Antonio Castro, CEO of Andalucía TRADE, announced today at the Paris Air Show, alongside CFA Director Isaac Pérez, the imminent launch of this new industrial hub, which will serve as a national and international benchmark.
The CFA, which has received an investment of 18.31 million funded by ERDF funds, will help Andalusian companies develop their projects by streamlining innovation processes.
Today, Thursday, at the Paris Air Show-Le Bourget—the global epicenter of the aerospace industry—Andalucía TRADE unveiled the new flagship initiative for the transformation of the region’s industrial base: the Advanced Manufacturing Center (CFA), which will open in Puerto Real (Cádiz). This facility aims to become a leading hub for industrial innovation in Spain and Europe.
Antonio Castro, CEO of Andalucía TRADE, joined CFA Director Isaac Pérez in announcing the imminent launch of this new industrial hub, which will serve as a benchmark both nationally and internationally. The Advanced Manufacturing Center, located in Cádiz, has been funded with more than 18 million euros from the ERDF and is managed by the Fidamc Foundation. At its facilities, companies will be able to carry out R&D&I projects without having to relocate outside the region, which will reduce costs and time in the innovation process.
This initiative has benefited from the collaboration of companies such as Navantia and Airbus—one of the project’s main driving forces alongside the Regional Government of Andalusia—as well as institutions such as the University of Cádiz (UCA) and Fidamc, the foundation responsible for the center’s overall management.
The presentation of this new tool to boost Andalusia’s economy took place following a visit by the director general of Andalucía TRADE to the public agency’s booth at the trade show. At this event, a total of 14 companies are participating in an extensive schedule of B2B meetings and networking activities, with the goal of fostering strategic, technological, and commercial partnerships, as well as identifying potential partners to collaborate on R&D&I projects at the European and international levels.
Following this visit, Antonio Castro took an extensive tour of the exhibition spaces of other Andalusian companies, as well as the booths of major multinational corporations with a presence in the region, all of which were located in the Spanish Pavilion organized by the Spanish Association of Defense, Security, Aeronautics, and Space Technology Companies (TEDAE), as part of the Sectoral Plan established with ICEX Spain Export and Investment.
CFA Puerto Real
CFA is a project spearheaded by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Finance, and European Funds and designed with the goal of “providing companies with a practical tool to accelerate innovation and strengthen the competitiveness of Andalusia’s industrial sector,” as Antonio Castro, the head of the public agency, emphasized during his remarks.
In his remarks, CFA Director Isaac Pérez-Fafian explained that “the CFA’s goal is to improve and support the competitiveness of Andalusian and Spanish companies through innovation. A center of this kind, designed and equipped to host industrial projects, allows companies to improve their manufacturing technologies and quickly integrate them into their production processes, which will make them more competitive, help them secure better contracts, and gain access to new markets.”
To achieve that goal, “the CFA has been designed around a strategic model based on four technological areas (additive manufacturing, robotics, metrology and digitization, and drones) and is equipped with specialized equipment aligned with technological trends in advanced manufacturing,” explained Pérez-Fafian.
Likewise, the CEO of Andalucía TRADE noted that “this center is destined to be the key to industrial innovation in Andalusia,” he said, also highlighting its ability to adapt to different sectors, ranging from advanced transportation to Ubrique leather and the biotech sector. “We want the CFA to become the place to be for Andalusian industry,” he said.
“The industry’s reaction is the best indicator of this Center’s value. When Fidamc announced the guidelines for submitting projects to the Advanced Manufacturing Center in May, more than 200 companies expressed interest in learning about the conditions and procedures that will be followed,” said Antonio Castro.
Castro also highlighted the dynamism shown by Andalusian industry, which grew ten times faster than the national average in April, according to the Industrial Production Index. This trend, he emphasized, “consolidates the role of the industrial sector as a driver of regional economic growth.”
“Our goal as a public agency has been to commit to an economic model that combines growth in traditional sectors with the diversification and strengthening of the industrial base. To that end, we have launched three incentive programs totaling 244 million euros to support industrial and R&D&I projects. It is worth noting that 91% of the approved funding has been allocated to industrial initiatives.” The event concluded with a direct message from Antonio Castro to businesses: “The CFA is now a reality. We will officially inaugurate it very soon, but you can already submit your projects. We’re waiting for you.”
Andalusian Companies at Le Bourget
The Andalusian companies participating in this international trade fair at the Andalusia booth are from Seville (Andalucía Aerospace—Association of Aerospace Companies of Andalusia, Suministros Fresados y Grabados—Grabysur, Airtificial Aerospace & Defense Engineering, Aerotecnic Metallic, Integración Tecnológica Empresarial, Inventia Kinetics, Aerosm 4.0, Aercal Aerospace, Skylife Engineering, Canagrosa Lab and Services, CITD Aerópolis, and Sofitec Aero), Cádiz (Mecanizados y Montajes Aeronáuticos), and Huelva (Dovetail Electric Aviation).
Andalucía TRADE’s organization of this initiative will be co-financed with funds from the European Union through the 2021–2027 ERDF Operational Program for Andalusia, which is funded by an 85% EU contribution, or any other European program eligible to co-finance this initiative.
In addition, outside the space organized by Andalucía TRADE, the exhibition also features companies from the Andalusian cluster and other firms based in the region, such as Aciturri-Alestis (Seville), Aernnova (Seville), Aertec (Málaga), Atlas by Catec (Jaén), GMV (Seville), Mades (Málaga), ITP Aero (Seville), Grupo Oesía (Seville), Héroux-Devtek (Seville), Fidamc (Cádiz), and Lamaignere Cargo (Seville).
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