Intaf activates in Narón its unique steel parts treatment centre in Spain

Jan 17, 2023 | Intaf Group, La Voz de Galicia

Alfonso Rueda celebrates a project that will serve “200 companies in Galicia”

From the heart of the As Lagoas industrial estate in Narón, the Intaf Group has already set up its centre for the treatment of large steel parts. It is a unique infrastructure in Spain. The main feature of the manufacturing centre is a furnace system in which an investment of more than 2.6 million euros has been made (80% financed by the Xunta de Galicia through the Igape). This machine for the heat treatment of steels will close the value chain of its parts, and will be able to cover the needs of up to 200 companies in the metal sector in the autonomous community. Intaf, a company from Narón headed by José Ramón Franco, has promoted this project through Cogaltra: a company promoted in 2020 by this group and Tumbadoiro, with the participation of Mecanizados Moan, Demaq and Ipargama.

Francisco Conde, Alfonso Rueda, Marián Ferreiro and José Ramón Franco, at the Intaf facilities. cesar toimil

The presentation was attended this Monday by the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, who celebrated “the opening of this advanced manufacturing centre that aims to complete the production cycle of the company itself, and that will be available to other companies”. According to Franco, “we have identified 200 companies in Galicia of mechanical products that require these processes, and we are open to collaborate with training centres and universities”. Accompanied by the Regional Minister of Industry, Francisco Conde, Rueda stressed that “these 200 companies need parts that are made in this furnace, until now they had to be ordered from outside with higher prices and longer waiting times”.

Cogaltra (Consorcio Gallego de Tratamientos Térmicos) thus responds to the demand for increasingly complex steel components. It will create 20 jobs and produce 2,000 parts per year. Since 2020, the Xunta’s line of aid for these advanced manufacturing centres throughout the autonomous community invested 16.2 million euros with a mobilisation of 25 million. For this first quarter of 2023, the regional president indicated that “we will call another line with 11 million euros more, to continue doing so until 2025”.

The Intaf Group works for the wind energy, naval and aeronautical sectors. During the visit to the facilities, the mayoress of Narón, Marián Ferreiro, celebrated “the pride of having an industrial reference beyond the borders of our city”. She highlighted “the fact that we have leading companies in the naval and renewable energy sectors”. Behind are “almost 82 years doing homeland for Narón”, as Franco recalls in reference to a family business that generates 200 direct jobs.

In the metal-mechanical area, this treatment of steel components “covers a space that in Galicia was empty”. Rueda wanted to emphasise this aspect: “Before, we had to look for the parts abroad and now many Galician companies will be able to supply themselves here in order to dispose of their production lines”. The system seeks to harden surfaces, with cementation, hardening and tempering of large structures. Here Rueda gave a nod to renewables: “Everything to do with maintenance and repairs in renewables creates a lot of jobs”. He admits that “we are a long way behind other European countries in offshore, but we already manufacture for other places and now we have to define the areas of our coastline” where this industry can be installed, “with all due respect for environmental regulations and fishing resources”.

Finally, Rueda said that he is waiting for the Government to “improve” the Naval Port. And he reminded that the area has three strategic industrial projects with Next Generation funds: Sentury Tire in As Pontes, Reganosa with EDPR in As Pontes, and Forestal del Atlántico in Mugardos. The Xunta’s delegate in Ferrol, Martina Aneiros, also attended the visit.

 

Fuente: La Voz de Galicia