One of Factor's main strategic lines is to promote the skills, knowledge and competencies of its professionals

At Factor, the commitment to the training and development of people is paramount. This strategic approach seeks to enhance individual skills and talent, while fostering an organizational culture that promotes growth, competitiveness and innovation.

Along these lines, Álex Ibáñez, head of technical office/process engineer at Factor, has recently completed the Expert Degree in Digital Transformation of the Metalworking Industry. This program, the result of a collaboration agreement between Inndux Digital Group, the Valencian Metallurgical Business Federation (FEMEVAL) and the University Institute of Automation and Industrial Informatics (ai2 Institute) of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), trains professionals to lead the digital transformation in the metal-mechanical sector. And, for this, it addresses, among others, the following topics: “Advanced Manufacturing, impact. Disruptive Technologies and Industry 4.0”, ‘Industrial Information Systems’, ‘Open Innovation’ or ‘Electronic Systems and Automation’.

Álex Ibáñez's experience

Álex Ibáñez has been with Factor for nearly three years. He joined as a trainee from a master's degree at the UPV. Afterwards, he had a training period at the machine with assemblers and spent some time as the person in charge of the intelligent tool warehouse. He currently holds the position of technical office manager/process engineer. His duties include CNC programming, management of planimetry and 3D modeling, 3D printing prototyping in FDM and SLA technologies, assistance to assemblers/assemblers in the manufacturing plant and preparation of technical documentation.

Ibáñez has assessed that the Title of Expert in Digital Transformation of the Metalworking Industry has met his expectations, “the variety of topics addressed is very broad and offer a great starting point to subsequently expand knowledge by implementing these dynamics in the day to day of the company”.

In addition, he pointed out that the training program is “a very good point of introduction to very hot topics currently in the industry, topics in which companies must be up to date if they want to remain competitive”, stressing that “by taking this course I have been able to introduce myself to very new industrial topics that in the future can be implemented in Factor, since, from my position, the area that I could promote the most is Advanced Manufacturing and Disruptive Technologies”.

In this context and in relation to the future of the metalworking industry in relation to digital transformation, Álex has stressed that, “if you want to be up to date in the industry, you have to be digital”.

Training, a strategic line

Regarding Factor's commitment to training, Alex stressed that “it is constant. The training needs of each person are analyzed on the basis of a polyvalence matrix that includes the aspects to be developed in the jobs. Once the career plan for each profile has been designed, the relevant training is implemented”.

For Factor, continuous employee training is a fundamental pillar. In a constantly evolving work environment, the commitment to the professional development of each member of the team translates into a strategic investment towards excellence.

Ana María Sánchez Escribano, Factor's People Director, emphasized that she is “a faithful advocate of development and continuous improvement, not only of the processes, but also of the profiles with which we work at Factor”. In this line, she added that “an important part of this improvement lies in the individual capacity and personal commitment of each member of this company to want to grow and improve day by day, in curiosity and the desire for personal improvement”.

Sánchez Escribano concluded by stating that “as a company, we can influence and have direct responsibility in our duty to provide the channels and training channels so that Factor's employees can develop their full potential and be able to offer their best possible professional version”.

A series of key visits to institutes of the REDIT network and the development of advanced projects in the framework of Industry 4.0 drive the commitment to innovation.

Last September was a month of intense learning and collaboration for Factor, as the company strengthened its ties with the technological institutes of the REDIT network, exploring their cutting-edge facilities and opening up new opportunities for joint innovation.

Visit to Aitex

An enriching visit, led by Jorge Domenech, Project Manager at AITEX, and Paco Pons, also from Aitex, in which Factor attended a presentation on “the role of Artificial Intelligence in productive environments”, by Jordi Llinares, academic coordinator of ValgrAI, and Paco Pons.

Meeting with AIDIMME

Alex Ibáñez and Mario Sebastià Cañadas, from Factor's engineering team, explored the modern additive manufacturing facilities of AIDIMME and CEXMETAL, and planned new collaboration projects with other players in the sector, expanding Factor's innovation horizon.

