DANOBATGROUP INVESTS 35 MILLION EUROS TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

For over 65 years, the different businesses of the industrial group specialised in machine tools and advanced manufacturing, Danobatgroup, have been committed to technological innovation to adapt to the new needs of its customers.

In a scenario in which industrial sectors require increasingly advanced and precise technological solutions to meet their future challenges, the industrial group has taken a new step forward to adapt its infrastructures and machinery to the high demands of its customers, from strategic sectors such as aeronautics, power generation and the railway industry. Thanks to this commitment, the industrial group is helping to generate wealth and boost employment and growth in the industrial fabric of its area of influence, the Basque Country.

This operation, which began in the second half of 2022 and will run until mid-2024, has resulted in the expansion, renovation and modernisation of the facilities of three of its cooperatives, Danobat, Soraluce and Goimek in Gipuzkoa.

As part of this renovation plan, the group´s businesses have invested a total of 35 million euros, of which 12 million are earmarked for modernising Danobat´s facilities in the Arriaga industrial area in Elgoibar, 15 million for upgrading Soraluce´s plants in the Osintxu area of Bergara and 7 million for Goimek´s facilities in Itziar.

"Investing in new infrastructures and machinery is not only necessary to be able to continue growing -both quantitatively and qualitatively- as a group, but also to be able to contribute to generating a richer and more technologically advanced socio-economic environment for future generations", explained Pello Rodríguez, general manager of Danobatgroup.

Three strategic areas

Danobat, one of the leading manufacturers of grinding machines and high-precision lathes in Europe, has invested 12 million euros in the extension of one of its plants and in the adaptation and modernisation of almost all the rest of the spaces that the manufacturer has at its headquarters in the Arriaga industrial area in Elgoibar.

With this financial allocation, the manufacturer is preparing to respond to the new technical demands required by its projects. Specifically, Danobat will focus its efforts on adapting all its facilities to the requirements of its solutions, with new assembly areas that guarantee the quality and precision needed by its customers.

These will have temperature and air controls to monitor the behaviour of the crucial parts that go into the machine, as well as stabilized floors to avoid machine vibrations, guaranteeing the required precision, among other aspects.

As part of these interventions, the manufacturer will also centralise its logistics warehouse in the Arriaga industrial area, a space that is currently located outside this location, with the aim of improving internal efficiency, avoiding travel and saving time.

For its part, Soraluce, the world´s leading manufacturer of milling, boring and multifunction technology, has invested 15 million euros to consolidate all its activity in the Osintxu and Mekolalde area, in Bergara. In this respect, the manufacturer is in the construction phase of a new plant next to its main site.

This facility, which will be inaugurated from June 13 to 16 during the Soraluce Summit 2023 event, has been built to house Soraluce´s latest developments, solutions that increasingly rely on integrated automation systems, more complex and specialised proyects as well as bigger size machines.

Soraluce has also purchased a new space, also close to its headquarters, to move its advanced head manufacturing centre there. This is an own space where the different heads that make up Soraluce machines are currently designed and manufactured. This operation will be accompanied by the acquisition of new machinery to manufacture these heads.

Finally, the industrial group´s third intervention involves Goimek, a cooperative offering high-precision machining and large machining services. With an investment of 7 million euros, Goimek is fitting out its facilities to meet the new requirements of the group´s businesses, as well as those of its other strategic customers, from sectors such as aerospace, wind power and capital goods.

Through this operation, Goimek will renew and expand its machinery park, gaining in competitiveness and increasing the capacities of its machining services. It will also dedicate part of the investment to extending its industrial land, adapting its offices and fitting out its facilities to house a special area for precision machining, with all the requirements that such a space requires.

Sustainable growth in the Basque Country

The concentration of Danobatgroup´s activity in these three strategic areas is part of its Strategic Plan for 2021-2024, in which sustainability plays an essential role and which introduces ESG (Environmental, Social and Good Governance) criteria.

The entire infrastructure upgrade is being carried out in all three cases under efficient construction criteria, which the industrial group has been applying to its facilities in recent years. Among other practices, these include the installation of photovoltaic panels and LED lights, efficient air conditioning systems, controlled start-ups and temperatures, door control and thermal insulation of the buildings, all with the aim of favouring savings in the energy consumption of its facilities.

Contributing to generating sustainable growth in the Basque Country, especially in Gipuzkoa, has been part of the essence of Danobatgroup since its beginnings. Despite exporting 90% of its products and services and being an international benchmark in the machine tool sector, its core business is rooted in the territory.

In order to adapt its business facilities to the challenges of the future, Danobatgroup has benefited from the participation of the Basque Government through the Bilakatu aid programme.