Metal
AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
An example
OF INNOVATION
The metal sector in Asturias is a clear example of the application of the latest technologies, new production processes, safety systems at work and environmental management, without forgetting to mention the importance afforded to the continuous training of its workers resulting in high qualification levels. The manufacture of metal products is the most representative activity in Asturias, characterised by:
Deep-rooted industrial culture, the heritage of its history as a mining and steel region
Solid local base of suppliers of goods and services for industrial activities
Main steel and metallurgical area in Spain
Low worker turnover and competitive productivity
14,000 students enrolled in engineering, technical degrees and vocational training
More than 600 university students with Erasmus scholarships and more than 1,000 international students
Availability of highly qualified HR in higher engineering and vocational training degrees
Large
ASTURIAN COMPANIES
Leader in sectors such as renewable energy and heavy boilermaking. The Group has been awarded, amongst other projects, one of the largest contracts in the international area in the marine wind business (offshore) to be developed in German waters in the Baltic Sea.
Specialised in the implementation of "turnkey" projects for the energy, industrial and Oil & Gas sectors; the provision of services for industry and the manufacture of capital goods for the petrochemical industry and the railway sector. DF has manufactured the largest semi-buried tanks (bullets) in the world for a gas storage terminal in the Netherlands.
A leading business group in engineering and the supply of installations has developed a solid international expansion strategy and can currently be found worldwide. The company has been awarded the construction of the largest solar park in the Middle East, within the framework of an international alliance.
IMASA is one of the main Spanish engineering companies. It develops and carries out projects for cement plants, mineral handling and management facilities, coke batteries, petrochemical product storage facilities etc. It is worth highlighting the company’s participation in the construction of the largest cement plant in Bolivia.
Education
RELATED WITH THE SECTOR
The University of Oviedo has three campuses that offer technical training, with degrees and master’s degrees in engineering in different subject areas, including:
International Master’s Degree in Mechatronics Engineering
Master’s Degree in Automation Engineering and Industrial Computing
Master’s Degree in Energy Engineering
Regulated Vocational Training, with 17,000 students enrolled, more than 35% in technical degrees, complements the technical qualification of the Asturian workforce, combining theoretical training with internships in companies.
Innovation
AND TECHNOLOGY
Technological Centres, R&D&I Institutions, Clusters
Research centre of the University of Oviedo which carries out R&D&I activities in the fields of mechanical design and manufacturing, materials technology and structural calculation, the environment and energy, business organisation, economics and statistics, electrical, electronic and control systems and information technologies and telecommunications.
Since 2019, as a result of the merger of the ITMA and PRODINTEC centres, it has provided comprehensive tailored solutions related with the development of metallic materials and steels, bio-manufacturing, additive manufacturing, digital industry, active materials and smart products, refractory and ceramic materials, numerical simulation, welding and joining technologies, surfaces and coatings. To this end, the centre has a specialised, multidisciplinary team with an interest in development and innovation.
Mixed research centre created by the Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), the Government of the Principality of Asturias and the University of Oviedo. Worthy of particular mentions is the line of research called “Controlled Design of Multifunctional Multiscale Materials” aimed at the development, characterisation and understanding of the behaviour of new multifunctional materials on nano, micro and macro scales. It has hybrid plasma sintering equipment which is unique worldwide due to its dimensions (more than 13 m high), with the capacity to sinter components up to 400 mm, the so-called “ultramaterials”.
FEMETAL promotes the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster of the Metal Industry of Asturias, aligned with the smart specialisation strategy of Asturias and aimed at companies and global value chains related with advanced manufacturing. MetaIndustry4 brings together the scientific-technological, logistics and business agents of Asturias.
Research centre of the University of Oviedo which carries out R&D&I activities in the fields of mechanical design and manufacturing, materials technology and structural calculation, the environment and energy, business organisation, economics and statistics, electrical, electronic and control systems and information technologies and telecommunications.
Since 2019, as a result of the merger of the ITMA and PRODINTEC centres, it has provided comprehensive tailored solutions related with the development of metallic materials and steels, bio-manufacturing, additive manufacturing, digital industry, active materials and smart products, refractory and ceramic materials, numerical simulation, welding and joining technologies, surfaces and coatings. To this end, the centre has a specialised, multidisciplinary team with an interest in development and innovation.