New innovation projects

• MANTRA and 5G-RECON: With the Instituto Tecnológico de Informática (ITI), both initiatives seek advanced robot management through Augmented Reality in 5G environments, reinforcing Factor's commitment to Industry 4.0.
• GEDAI: With the Instituto Tecnológico de la Energía (ITE), this project, in line with sustainability, is focused on the optimization of energy and water consumption.

Factor thanks all the professionals of the REDIT network for their dedication and knowledge. These types of collaborations position Factor at the technological forefront, developing innovative solutions that respond to current and future market challenges.

The general manager of Factor, Fernando Gastaldo, has been appointed president of the Executive Committee of VALMETAL (Business Association for the Innovation in the productive processes of Metal and Related Industries of the Valencian Community), after the vote that took place this monday in the General Electoral Assembly.

The new Executive Committee of VALMETAL will be composed of:

• Presidency: Fernando Gastaldo, Factor's General Manager.
• Vicepresidency: Vicente Rocatí, director of AIDIMME.
• Treasury: Empar Martínez Bonafé, general secretary of FEMEVAL.
• Board Members:
  • Laura Orón, CEO of DYMSA Engineering.
  • Fernando Saludes, CEO of Industrias Saludes.
  • Ander Muelas, cofounder and president of Endurance Motive.
  • Miguel Calpe, general manager of Dismuntel.

The new Executive Committee assumes the commitment to develop the strategic lines of the group, with the purpose of promoting the competitiveness and growth of the sector, promoting collaboration and boosting innovation and the future of the metal sector.

Fernando Gastaldo has indicated that “it is an honor to assume this responsibility, I am fully committed to the values and objectives of VALMETAL. Together with the new committee, we will work to foster digital transformation, promote talent and training in the sector, promote growth and cooperation throughout the value chain and open up new market opportunities at a technological and geographical level”.

It continues to focus on the most reliable, productive and flexible equipment, in order to offer the most advanced and innovative option in the market

One of Factor's main purposes is to increase the competitiveness of its customers, as well as to consolidate its position in the manufacture of products with high added value, complexity of operations, precision and greater dimensional range. And with both objectives in focus, it has acquired the Nakamura JX-250 high-end multi-tasking lathe, which will considerably expand the industrial capacity for the manufacture of parts.

The machine's top unit, which features an automatic tool changer, offers exceptional performance, and its 18,000-rpm milling head is the smallest on the market, ideal for some highly complex jobs.

The head has a magazine for 80 tools and each turret is equipped with a 12-position Y-axis. Thus, this machine has up to 104 tools, giving it the necessary flexibility for highly complex jobs. At the same time, it offers enormous productivity, as it can work with up to three tools at the same time. “We are talking about a machine that combines the features of a high-performance, high-productivity multitasking automatic lathe with the milling capacity of a machining center,” says Factor.

The JX-250 has twin spindles opposite each other, which makes it possible to finish parts in two setups or produce large-format shafts, since the maximum turning diameter is 320 millimeters and it reaches a turning length of 1,650 millimeters. The equipment also incorporates the function of gear hobbing, both internal and external.

This lathe has the “HAN-BEI Milling Machine”, equipped with a probe, and an in-process part measuring system. And, in addition, it has the second-generation 3D Smart Pro AI Software, which features Artificial Intelligence and has the great advantage of allowing 3D models to be imported directly and input into the Smart X. In fact, it is the world's most advanced and innovative software in its category.

Ultimately, the Nakamura JX-250 will offer a number of benefits to Factor's customers. First, it will expand production capacity. On the other hand, it will increase the dimensional range of the product and increase its complexity due to the number of tools available on the equipment. It will also boost competitiveness, since it combines the high productivity of an automatic twin-turret lathe with the high performance of a machining center, allowing greater complexity by number of operations on a single piece of equipment. And, in terms of quality, the device is equipped with measuring rulers on all its axes for maximum working accuracy, and a measuring probe, which allows the measurement of workpieces in process.

Thus, Factor reinforces, once again, its commitment to cutting-edge technology with this multitasking lathe model, the first in Spain capable of working with three tools simultaneously. One more example that it has the most reliable, productive and flexible equipment to offer its customers the most competitive option in the market.