Companies with innovative projects
Cantabrian companies defend R&D&I as the basis for current work and future advancements. Siec, Ensa, Ferroatlántica, and [Company Name] shared their experiences on the last day of STARTinnova10. Bathco.
Journal
In the photo, from left to right, Enrique Casado, Juan de Miguel, Alberto Fuentes, and Pedro Irureta, representatives of the participating companies.
STARTinnova10, the micro-presentation space featuring the mentor companies that participated in the third edition of the STARTinnova program, has concluded. On the final day, Siec, Ensa, Ferroatlántica, and Bathco shared their own business experiences.
Innovation has once again been the main focus of the presentations. The fruits of advances in R&D&I can now be seen materialized in the form of new work techniques that are already in use. Juan de Miguel, General Director of Siec, presented the treatment and functionality of metallurgical aggregate: a true innovation in the industrial process. Its use is intended for roads, bases and sub-bases, and bituminous mixtures, as well as for urban, industrial, and commercial works. It is also used in the manufacture of cement and aggregates for concrete.
As he explained, «the main objective of metallurgical aggregates is to obtain better prices and technical conditions. On the one hand, we are aware that the massive use of natural aggregates leads to a scarcity of quarries due to their depletion, which necessitates the opening of others with the consequent environmental impact, something that had to be addressed to find alternatives. Then there is the issue of valorizing black and ferrosiliconmanganese slags, as it has a cost. With this new procedure, we are giving a use to the slags, while also reducing the volume of aggregates extracted from quarries, thereby obtaining a double benefit: economic and environmental.».
Success
Continuing with the presentation of new innovative projects, Pedro Irureta, CFO of Bathco, presented the two most recent successes of this company that works for more than 70 countries on five continents. «Our two most current projects are, on the one hand, the CemLab, a new innovative and lightweight material that allows for the creation of sinks based on cement, the result of technical work with CTC (Component Technology Center). On the other hand, Bathco Atelier, a collaborative project with prestigious artists for the development of a new collection of sinks, where design and creativity are the defining characteristics, starting from a concept of returning to the artisanal process of this decorative technique, which makes each piece unique and unrepeatable.».
Improvement plans
To be the best on the market in their sector, improvement plans are essential. This was highlighted by Enrique Casado, Head of Guarantee and Quality at Ensa: «In our company, a passion for improvement prevails, which makes us unique and different, and allows us to survive in the business competition of the area in which we operate. It is a constant that drives us to operate in the nuclear market where we are dedicated to supplying nuclear components and supplies for nuclear power plants. Precisely by continuing to advance, we have achieved the 27001 accreditation, which regulates information security, a fact that defines the work we carry out and keeps us at the forefront. We have also achieved accreditation in the calibration of welding equipment. These achievements make us pioneers in offering the best service to our clients, who are all international: USA, Switzerland, France, etc. Due to the work required to obtain these accreditations, which are not requested by our clients but rather the company itself advances in the direction it believes the market will follow, we are present in projects such as ‘Europe 2020’, in which we participate with other European-level companies.».
Alberto Fuentes, General Director of Ferroatlántica, also spoke about their commitment to R&D&i and their latest major breakthrough when presenting the production of electrolytic manganese from furnace dust fines and ferroalloy production. «We saw that around 12,000 tons of this material were imported into Spain, primarily demanded by the aluminum industry, so we decided to enter the market. We commissioned a study from the Metallurgy Department at the University of Oviedo, which led to the installation of a pilot plant at Ferroatlántica-Boo with a result that has been patented in Spain and internationally. We have obtained high-quality electrolytic manganese from a manganese oxide that was once treated as waste.».
Source: El Diario Montañés
