Gestamp Biscay will manufacture the metallic components of the new van of Mercedes Benz

Gestamp Biscay, pertaining to the Group Gestamp, referent in the design, development and manufacture of metallic groups for the car, will produce the tooling and mobile parts of the new van that Mercedes Benz foresees to launch to the market from the spring of 2014 and that will manufacture in his plant of Vitoria-gasteiz.

To face up to this big industrial challenge, the Group Gestamp foresees to tackle investments by value of 60 M€ in the stage 2012-2017, investments that already have materialised in his majority, with the end to adapt the installations of Gestamp Biscay, in terms of new industrial means, systems of management advanced and configuration.

The project VS20 –technical denomination that answers to the new van of Mercedes Benz- has a length of 10 years, from 2014, date of launching of the project, until the year 2023, with an estimate in the production of 125.000 vehicles and takes the relief of the project led also from the Biscayan plant from the year 2003 to supply the metallic components of the van Mercedes Vito and Viano.

Gestamp And the German group Daimler keep a solid relation that translates in projects under way in countries such like Argentina, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Portugal and United States. The Group Daimler has supposed in 2012 9% of the world-wide turnover of Gestamp.

The activity of Gestamp in Euskadi comprises centres of decision so much productive like corporate, 1 centre of R&D of the 12 that the Group has to world-wide level –situated in the AIC of Boroa-, and represents direct employment for more than 1.500 people. Likewise, the rooting of the company in Euskadi puts of self-evident with the existence of centres of corporate decision, like the Division Europe North, the Global Steering of Chassis and the Global Steering of Tooling. All this perimeter covers to more than 10.000 people of the 29.000 workers to world-wide level. That is to say, 1 of each 3 people of the Group Gestamp has his centre of decision in Euskadi.

The act of commemoration of the 25º anniversary of Gestamp Biscay, that has celebrated in the installations of the plant in Abadiño (Biscay) has had the presence of the president of the Basque Country Iñigo Urkullu, the general deputy of Biscay, José Luis Bilbao, and of the adviser of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the Basque Government, Arantza Wall and the mayor of Abadiño José Luis Navarro between other authorities.

Gestamp Biscay is the main reference in tooling for the sector of the car in Euskadi and supplies metallic components for marks like Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen, among others.

The president of the Group Gestamp, Francisco J. Mere banks, has manifested in the course of the memorial event that, “Between 2012 and 2013, our Group has invested more than 1.200 M€ to world-wide level. Gestamp Biscay was the germ of our industrial group, but today the new plants out of Spain are those that are allowing us invest in Biscay to follow “manufacturing future”. Of this way, closes a circle that began 25 years ago in this same plant”.