With a solid background and commitment to the industrial sector, Fernando assumes the presidency of the Spanish Association of Machining and Metal-Mechanical Transformation (AFMEC), an organization that represents and defends the interests of companies dedicated to machining, cutting, boilermaking and metal-mechanical transformation.

In his first assessment as president of AFMEC, Fernando expressed his enthusiasm and sense of responsibility: "I assume this new stage as president of the Board of Directors with enthusiasm and responsibility. I would like to thank the associates and my colleagues on the Board for the trust they have placed in me. During the next few years, my commitment will be to work to consolidate the lines outlined in our strategic plan".

The new president highlighted the priorities at the association's helm:

1. Talent development and attraction: Implement measures to promote the talent development, loyalty and attraction, especially among young people and women, groups that are less represented in the current workforces.
2. Digitalization: Promote the digitalization of the association's companies to improve their competitiveness in an increasingly demanding market.
3. Business collaboration: Encourage the collaboration and active participation of member companies in all initiatives organized by AFMEC.
4. Internationalization: Promote the international presence of companies through participation in global events and meetings.
5. Sustainability: Implement actions and measures to improve sustainability and reduce the sector's environmental footprint.

Fernando is committed to leading the association with a vision for the future, focused on innovation, collaboration and sustainable development, thus ensuring robust and sustainable growth for all companies in the sector.

Fernando's election as president of AFMEC reinforces our belief in cooperation, partnership and open innovation.

At Factor we promote sustainable and high quality production in turning and precision machining by integrating technologies such as IoT, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to improve efficiency, sustainability and accuracy in our processes. A firm commitment to Industry 4.0 with the mission of increasing international competitiveness, attracting innovative talent and impacting in a positive way on the environment.

SUSTAINABILITY, WHETHER OR NOT

Aware of the impact of industry on our planet, at Factor we have reinforced our environmental commitment in a permanent transversal search for excellence. Specifically, the strategy in the operations area related to the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and methodologies, such as BigData or AI, are allowing us to considerably reduce energy consumption and material waste.

These results support the fact that the sustainable manufacturing we are committed to is the present of the industry. From our position, we invite other companies to join us on this path towards a greener and more prosperous future for all.

GOING FOR TOTAL QUALITY

The benefits of implementing technologies linked to the Industry 4.0 concept result in greater efficiency and productivity. The quality of decision making is significantly improved and flexibility is amplified; aspects that have a decisive influence on competitiveness.

A concrete case. At Factor we have implemented real-time monitoring of operational processes. This help allows us to predict consumption and optimize certain operations, information that the technician visualizes and, intuitively, makes decisions that improve the process. In this way we simultaneously identify areas for improvement in product quality.

OPEN INNOVATION

Both sustainability and quality go hand in hand with our relentless pursuit of results, which contribute to our ability to work with creative models of open innovation. Technology facilitates transformation, but cooperation with agents of change in the industrial ecosystem is a priority and fundamental. It plays a crucial role for Factor.

That is why we amplify our call for collaboration with Universities, Research Centers and Technological Institutions, to continue establishing alliances that bring competitive advantages and disruptive capabilities to European industries such as ours.

Last Saturday, January 27, we hosted the traditional annual meeting of the whole Factor team, a milestone that significantly marks the beginning of each business year.

The day began with an inspiring speech by our CEO, who shared the key indicators that have guided the company's path over the last 8 years. During this presentation, we were visual witnesses of our progress, evidencing a constant and sustained growth that confirms the strength of the Factor industrial project.

In words of Fernando Gastaldo, "The strength, longevity and magnitude of the sequoias are due to the mutual support and assistance". A statement that curiously set the tone of the day.

Subsequently, the agenda led us to explore the company's strategic objectives for the next 3 years. Firstly, we will focus on open innovation connected to the knowledge environment, establishing close collaboration with universities and technology centers. This will enable us to implement and apply advanced technology in our value processes.

Secondly, we will focus our attention on the group, following the analogy of the sequoias. The objective is to strengthen the skills of each team member, fostering collaboration and collective commitment to differentiate ourselves and face the new challenges that the near future presents us with greater guarantees. Precisely, this 2023 has been a year of many changes. We have shown that we are ready to adapt to the sector's conditions and to be flexible in order to give the team the best of ourselves.

To conclude the day and before enjoying a joint lunch, the management team made up of José Gastaldo (Sales Director), Antonio Zarza (Production Director), Alfredo Gimenez (Innovation Director), Roberto Andrade (Processes Director), Mónica Grau (Quality Director), Juanjo Ocaña (Operations Director) and Ana Sánchez (People Director), shared their impressions and new projects in a "round table" open to participation, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the day.

We would like to express our gratitude to all the people and organizations that contribute to Factor's sustainability and growth. We wish you all a safe journey in this new year and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

As an industrial project in Europe, Factor faces the near future with the determination to gain in international competitiveness and adaptability to the technological challenges demanded by digital transformation.

To this end, we are immersed in a strategic plan whose main axis is called innovation, in products, processes and technologies; useful for improving solutions for our customers.

In the plan we are developing, there is a very specific line of action: the development of the Data Culture. Data in our business operations is the value that helps us to improve all business variables. Times, processes, materials, use of tools, machine availability, product quality, etc. Through data capture, analysis and visualization tools, we are able to generate the analytical capacity to improve processes and therefore, value for the customer.

One of the fundamental infrastructures for the development of this type of processes associated with ICT is the 5G. In this line, Factor collaborates with the Instituto Tecnológico de Informática (ITI) of Valencia to develop a private 5G network that will allow us to implement the applications and technologies that we are in the process of developing with better efficiency and productivity parameters.

These applications are associated, on the one hand, with the automation of the current lathes and numerical control centers, as well as new robotization projects that will help us to reduce times in preparation, loading/unloading and logistics processes. On the other hand, the low latency internal 5G network will provide our team with information and training in real time through augmented and virtual reality, as well as the necessary data for detailed analysis of industrial and business processes.

To this end, in 2023 we completed the implementation of Power BI, a Microsoft business intelligence service that has enabled us to customize new dashboards for data visualization by integrating multiple sources of information from our processes. In addition, the software helps us to make faster and more effective decisions thanks to advanced data analysis and the collaboration of team members who share these reports.

Herein lies our most important "tangible". The Factor team. Professionals who, thanks to their perseverance and ability to learn, develop an autonomous and collaborative work that allows us to improve 1% every day. This is the way. Small steps that improve our agility, the main Factor of our transformation.