The research of the competitiveness in the mechanised arrives to Asturias

The forum crashes of the Association of Professionals for the Competitiveness of the Mechanised went back to show his power of announcement when filling the room of conferences of Prodintec. The SMEs of the mechanised, so much of Asturias as of other territories; tractor trucks companies —in this case represented by the Asturian Asturfeito and Idesa—; and institutions like the patronal of the Asturian metal Femetal or the confederation of which forms part, Confemetal —represented by Andrés Sánchez of Apellániz, general secretary of the organisation and president of the Commission of Directors, went again the protagonists of the day, whose leitmotiv is to detect formulas to improve the competitiveness of the network of Spanish outsourcing.

Álvaro Alonso, general secretary of Femetal, Federation of Employers of the Metal and Affine of the Principality of Asturias, opened the day signalling the importance that the sector of the metal has in Asturias, standing out his weight in the GDP of the principality: “The sector of the metal is the engine of the Asturian economy. And this is not an affirmation that does with an urge to be in the limelight justified neither of random way. It does in base, on the one hand of quantitative data as it is in the weight of the GDP, in the number of workers —something upper to the 40.000—, the number of upper industrial —companies to the 500—, 80% of the park of machinery of Asturias is in the sector of the metal, and 60% of the exports also recae in our sector”.

Alonso stood out no only these figures “that by himself alone say little” but also “the characteristics and qualitative appearances of the typology of the sector” that do it so remarkable. “It is a sector netamente industrial and very diversified, one of his big potentialities. It gives a phenomenon in the metal of difficult Asturias to observe in another European region that it is that they take place all the processes: of the own transformation of the mineral to the metal —with the steel, the aluminium and the zinc—, until the manufacture of goods of team more developed, going through all the chain of activities that can have in the sector: rail material, smelting, structures, goods of team, manufacture of electrical material, metallic coatings; all the group of activities that can compose the sector of the metal have presence in Asturias”.

The general secretary of Femetal stood out likewise the high degree of internationalisation of the sector, that stands out besides for being highly technological, with workers with a very high learning, “that to his time have some surroundings that favours with the development of this activity”, as they are technology centres like Prodintec, two ports of important size, Gijón and Avilés, a university with some important schools of industrial engineering, etc.

‘Processes of change and innovation motivated by the internationalisation and opening of new markets' was the report given by José Carlos González, director of Operations of Asturfeito, S.A. As his title indicates, González explained of which way his company had to adapt his idiosyncrasy to the new times and to new projects that went him presenting, until the point of becomes “of a small workshop in 1989, to realise big projects of engineering of high value added in the actuality”. For Asturfeito, innovar came of the hand of new products and new markets: “How a company accustomed to work with national customers, in a captive sector and very regional, has expanded to work with customers of the five continents?”. Like this, the director of Operations of Asturfeito narrated how his company, provider of the public company Asturian 20 years ago and that did “mechanised pure and hard”, was growing in technician and also in market. To the simple mechanised added him the structures mecanosoldadas and the boilerworks mechanised and the traditional markets added the emergent, as the one of the wind renewable —energies and termosolar— and the one of the oil & gas. But definitely, in the year 2007 “begins the change of the ‘Asturfeito ancient' to the of ‘Asturfeito new'”. What marked a before and an afterwards for this company was to go in in the scientific sector, “with some important requirements of quality, of documentation, etc. that it was the factor that did us ‘redo' the company and innovar inside our company to adapt us to the new requirements of these markets”, explained González. From his entrance in the sector, Asturfeito has collaborated with stood out projects of scientific investigation, developing and supplying the goods of team and the necessary components “to help to know more on the origin of the Universe and on us same”. González stood out projects like Alma', by which Asturfeito has manufactured 25 antennas for an observatory in Chile, as well as collaborations with the Laboratory Steel Structures of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Grantecan (Big Telescope of Canaries), the IGN, National Geographic Institute of Spain, and lately with the installations of the NASA in Madrid “for one of the antennas that are in operation and following to the Discovery of Mars”.

Another sector by which the company bet in his day is the one of ‘oil & gas', that suppose him “projects increasingly big and complicated in which no only has to grows in quantity and dimension but also in appearances like the purchase of materials, the complexity in the welding and especially give service to the demand of customers so demanding as they are the ones of this sector”. In his strategy of diversification of sectors, the Asturian company is touching also the sector of the nuclear power, “thanks to the technological growth in what they are the lines of welding and the reinforcements that there has been in the human resources in this sense”.

After this path, from Asturfeito can give his version to the question of how innovar? “Innovar Is not something very complicated, is so usual that do it all each day in our companies. Innovation is not a ‘brain storming', is not to look for a magic key that give us an idea and solve us the problems and neither, of course, is to seat us to expect. Innovation does not have at all that see with an invention, does not have to see with the originality. They are changes that do, new products, find new forms to work in our organisation focused to the customer. Do the things of different form but inside the world of the company: find new products and forms to work”. Besides, it added the director of Operations of Asturfeito, “the tacit component of the knowledge that gives in the innovation is very important. Usually the innovative ideas do not arise a day any one but they produce inside a process in which we go little by little and of form subconsciente and deepening. It is very related with the own ‘khow how' of the company”.

