Basque Automotive Industry presents a selection of its products at AIC
150 components showcase just what the Basque industry can do Mercedes Viano X-CLUSIVE built in Vitoria also on display | 16/04/2010Bilbao, 16.4.2010 Basque
automotive cluster ACICAE this morning inaugurated an Exhibition of Products made in the Basque Country for carmakers and
tier 1 suppliers. The event is being staged at the AIC-Automotive Intelligence
Center.
With Vizcaya Provincial
Council Chief Executive José Luís Bilbao and deputy Basque regional minister
for Industry & Energy Xabier Garmendia at the forefront, the inauguration
attracted more than 100 professionals linked to the automotive industry,
including director generals, technicians and commercial managers.
The exhibition is a showcase
where anyone from the industry visiting Vizcaya has a practical opportunity to
see the capabilities of local automotive component firms and just what they
contribute to vehicle development.
As ACICAE chairman Julian
Hernando says, here in the Basque Country we work on all vehicle functions,
with just about every carmaker in the business and in all markets worldwide.
The industry here makes a really broad range of components. As an example, he
cites the assembly of: no less than 24 million shock absorbers, 7% of world
production.
Vizcaya Provincial Council
chief executive and AIC chairman José Luis Bilbao stressed
"the importance of having a genuine industry like the automotive industry
at work in Vizcaya and the Basque region as a whole. Its a competitive
industry teeming with products, processes and technologies. Now, despite the
crisis, it is working to be in a position of strength when things start to get
better. A good example of this is the AIC itself, and the support provided by
the Vizcaya Provincial Council.
Displaying 150 representative
components in all, the exhibition is divided by vehicle functions: powertrain,
drivetrain, interior features, exterior features, chassis-bodywork, electricity
and electronics and tires and wheel rims. Also on display is a Mercedes Viano
X-CLUSIVE, built in Vitoria.
Ultimately, the initiative
reinforces the image of the Basque automotive industry, which is already a
force to be reckoned with, thanks to its management levels, quality,
technology, internationalization and logistics.