LEHENDAKARI PRESIDES OVER 20TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT AT ELGOIBAR MACHINE TOOL MUSEUM

The Elgoibar Machine-Tool Museum held its 20th anniversary celebrations last 27th February, presided over by the President of the Basque Government, Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, who attended a live demonstration of traditional crafts and the presentation of the Lamot engraving currently on display in the Museum’s symbolic forge. The President’s visit was hosted by the Museum’s Chairman, Rafael Barrenechea, and its two directors, Pedro Ortuondo and Bea Ansola.

After the visit to the museum, the 20th anniversary commemorative events followed at the Machine Tool Institute (IMH), with presentations by Rafael Barrenechea, Chairman of the Museum, Ane Beitia, Mayor of Elgoibar, and Xabier Ortueta, Chairman of the IMH and CEO of AFM. In his closing speech, the Lehendakari highlighted the role of industry and the machine tool sector in the Basque Country’s economic activity and the conservation of our industrial and cultural heritage.

After that, automation expert Manuel Lage led a conference entitled “The history of the automobile in Spain, a new vision”, in which he shared his vision on the automobile sector and its prospects for the future.

The event was widely attended by guests from both the business and institutional circles: Cristina Uriarte, Basque Government Minister of Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture, Iñigo Ucín, President of Mondragon Corporación, Mª José Tellería, Director of Culture, and Antton Tomasena, Director General of Innovation, Technology and Internationalisation, both of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, César Arriola, President of Danobatgroup, Rafael Idígoras of Soraluce, Pello Rodríguez of Danobatgroup, Iñaki Torrecilla of Maherholding, and Ixaka Egurbide, General Manager of IMH, among many others.