AFM is backed by an impressive history: it was founded over 68 years ago and is in fact Spain’s oldest industrial associa- tion. A distinctive characteristic of our association is the proximity / INTERVIEW with our members, not only geographical (the sector is certainly clustered in the Basque area) but also in terms of capacity of providing them with service. XABIER ORTUETA: “THE SPANISH MACHINE TOOL SECTOR IS KNOWLEDGE INTENSIVE, SO THE PEOPLE WORKING IN IT ARE Can you give us a short description of the association AFM? ITS COMPANIES’ MAIN ASSET” AFM Advanced Manufacturing Technologies is the the Spanish Machine Tool, Accessories, Component Parts and Tools Manufacturers’ Association. AFM is a member of Cecimo and ECTA, the respective European associations for machine tools and cutting tools manufacturers and co-orga- nises the BIEMH, Spanish Machine Tool Biennial. Every two years we also organise the Machine Tools and Manufactu- ring Technologies Congress. AFM is very much involved in trainings and educational systems. Can you describe your activities in this area? The spanish machine tool sector is knowledge intensive, so the people working in it are its companies’ main asset. Therefore, in collaboration with universities and training centres, the association carries out activities to promote the sector among students studying technical subjects, in an attempt to attract the best to work in companies in the machine tool sector. Which is the main activity from AFM? From our headquarters in San Sebastián and our offices in China (Tianjin) and India (Bangalore), we works to encourage the international expansion and technology innovation of our associate companies. Training is also one of the mainstays of the progress and growth of the machine tool sector. In order to train and deve- lop the abilities of the highly skilled staff required by the sector’s firms, AFM can count on the active collaboration of the IMH, the Machine Tool Institute, a benchmark Vocational Training Centre in Spain and University College attached to the University of the Basque Country. How many companies does AFM represent and what percentage of the existing companies does it represent? 150 associate companies, with a joint potential turnover of 1500 million euros, are members of AFM, Advanced Manu- facturing Technologies, representing 90% of the specialist machine tool and advanced manufacturing technology firms in Spain. Can you explain the ‘Dual Education’ for machine-tool specialists? Dual education system, which is well established in coun- tries like France, Germany or Schwitzerland, involves students in the production process during their education, enabling them to develop the skills acquired in real time and ensuring them the most thorough training, which also better meets what is required by companies. It is now more than seventeen years ago that the IMH started developing a Dual Engineering programme in which students were trained and educated and, at the same time, worked under contract in a company with which their professional development was agreed based on the I guess you are in contact with other national associations in different countries. Is there any specific issue that makes AFM different? As the main representative in Spain of the machine tool area, AFM nurtures the relationships with the different European, national, regional and local institutions. Can you give us a brief description of the evolution of the Spanish machine-tool producers in the last years? Spain is the third largest manufacturer and exporter of machine tools in the European Union and the ninth biggest in the world. A firm commitment of manufacturers of machine tools, accessories, component parts and tools to technological innovation, internationalisation and people development has enabled them to export more than 80% of the sector’s production on average to international markets and about 5% of turnover to be earmarked for research, development and innovation. The sector provides the main industries of the economy with production solutions and equipment, helping them to improve their productivity and competitiveness. The Sector represented directly employs some 7200 people, and a similar figure is estimated to be employed indirectly. / 11