The Principality of Asturias and Indra Group seek to declare the new armoured vehicle plant in Gijón an industrial project of strategic interest
- A £43 million investment to transform ’El Tallerón" into a European benchmark
- Commitment to employment, training and strategic autonomy
The President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, and the Executive President of Indra Group, Ángel Escribano, met at the Principality's Presidency to consolidate the company's commitment to establishing the nerve centre of its industrial activity for the manufacture, transformation and modernisation of military armoured vehicles in Asturias.
At the meeting, Ángel Escribano requested that ‘El Tallerón’ in Gijón, be declared a Strategic Industrial Project (PIER) by the regional government, a designation that would maximise the economic and social impact of the project, promote reindustrialisation and strengthen the supply chain, reinforce its competitiveness and minimise administrative procedures to accelerate the start of industrial activity.
Furthermore, declaring this development a strategic project would help to place Asturias at the epicentre of industrial and technological development in the defence sector in Spain. This designation would also boost public-private collaboration and consolidate an innovative ecosystem capable of generating highly skilled employment, revitalising the auxiliary industry and opening up new opportunities for local suppliers.
Likewise, the PIER declaration would allow immediate access to all the economic and financial incentive tools available from the Principality of Asturias Administration. Projects of Strategic Interest are regulated by Law 7/2024 of the Principality and seek to streamline and facilitate strategic investments to transform the Asturian economy, prioritising projects with a high impact on employment, sustainability and digitisation. If approved, it would be the first of its kind to be carried out in Asturias.
The executive president of Indra Group, Ángel Escribano, emphasised at the press conference following the meeting in the Principality: "I would like to thank all Asturians and the president of the Principality for the warm welcome and collaboration they have shown Indra. We will continue to create jobs and develop technological capabilities in Asturias. One of these will be a modern test track for conducting mobility tests on land platforms.‘
The President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, said: ’Indra's commitment reinforces our position as a land of opportunity and strengthens the industrial resurgence of Asturias.‘
A £43 million investment to transform ’El Tallerón" into a European benchmark
Last July, Indra Group completed the acquisition of ‘El Tallerón’ to transform it into one of Europe's most modern plants for the manufacture of armoured vehicles and combat tanks. As part of this operation, 156 professionals joined Indra's workforce and are already receiving specific training to perform new functions in the advanced industrial processes that will be implemented.
The company has announced an initial investment of €43 million to adapt and modernise the facilities, incorporate cutting-edge technologies and equip the plant with Industry 4.0 processes, with the aim of turning the centre into a strategic hub for the manufacture and integration of state-of-the-art land platforms.
Commitment to employment, training and strategic autonomy
In addition to maintaining existing jobs, Indra has launched training and qualification programmes that will enable workers to acquire new skills, strengthening their position in the industry and guaranteeing sustainable and highly specialised jobs.
With this project, Indra is strengthening its industrial capabilities, increasing its efficiencies and contributing to strengthening national and European strategic autonomy, a key objective of the Leading the Future Strategic Plan. The initiative will also help Asturias participate in major multinational defence programmes, positioning the region as a key player in the sector.
Indra Group also has a centre of technological excellence in Asturias for ATM (Air Traffic Management) software projects, which employs around 230 people and provides highly relevant, high-level elements to several innovative product lines. The facility, located in the Gijón Technology and Science Park, works on various national and international projects in the field of ITEC (European collaboration of traffic service providers) and ManagAir, its own automation solution that is widely implemented around the world and is currently under development in Abu Dhabi and Mumbai.
In the region, it has an academic development agreement with the University of Oviedo (chair), five collaboration agreements in cybersecurity and ten agreements with vocational training centres.