issues raised were the level of cooperation between machining companies in Navarra., untapped collaboration opportunities and innovation projects that could benefit from joint development. It was also considered how to improve relations between companies, industrial associations and public administration to promote innovation and competitiveness projects.
The last table, dedicated to future strategies, It was moderated by Leonardo Marqués, member of Aspromec and commercial director of Renishaw. The debate raised the main challenges that the machining sector will have to face in the coming years and the transformations that companies should address.. Among the issues included were the necessary investments in technologies and capabilities, the attraction, training and retention of professionals, the possible use of projects that can be replicated in the sector and the influence of business size on the ability to undertake investments in technology, digitization, automation and new processes. Cooperation between companies was proposed as one of the ways to address these limitations.
The challenges of the sector
Several conclusions were drawn from the day about the main challenges of the sector, with competitiveness as one of the central axes for the future. “We have to help ourselves be competitive”, pointed out one of the participants, before highlighting the importance of the attitude of companies when facing more complex work. In this way, It was noted that competitiveness is related to “the capacity for change” and “the daring” to take on new challenges and solutions..
Digitalization and automation were another of the highlighted areas. The conclusions were summarized around four concepts: “Data, more experts, brains and more connectivity”. The challenge is to improve the capture and use of data to have more information when managing processes.. Robotics appeared as one of the technologies with the longest journey in machining, while automation was linked to attendees and process flows. “The important thing about digitalization is that we are going to make better decisions”, signed up during the session.
In the energy field, The conclusions pointed to the need to advance in the measurement and efficiency of the processes, as well as self-consumption solutions. Decarbonization was also identified as an aspect that will become more relevant for companies in the sector..
Human capital was identified as one of the most complex challenges. “We need people with skills and we are going to create the skills by training them in-house.”, was pointed out during the debate, in reference to the need to develop training processes that allow incorporating and preparing new professionals. In this context, The need to bring more people closer to a specialized industrial activity that transforms materials into components for sectors such as aeronautics or the naval industry was raised..
Regarding internationalization, It was suggested that the need to go outside is directly related to the location of the clients.. Mexico, Morocco and the Czech Republic were some of the markets mentioned during the debate, in which it was also revealed that internationalization requires resources and preparation.
Innovation was the last of the major areas addressed. The participants highlighted that not all companies need to have their own research and development structures., but they can innovate through continuous improvement. “We innovate a lot from improvement”, it was affirmed, while pointing out the importance of taking advantage of the knowledge accumulated within the organizations themselves. In this way, collaboration with suppliers, clients and technology centers was proposed as a way to develop new solutions.
The day also brought to the table the difficulties derived from the regulatory framework and the relationship with public administrations.. On the whole, The conclusions conveyed the need to combine technology, training, adaptability, internationalization and innovation to face the coming years. The debate revealed that a good part of these capabilities are already present in the industrial fabric, but the challenge is to organize them and turn them into tools to improve competitiveness.
Fuente: Intercompany
