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Metalworking, one of the most dynamic economic sectors of CLM

By 31 May, 2022 June 20th, 2023 No Comments

Definition

The metalworking industry is dedicated to the use of raw materials obtained from metals to produce parts, pieces or finished products such as machines, equipment or tools. Thus, metals and ferrous alloys are the basic material for the manufacture of goods in the productive sector of the industry.

It is traditionally an auxiliary sector for other sectors such as renewable energy or aeronautics.

The following subsectors are of particular interest within its activity: Metal foundry, manufacture of metal products, manufacture of equipment and machinery, electrical and electronic machinery, vehicle manufacturing, shipping and railroad industry.

Trends

The metalworking industry is one of the largest industries in the EU economy in terms of the number of companies, job creation (more than three million people), production (9.5% of total manufacturing output) and value added. In addition, Europe is the world’s largest producer and exporter of machinery, with an estimated 36% share of the global market and expected growth of 3.8% in the coming years.

Castilla-La Mancha has a dynamic industrial sector that is one of the region’s main economic drivers, with a group of highly internationalized companies that have played a key role in making 2021 a record year for the region’s exports. Industrial exports accounted for 53% of Castilla-La Mancha’s total exports last year.

Castilla-La Mancha value proposal

> In Castilla-La Mancha industrial activity has grown in recent years due to the presence of foreign companies of great importance that complement the local industrial structure. The metalworking industry is a mainstay of economic growth in the region. The sector includes capital goods companies, machinery and equipment, structures and boilers, agricultural and industrial vehicles and components, auxiliary activities for aviation and environmental equipment.

> The interconnectedness of the sector’s activities with the region’s main economic sectors: aeronautics, automotive, logistics, transportation, etc.

>The lower labor costs are a competitive advantage for companies in the region.

>In Castilla-La Mancha there are several organizations to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. Worth highlighting are the Technology and Science Park, with a high innovative and entrepreneurial component, Lazarus, one of the project accelerators and incubators, Goban and GoEmprende as business angels; Integrated 

Territorial Investment (ITI), to promote new activities, greater sustainability of resources and digitalization in particularly disadvantaged areas; Plan Adelante, which promotes competitiveness and internationalization; the UCLMemprende Technical Office of the College of Castilla-La Mancha, which focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation; and the Institute of Finance of Castilla-La Mancha as a financial instrument.

>Castilla-La Mancha has significant national and European funding for innovation and R&D, a university campus of international excellence, and a network of public and public-private centers integrated into the region’s productive fabric.

> Existence of regional investment incentives, including aid for job creation, the promotion of risk prevention in the workplace, the development of industrial land for the implementation of new business projects, reductions in municipal taxes and fees, support for innovation, marketing and export consulting.

>Itecam, Metal Technology Center of Castilla-La Mancha, created as a regional cluster with the aim of promoting innovation and competitiveness of the metalworking industry, that is, those involved in the transformation, processing and development of equipment, machinery and systems with metallic and related materials.

Thanks to all of these, the region accumulates great examples of success stories in this sector. These include the European CLLAIM Project on Additive Manufacturing (ITECAM and CESOL together with the German Welding Society TWI, Frauhofer IGCV, EWF), Brahm Precision Products Corporation and Solid Works, among others.