Spain

A region in permanent growth

Asturias offers a high quality of life and a dynamic business environment

DuPont’s plant in Asturias

Abundant and well-administered natural resources and power, together with sustained growth thanks to a dynamic business environment, are the most outstanding features of Asturias, a region building on its industrial tradition while looking to a future based on the society of knowledge. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, looking out over the Bay of Biscay, the Principality of Asturias can be described as the “Natural Paradise of the Green Spain”. It is a unique region with mountains and the sea existing side by side, with green, fertile valleys next to forests of oak and chestnut, whose population (just over a million inhabitants) is spread throughout its numerous attractive villages and bustling cities.

Industrial tradition and adaptation to change

The industrial sector has always been of great importance in the Asturian economy, accounting at present for 24% of the region’s Gross Added Value, three points over the Spanish average. The industrial profile of the region has laid its mark indelibly on the culture and character of the Asturian people. One of the clearest ways in which this shows is the importance given to technical training, at both university and vocational level. This enables us to offer companies setting up in Asturias not only a plentiful, skilled workforce, but also permanent readiness to adapt to the technological changes required by the markets.

Destination of foreign investments

Recorded gross foreign investment in 2004 placed Asturias in fifth position of Spanish regions receiving investment flows, after Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and the Basque Country.

Phoenix Contact headquarters at the Technology Park of Asturias

Asturias not only welcomes new investments, such as Milliken (United States), Rioglass (Belgium), Curvet (Italy), Delfin Tubes (Italy), or Capgemini (France), but helps in the expansion of others that have been established here for years, like DuPont de Nemours (United States), Thyssenkrupp (Germany), Fluor Daniel (United States), Suzuki Motor (Japan), Bayer (Germany) or Linpac Plastics (United Kingdom). In addition to these companies, others like Alcoa (United States), General Dynamics (United States), Tenneco Automotive (United States), W3C, Danone (France), Arcelor (Luxembourg), EDP Electricidade of Portugal, Erich Krause (Russia) or Nestlé (Switzerland) have taken advantage of the opportunities offered by Asturias to transfer their investments here.

The expansion and diversification of the Asturian economy have been key factors in the dynamics of securing investments. In the last decade large-scale projects have been carried out in sectors such as chemicals, plastics, automotion, capital goods and lately in technology based services, which have opened the door to the knowledge society.

Modern communications for productive activity

When starting up in Asturias, companies also analyse the infrastructures essential for distribution and reception of raw materials in order to carry out their activity. Asturias has a modern network of 4,908 km of roads, highways and freeways and 720 km of railroads, and also possesses a varied supply of goods transport with national and international services, integral logistics operators and other related services. The large industrial ports of Gijón and Avilés, with facilities specialised in iron and steel and power traffic, solid bulk handling and merchandise in general, are reference points in the European map of maritime superhighways. Asturias also has an airport with regular flights to major Spanish and European cities.

Apart from conventional communications, Asturias has an excellent broadband telecommunications network. The existence of local optic fibre operators, the presence of companies such as the W3C partnership or Capgemini and the firm determination of the regional government to make Asturias a leader among regions receiving and generating advanced ICT services, are incentives for potential investors.

Comprehensive supply of power resources and industrial infrastructures

Somiedo Natural Park

Another important aspect is the supply of power resources and raw materials that companies can obtain in Asturias. The region offers abundant water and energy with excellent levels of quality and reliability. The many thermal and hydraulic power stations in the region cover not only existing needs, but also have enough capacity to export to the national grid. At the present time a power plan is under development that includes the construction of combined cycle plants for electricity production and the use of alternative energies, such as wind power or biogas. Asturias can ensure an ample supply of publicly promoted industrial land and facilities so that any project may find the location best suited to its needs. In this respect, the regional government’s investment programme has, in recent years, enabled the development of 500 hectares gross, generating 300 hectares of industrial lots in business and industry parks throughout Asturias, equipped with basic and advanced services for business activity.

In addition there are two specific locations for the installation of innovative companies and projects with high technological content in the Technology Park of Asturias and the Science and Technology Park of Gijón.

Incentives for promotion at the service of companies

Asturias offers not only excellent economic incentives to investment, but in addition a complete infrastructure of enterprise support organisations headed by the Principality of Asturias Economic Development Institute, IDEPA. For investors IDEPA (www.idepa.es) is a one-stop official body that will discuss their project and help to find a suitable location, as well as improving project financing by means of grants, injection of capital through the Regional Development Board (Sociedad Regional de Promoción), or guarantees through Asturgar, SGR. IDEPA also provides support by acting as an intermediary with the administration (especially at regional and local level) to facilitate for the entrepreneur the procedures necessary for the initiation of the investment project. In Asturias a business investment project can access different programmes that offer non-refundable grants of up to 40% depending on the investment and the employment generated. Additional aid is available within work and training programmes for the temporary and long-term employment of workers, as well as for the development of training programmes for workers. This can be up to 100%.

Support for quality improvement, technological innovation, industrial design and internationalisation are some of the other services that IDEPA provides to companies established in Asturias in order to improve their competitiveness. In short, superb quality of life in privileged natural surroundings, excellent incentives to investment, and a regional administration that gives full backing to innovative and productive business projects are what makes Asturias attractive for companies that wish to invest here.

 

Contact details:
Instituto de Desarrollo Económico del Principado de Asturias (IDEPA ) Tel: +34 985 98 00 20 - Fax: 34 985 26 44 55 - E-mail: promotion@idepa.es - Websites: www.idepa.es - investinasturias.idepa.es

All pages are copyright of © Roxby Media Ltd - European American Business is a Roxby Media publication.