On average, of a car, 75% comes from the component industry

In Spain, pre-2007 levels have been reached

The digitization of the industry, with greater energy efficiency, the future

An optimistic message was sent yesterday by Francisco Riberas, president of the component manufacturer Gestamp, about the future of the automobile industry. It discarded pessimistic forecasts that predict a decline in world production and presented a forecast of continued growth until 2021 and beyond.

These forecasts were shared in the tribute to his colleague Ernesto Antolín, president of Grupo Antolín, who, together with Gestamp, CIE and some other Spanish company, have become giants of the component industry, which is experiencing a particularly sweet moment.

This is due, on the one hand, to the increasingly important outsourcing of part of the production by the manufacturers, who seek the conversion of fixed costs, in order to free up funds that can be dedicated to research and development. To the extent that, on average, of a car, 75% comes from the component industry and 25% from the same manufacturer.

Gestamp is a company dedicated to the production of large metal parts that is absorbing the sheet metal stamping of many factories around the world.

Returning to its forecasts, the global manufacturing of cars has recovered from the hole it had in 2009, and in 2021 global production should reach 104 million vehicles, having started at 57.5 million in 2009, in full depression due to the crisis and after having reached 95.3 million last year.

In Spain, the evolution has been even better. The manufacturers, strongly affected by the crisis, have managed to recover and achieve in 2017 practically the levels prior to 2007. Not only is it the second largest manufacturer in Europe, but it is the third state with the largest increase in the continent from 2012 to 2016. Around it has come to collect 12% of industrial employment, 4,000 million annual investment and 10% of industrial investment.

Focusing the analysis on the component sector, the 1,000 industries that in round numbers form it, employ 212,000 workers. Its annual turnover is 34,000 million euros. To this must be added 19,510 million in exports and an investment in annual R & D of 1,353 million.

Causes of growth

Riberas, with the acquiescence of his colleague Antolin, wanted to point out the reasons for the existence of a globally powerful components industry, which emerged from a country with many car factories without decision centers.

He pointed out that one of the causes is that, since there are no predominant manufacturers that impose particular strategies and forms of work, the Spanish industry has been flexible and has adapted to all of them, outstripping its rivals in different countries. He also acknowledged some support from the Government, which should have discovered the anchor effect that a strong component industry has on automobile factories.

In this future that seems bright, he pointed out that the great challenge lies in the digitization of the industry, which should allow greater energy efficiency, superior maintenance of the tooling and more quality for the user.

THE WORLD – SERGIO PICCIONE – Jan 19 2018 (Translation Soft)