23 March, 2026Gipuzkoa today announced its latest commitment to the manufacturing industry, with a unique technological contribution that completes the Advanced Manufacturing Campus in Elgoibar. The event was attended by the General Deputy of Gipuzkoa, Eider Mendoza; the President of AFM, José Pérez Berdud; the President of IMH, Xabier Ortueta; and the CEO of Danobat, Xabier Alzaga. Also present at the presentation were Jaione Ganzarain, Vice-Minister for Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Basque Government; the Deputy for Economic Promotion and Strategic Projects, Unai Andueza; and the Mayor of Elgoibar, Maialen Gurrutxaga. The presentation served to explain the concept of the Campus and highlight its strategic role in training and talent development for the new era of advanced manufacturing.
The new space, promoted by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, represents an investment of €1,250,000. This project focuses on technological innovation and specialized training, reinforcing the territory’s positioning as an international benchmark in skills development and new technologies for advanced manufacturing.
The Campus, located at the IMH facilities in Elgoibar, will be completed throughout 2026 with infrastructure equipped with the latest precision robotics technology for manufacturing. This new space continues the long-standing commitment of the Provincial Council to IMH, materialized in several connected and synergistic laboratories (Manufacturing, Digitalization, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing and Design), designed both for advanced training in a real industrial environment and for the demonstration, development, testing and validation of industrial solutions. This space will foster open collaboration between companies, the strong ecosystem of technology centers, universities and vocational training institutions, contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of the industrial fabric.
Located in the heart of the territory’s industrial sector and scheduled to be operational by the end of 2026, the new project is structured around three key pillars: open technological development, knowledge transfer to the business sector, and the training of specialized talent. On this basis, it will reinforce the position of Gipuzkoa and the Basque Country as international benchmarks in both innovation and industrial training.
Eider Mendoza, General Deputy of Gipuzkoa:
“Machine tools and advanced manufacturing form a sector that, in addition to being emblematic, is strategic for Gipuzkoa’s industry. It is an activity deeply rooted in the territory that provides knowledge, technology, innovation and economic development. It places our territory at the forefront of industrial capabilities, and with this latest initiative Gipuzkoa reaffirms its firm commitment to the sector. Through this new space for innovation and collaboration, Gipuzkoa once again commits to pursuing innovative specialization in sectors where it has strong capabilities, enabling today’s companies to enhance their competitiveness and strengthening the foundations of an industry that will ensure future activity and quality employment.”
Technological infrastructure: innovative robotic solution with Danobat’s dBOT
The materialization of IMH’s positioning as a leading center for high-precision robotics training in manufacturing will feature a key asset: the precision robot dBOT, developed and manufactured by Danobat, an advanced solution representing a new category of production machinery.
This system combines the rigidity, stability and precision of a machine tool with the flexibility of a six-axis robot, setting a new standard in the machining of complex and large-scale parts.
With three times greater precision and ten times higher dynamic stiffness than conventional robots, the dBOT is positioned as a key driver of innovation and as an advanced training platform, enabling students, companies and professionals to develop competencies in robotics and precision manufacturing.
Xabier Alzaga, CEO of Danobat:
“Completing the Campus capabilities with this innovative robotic solution positions it as a benchmark in the world of manufacturing with robots. For us, it will also be an exceptional environment for testing and development, providing new knowledge, interaction with companies, young talent and professionals, and significantly increasing our visibility.”
A real environment for learning and innovation
The new installation featuring the robot will form part of the Advanced Manufacturing Campus, equipped with five complementary and synergistic laboratories—an ecosystem that recreates a real industrial environment to train, innovate and validate solutions:
Manufacturing Lab: machining, metrology and industrial validation under real conditions.
Robot Lab: industrial, collaborative and mobile robotics applied to real production environments.
Design Lab: advanced design and product engineering with virtual validation.
3D Lab: additive manufacturing and prototyping to accelerate innovation.
Digital Lab: data capture, artificial vision, IIoT and artificial intelligence for connected factories.
Each laboratory combines technological innovation with advanced training and demonstration, offering students and professionals the opportunity to learn and experiment directly in state-of-the-art industrial environments.
Xabier Ortueta, President of IMH:
“This installation marks a turning point for IMH. Thanks to the support of the Provincial Council and our industrial network, IMH has progressively equipped itself with top-level capabilities and equipment in manufacturing, additive manufacturing, design, digitalization, etc. The installation of the dBOT makes us a unique location worldwide for demonstrating, training and innovating in robot-based manufacturing.”
Strategic infrastructure for Gipuzkoa
Managed by IMH Campus, the project is conceived as a space for co-development and industrial demonstration that will facilitate technology transfer—especially to SMEs—helping them adapt to the challenges of an increasingly demanding global market and supporting the adaptation and development of their products to the new demands of advanced manufacturing.
José Pérez Berdud, President of AFM:
“With this new installation, the Campus becomes a place of open cooperation between companies, where different stakeholders can test and experiment with manufacturing applications using robots, analyze how to build a value chain around the production of these systems, and train both current and future professionals in essential technologies for industrial competitiveness. The groups that make up AFM Cluster find in the Campus an essential place to develop and share knowledge.”
At the same time, it will function as an advanced learning environment where vocational students and active professionals can train in robotics, industrial digitalization, advanced design and additive manufacturing, strengthening the talent needed to lead the smart factories of the future.
With this project, Gipuzkoa reinforces its support for a key sector of its economy and consolidates its position as an advanced industrial territory, promoting collaboration between institutions, companies, technology centers and the education system.
In a context of global technological transformation, the center will contribute to improving the competitiveness of the industrial fabric and to training the professionals who will lead the smart factories of the future.
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