González contributed a very curious data taken out of a study: only 35% of the innovative ideas that arrive to good port arise in time of work; 65% remaining “occur us home, running, doing sport, etc. From here that it was important inside the world of the company facilitate the climate so that the people have innovative ideas”.

In his practical case, Asturfeito gave the step to the internationalisation and new markets “selling expectations. And which is the resorte that allows us break the barrier with the customer and give him confidence in the project. The faith in our organisation. If we offer something to a customer and the organisation that there is behind is not solid do not go to any part”. And, according to González, the catalyst of said confidence is the transparency. “In determinate markets, especially when your customer knows more than you, have to be transparent; if you deceive it you do not go to triumph. We have to convince to our customers that go to do something and fulfil his expectations, and for this are aleatherg us procedures, something as well as ‘say me how go to do the things' before doing them”. And, as it commented the speaker, the transparency is not an easy value to assume in business organisations already settled. “The calderero or the mecanizador, until it does not have the piece in front does not know how goes it to mechanise or manufacture. We have had to adapt us to processes in which previously it is necessary to think how go them to do, say it to the customer, generate this confidence, support in this transparency and finally achieve that the customer accept the way in that you go it to do and was calm”. The representative of Asturfeito stood out the importance of the boss of Project, a figure whose apparition comes rigged with the changes in the business organisations and that it is the attendant to pipe the information. “The boss of project is an intelocutor with the customer and has to be the leader that direct it everything”.

“To diversify sectors it is necessary to do a jump of quality”, continued González, jump of quality that goes through to work with auditss, review of procedures and the control of the documentation, that will reinforce the confidence of the customer. “At the end, the customers will ask us that we document even our errors, thing that costs a lot of work to assimilate in small organisations. It is necessary to notify the no compliances because I need that my customer creates in me”. For example, “the big oil are right now got obsessed with the hygiene, auditsing our systems of prevention and data of accidents. they are concerning Of the prevention, even concern if we recycle the rubbish”.

And what have to do so that it produce the change? “Promote innovative ideas, in contests of ideas and facilitate the creative climate. Do an effort of communication listening and formative effort in languages and in all the technical areas of the company. Besides it has to find to the subject dinamizador, because always there is somebody that is more receptivo; always there is somebody that goes us to help. It is necessary to find to these subjects and reward them, have to feel important, that his idea has triumphed”, finalised José Carlos González.

The following report —‘The cooperation in the field of the industry'— was given by Daniel Couso, general director of Idesa, S.A. Created in 1993 like an engineering of projects with the end to give technical and commercial support to a group of twelve manufacturers of goods of local team, Idesa also suffered a similar change to the one of his neighbouring Asturfeito, evolving with the needs and demands of his customers, to end to satisfy the same. Of Idesa, Couso stood out his “big capacity engineering and manufacture” and for being known worldwide by the pieces of big dimensions, until 15 metres of diameter and 800 tonnes, transported directly in the port of Avilés from the installations of manufacture that has the company there and that have expanded lately. Like Asturfeito, Idesa also is in the sector oil & gas and in wind offshore, and in 2012 have marked records in contracting: “Although there are difficulties, in Asturias there are several cases of success”, stood out.

As it explained his general director, Idesa exports from the same year of his creation. His experience in international markets, allows to the company have several visions of what means to cooperate. “There are ways to work very intervencionistas in which a part is very pending of what wins the another; and another philosophy, more cooperative. In the network of outsourcing many times the cooperation is a value added and does not have this mentality of ‘buyer-seller' but the one of ‘are a team'”, commented Daniel Couso.

For this, “is fundamental the confidence, in how can develop this confidence and in how be brave. This valentía bases in analysing but also in rileatherg; in knowing where are the limits and use them”. To exemplify it, the general director of Idesa resorted to an appointment of Voltaire —‘The one who has fear to the poverty is not worthy to be rich'— “in the sense that cooperating look for this wealth. In the cooperation it is necessary to be generous and lose some fears. We have to value ‘the give something', be we those that give something to our partner, be the first in giving the step. It is necessary salvaguardar ours 'know how', but in addition to valuing the risk to give something, it is necessary to value the risk of not to give it”.

Cooperate also goes through “to do it well to the first” because in a relation of this type “can deceive you, usually only once, but in contrapartida you also can do it. My council is to give before receiving, act honestly and of good faith; all this to my understand is fundamental to cooperate”.