Mixed research centre created by the Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), the Government of the Principality of Asturias and the University of Oviedo. Worthy of particular mentions is the line of research called “Controlled Design of Multifunctional Multiscale Materials” aimed at the development, characterisation and understanding of the behaviour of new multifunctional materials on nano, micro and macro scales. It has hybrid plasma sintering equipment which is unique worldwide due to its dimensions (more than 13 m high), with the capacity to sinter components up to 400 mm, the so-called “ultramaterials”.
FEMETAL promotes the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster of the Metal Industry of Asturias, aligned with the smart specialisation strategy of Asturias and aimed at companies and global value chains related with advanced manufacturing. MetaIndustry4 brings together the scientific-technological, logistics and business agents of Asturias.
Subsectors
IN ASTURIAS
STEEL INDUSTRY AND METALLURGY
The Asturian steel industry, represented by ArcelorMittal, is an international benchmark. It has the only integrated steel plant in Spain, manufacturing flat products in Asturias (hot coil, pickled, galvanised, painted, tinplate and heavy plate) and long products (rail and wire rod, such as high-speed railway track rail, heavy plate for shipbuilding, offshore and capital goods), being the first Spanish supplier of sheet metal for the automotive sector and the only Spanish manufacturer of tinplate for food or beverage containers.
Alcoa, world leader in aluminium production, has a primary aluminium manufacturing plant in Asturias in the form of ingots and billets for casting and extrusion.
Asturiana de Zinc (Glencore Group) produces electrolytic zinc ingots and zinc alloys in Asturias.
NAVAL INDUSTRY
Asturias has a great tradition in the naval sector and its industry has managed to catch up with the most advanced technologies to adapt to market demands and strong international competition. Traditionally, the Asturias shipyards concentrate a very significant percentage of the sector’s activity in Spain, occupying leading positions at a national and European level.
TURNKEY PROJECTS
AND INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING
Asturias has engineering firms specialised in the design, construction, assembly and maintenance of “turnkey” projects and manufacturers of capital goods according to customer specifications for highly demanding sectors in the iron and steel, chemical, petrochemical, energy, industrial, defence, Oil & Gas, nuclear, and environmental fields thanks to the collaboration of a significant group of Asturian subcontractor companies specialised in foundry, mechanisation, boilermaking, welding, heat and surface treatments, assembly and maintenance.
They are used to working for different sectors and according to different quality standards and they are aware of the importance of adaptability and respect for delivery times. The interest of companies in the Metal Sector in Asturias in continuous improvement is borne out by the high number of certifications of
its management systems for Quality (ISO9001), the Environment (ISO14001 and EMAS), Occupational Risk Prevention (OHSAS 18000), EFQM, Innovation (UNE166000) and Information Security (ISO27000).
Success
STORIES
This company belongs to the multinational Glencore Xstrata International, a world leader in zinc production. Asturiana de Zinc is the largest electrolytic zinc plant in the world (productive capacity of 510,000 tonnes each year, 47.4 % from the Glencore group) and one of the most efficient on a world scale thanks to the development of its own technology.
Leading company in the manufacture through the sintering of components and systems for automotive gearboxes.
PMG, a leader in technology, created an R&D Centre in Asturias and its clients include virtually all the major automobile manufacturers.
The TK Elevator Group is present in Asturias through the companies TK Escalator Norte, a world leading company in the manufacture of stairs, moving walkways and accelerating walkways, TK Airport Solutions, specialised in the production of walkways for airports, as well as the Gijón Innovation Center, a worldwide company innovation centre.
In Asturias, the scale prototype of the pioneering MULTI project has been developed and presented worldwide: the world’s first ropeless elevator.
50 first companies
IN THE SECTOR
News
METAL AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
GET IN TOUCH WITH US!
Asturian Agency for Science, Business Competitiveness and Innovation (Sekuens)
33428 Llanera, Asturias. Spain.
GET IN TOUCH WITH US!
Institute for Economic Development of the Principality of Asturias (IDEPA)
33428 Llanera, Asturias. Spain.
