SMOPYC – Industry Gathering in Aragon

Zaragoza Exhibition Centre and SMOPYC Take Their Places at the Leading Excavation and Earth-Movement Industry Forum

Attended by Spain’s Main Associations, the Industry Gathering Took Place at the Exhibition Centre in the Capital of Aragon
Zaragoza, 27 October 2010. Zaragoza Exhibition Centre and its trade fair SMOPYC (The International Public Works, Construction and Mining Machinery Show) have consolidated their position as a national and international focal point of the machinery and construction industry. In hosting SMOPYC, Zaragoza Exhibition Centre makes its facilities and resources available to the industry’s leading organisations and associations. On this occasion, Zaragoza’s exhibition centre hosted the assembly of the Earth-Movement Industry Associations organised by this body’s headquarters in Aragon (AEXAR).
The gathering, held on 1 October, was attended by the presidents and representatives of the earth-movement associations of Asturias, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava, Burgos, Valencia, Barcelona, Almeria, Segovia, Valladolid, Madrid and Aragon, and by the National Federation of Construction Subcontractors and Hauliers (FESTCO).
The event was without question one of the largest of its kind ever held by the organisation, which is highly influential in the industry in Spain, with participants discussing the excavation and earth-movement issues they have to contend with, not to mention the fall-off in business activity and scheduled cuts in government investment.
Among the objectives reached at the meeting, it was agreed to join forces through FESTCO and across the country as a whole to stress the importance of the excavation and earth-movement industry to the economy and job creation.
Also on the agenda was the FESTCO General Assembly, which was chaired by Carlos Gonzalez Juanas. One of the most interesting pieces of data to come out of the meeting was the fact that there has been a huge rise in membership of the organisation, with many of the associations attending the event also deciding to join FESTCO.
Representing Aragon, AEXAR put the case for those present to join forces to call for a classification of subcontractors for purposes other than those purely related to employment, draw up plans to restructure the industry, and start the search for new international markets, among other aspects. In their words this can only be achieved by implementing measures that bring about a root and branch reorganisation of the industry. This will have major consequences for the business fabric, affecting the self-employed in particular and small subcontractors operating in the excavation industry, and resulting in job losses.
At a time when cooperation has become more importation than ever, the meeting also saw the strengthening of ties between the organisations in attendance, which represent most of the excavation and earth-movement companies operating in Spain.
Source:  Smopyc News Room