Also is essential to choose well with the one who collaborate, “it is necessary to look for well to the mates with which cooperate conceive like ‘adding'. Thus, in the field of the industry goes through to expose us, as for example today, in this type of business forum”, stood out Couso. In this sense, the general director of Idesa did upsetting in the fundamental paper that plays between the empresariado Asturian Prodintec, “perfect example of a place where can boost the cooperation, because have platforms in which they can learn things or know partners to collaborate, can advise to the companies in technological or legal doubts, of economic helps, etc. Is a place where arise a lot of opportunities of cooperation because there are a lot of points of contact, because it is very dynamic, gives a lot of inducements and appeals to the industrial state”, stood out Daniel Couso.

The director manager of Prodintec, Íñigo Felgueroso, directed the last report of the morning, before the start of the debate and of the Think Tank Aspromec. Created in 2004, the technological centre host of the day has like aim improve the competitiveness of the industrial companies by means of the application of technological advances so much to his products as to his processes of manufacture and gestión. “Although in origin had a circle of local performance, when being cream funded by the Principality of Asturias —signalled Felgueroso— our approach is global and to work in the international field”.

During all his presentation, the director manager of Prodintec did winks to the subjects that pose in the Think Tank Aspromec, basic values that boost from this technological centre. For example, on the subject of approach to the market and strategic planning, Felgueroso signalled that from his creation, “already orient us to work for the market and for the companies; innovar doing basic investigation being very near of the problems that have the companies and try to help them to solve them”.

Also mentioned the subject of the cooperation, leading of the report of Idesa and also one of the values that boosts Aspromec in his debate. “Each one has to see how cooperate and with who. Our field of performance are European platforms of manufacture, micro and nanotechnology, additive manufacture; and also projects of R&D to European and national level, because we think that have to be in the ‘Champions League of the R&D', boost contacts and ‘drag' companies so that they join to these projects boosting this technological accompaniment”, affirmed Íñigo Felgueroso.

And be in the ‘Champions League of the R&D', goes through “to drink of the ‘gurús' of Europe that are defining strategies of by where has to go the manufacture and the development of products to keep on being competitive and do not avenge us the products of countries of low cost”. Like this, Europe has defined the diary of the factory of the future under the concept ‘ManuFuture', “that says us clearly that we have to forget us already to compete by cost and have to go to products of high value added, of high provision, personalización and including new models of business and human capital. This is a general tendency in Europe in politics of development, that indicate that all have to follow this way”. Felgueroso Added besides that this idea goes also on line of another of the debates of the Think Tank, the one of ‘Need of change of the strategic profile of the companies'.

The director manager of Prodintec signalled also that from Europe is trying save what knows like ‘The valley of the death', this is, develop a lot of patents but the difficulty arrives to the moment to take out them to the market, where takes out advantage EE UU or Korea. For this, Europe has identified six technologies facilitadoras essential (‘KETs Key Enabling Technologies'): Micro and nano electronic; Photonic; Nanotechnologies; Materials Advanced; Biotechnology; and Manufacture and processes advanced. To achieve save this ‘valley', the centre claims the product, “the big absent in a lot of companies”. “We were cream like a centre of development of products —signalled Felgueroso— and thus we boost that the companies launch to the market own products”.

Of all the technologies facilitadoras that signal from Europe, Felgueroso wanted to stand out the additive manufacture, consistent in the manufacture of pieces from a model 3D, without need of moulds neither toolings of any type, by means of the deposition of layers of material and his back consolidation, that can realise by means of sinterizado laser, cured by ultraviolet light or addition of an aglomerante, depending on the technology. “The additive is a revolutionary technology because for the first time it can manufacture as it manufactures the nature: putting the material only and exclusively where does fault; the nature does not waste”, affirmed the director manager of Prodintec.

Between the advantages that offers this technology are the can reproduce any geometry that the human being can imagine, offer an immediate answer to the cambiantes needs of the market and attend to the increasing demand of differentiation and personalización of the products by part of the consumers. “The results are prototypes, are final products, in metal, functional, in steel, cobalt or aluminium, with impossible possibilities for other methods of manufacture”. This technology is especially indicated for short series, of complex geometries and personalizables, without putting up the price of the product. Thus, The additive manufacture has special acceptance in the sectors of medicine (manufacture of medical implants, products ortopédicos and surgical tools to measure and programming and surgical planning), moulds and matrices (manufacture of pieces with channels of internal refrigeration, insertos or hybrid moulds), aeronautical sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing and automotive sector (manufacture of pieces with structures lightened or internal channels and subjected to frequent changes of design), architecture and topography (manufacture of maquetas) and education (manufacture of models).

Prodintec Is the place in Spain with the greater productive capacity in additive manufacture. They have technologies of additive manufacture for the obtaining of pieces in a wide variety of materials: metals (titanium, aluminium, inconel, stainless steel, steel for tools, chromium-cobalt...), polyamide (pure and loaded with aluminium), resins (with different degrees of gomosidad), ceramic material... Besides, his technicians are expert in the rediseño of pieces to take advantage of to the maximum the potential of this technology and achieve improve the provision.