The acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, has participated in the plenary conference with which Automotive Meetings Madrid has opened, an international event aimed at the automotive supply chain.
This event, which is being held for the first time in our country, is organized by ABE (Advanced Business Events), an entity specialized in this type of meetings at a global level, in collaboration with SERNAUTO, the Spanish Association of Automotive Suppliers.
"For our country, the automotive industry is a key sector that should continue to play a leading role in our future economic model. We are aware of the transformation that the sector is experiencing, "said Minister Maroto. Thus, "We need to establish shared, comprehensive and orderly strategies to tackle this challenge with responsibility".
In the specific field of the electric vehicle, "the Government wants to guarantee that, as with more traditional technologies, Spain has outstanding actors throughout the entire value chain," he said. "We want convert Spain into a platform for investment and development of the technologies associated with the electric vehicle, in a meeting point of the main actors in the mobility of the future ".
The Minister of Industry concluded by showing her support for the sector: "From the Government we are committed to accompany the sector in this transition. If we work together, a promising future awaits us in the development of this paradigm of sustainable, safe and intelligent mobility ".
During today and tomorrow, B2B meetings will take place at IFEMA-Feria de Madrid between the different operators of the supply chain at an international level (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier3, services linked to OEMs, new technologies, logistics, talent recruitment … ). Specifically, they are participating 203 companies from 19 countries.
At the opening of the plenary conference, Jordi Llidó, partner of Deloitte, driver of the event, highlighted the role played by Spain in the global automotive market and the great challenges that lie ahead.
The event was opened by David Moneo, director of Motor and Mobility at IFEMA; Maria Helena Antolin, president of SERNAUTO; and Stéphane Castet, president of ABE (organizing entity).
The director of IFEMA Motor & Mobility Group, David Moneo, thanked during his welcome the confidence shown by Advanced Business Events and SERNAUTO – "an entity with which we have a close relationship" – when choosing IFEMA to hold an event of this relevance . He also highlighted the involvement of IFEMA with the automotive industry, and in particular, Motortec Automechanika Madrid, a reference fair for the sector and that "closed its last edition, with more than 60,000 professionals; more than 700 exhibiting companies and 1,300 brands, which formed a business meeting of high efficiency ".
The president of SERNAUTO, Maria Helena Antolin, thanked ABE for having chosen our country as a base within Europe for the celebration of this event that highlights the strengths of the Spanish component industry, a solid, innovative and competitive industry that is Present in more than 170 countries. As he stressed, "for decades, The Spanish automotive equipment and components industry is a world leader in terms of innovation, technology, experience and quality. Our companies offer a wide range of technologically advanced products with high safety and quality standards at competitive prices. "
The executive vice president of Anfac, Mario Armero, also spoke, explaining the vision of vehicle manufacturers who, together with suppliers, represent 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country. "With the transformation of the sector towards mobility and new associated services, we can aspire to more business volume and also reinforce the role of the industry in Spain".
For his part, Stéphane Castet, CEO of ABE, stressed that "Automotive Manufacturing Meetings Madrid is the first event of business meetings in Spain and strategic for the continuation of the series of events 'Automotive Meetings' of ABE In fact, our company already successfully organizes other events within the same format for the automotive industry in several countries (Mexico, USA, Colombia and Turkey) .We aim to continue developing the European market through AMM Madrid, positioning it as the reference event for the automotive industry in the European Union. "
AMM Madrid, he continues, "is committed to the transition of advanced manufacturing (industry 4.0, robotics, additive manufacturing and digital transformation). At the same time, it helps SMEs to identify new business opportunities and for large assemblers to develop new technologies and products. "
After their interventions, three round tables were held where experts from the automotive industry discussed topical topics such as innovation, Industry 4.0 or digital transformation, from an international perspective.