Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Spain, a reference point for the machine tool industry

Surging ahead of countries such as United Kingdom and France, Spain has consolidated its position as one of the world's leaders in the machine tool sector and also as a major industrial country.

The country ranks eighth among the world's main machine tool suppliers, and eighth in terms of export volume. Within the European Union it takes third place, after Germany and Italy.

Behind this significant data lies a long period of effort and initiative to reach such a position since the first mass-produced machine tool was manufactured in Spain in 1863. This is one historical aspect which illustrates the strong industrial tradition within the sector.

AFM, the Association representing the machine tool sector, was founded in 1946 and was one of the first Spanish entrepreneurial associations to become a member of an international professional organization when it joined the CECIMO (European Committee for Co-operation of the Machine Tool Industries).

With regard to the Machine Tool Industry in Spain, it should be said that over roughly the last seven years Spain has been one of the countries which has experienced the most growth in this sector, in proportion to the increasing size and importance of the main machine tool manufacturers. This rate of growth is in terms of both production volume and of exports Data gathered for the year 2002 show that Spain remains among the leading machine tool manufacturer countries.

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