IBARMIA POSITIONS ITSELF AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE SECTOR WITH AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT FOR 1,500 M2 PLANT

This investment activity is a direct consequence of an R&D&I project on the effects of heat as a critical factor in machine tool performance. In 2018 Ibarmia made major leaps in its incoming orders and also in its innovation strategy.

The company’s CEO, Koldo Arandia remarks that “in the past year we have seen Germany, China and the United States become our top three export destinations and we have achieved significant growth in incoming orders, well into the double digits. Furthermore, the Ibarmia China plant has commenced its activity with the technology transfer for the manufacture of the ‘Star 1500’ and ‘T12’ models, although many of the orders in the Asian country have still been supplied from Azkoitia”.

In 2018 Ibarmia also completed an innovative project that brought its Gipuzkoa plant to the forefront of the sector. Specifically, the company carried out a project to fit a 1,500 m2 plant with 20-degree air conditioning equipment, assembling the machines with the highest precision demands. The aim is to further explore machine monitoring and control technologies, particularly in the analysis of the effect of heat on machine accuracy.

Industrial activity in 2018 has also caused an acceleration in the execution of some of the challenges set forth in the Ibarmia strategic plan. Income for the year was up by seven percent, a figure deemed “modest” due to the tensions generated in a supply chain of critical elements, overwhelmed by demand. This situation motivated intense work with local suppliers to take on the manufacturing of key machine tool components. An operation which was coupled with negotiations to secure holdings in ancillary companies, which will expand technologies dominated by the group and ensure a sounder position on the market.

To complete this work, an investments program will be examined to incorporate the machinery into the workshop in order to undertake manufacturing of critical and large scale components. This will enable Ibarmia to meet the requirements of a new generation of machines, expanding the equipment catalogue to include machining larger size parts.

GERMANY, THE TOP MARKET
The value scaling of Ibarmia equipment has positioned Germany as the top country of destination for its machines, ahead of the domestic market. As an example of this strategy, Ibarmia has secured an order from the ThyssenKrupp Group to build two dual head bridge machines. These machines will be installed in subsidiaries in Spain and China and will be used for machining bearing rings and slewings of up to 5.5 metres for the wind power sector. To tackle new technological challenges, Ibarmia is currently developing a series of R&D projects geared towards incorporating new machining processes, developing control and monitoring systems applied to additive manufacturing, and designing services based on the digitalisation or processes.

Source: Empresa XXI