BIDEGAIN OBTAINS ONE OF THE “BEST BASQUE COMPANY” AWARDS

Talleres Bidegain was awarded the best Empresa&FP 2019 (Company and Vocational Training) prize in the 26^th annual gala organised by Confebask. The prize was accepted by Koldo Moreno, the company's general manager. Bidegain is a company dedicated to the machining of parts, in particular those which are assembled on industrial valves for various sectors such as Oil-Gas, Water, Mining, etc. 

Bidegain began as a workshop in 1983 in Irura, with only five workers. Its evolution has been complete. In 2007 there were already 24 workers and invoiced approximately 2.5 million Euros. In 2010, Bidegain restructured the company to include several departments, which proved to be a key strategy, as was that of internalisation. In 2015, the current facilities in Arzabalza were opened. Nowadays Bidegain is made up of 50 workers, invoices six million Euros and 30% of its sales are international.

Bidegain already has an eye on to the future. Now the company wishes to immerse itself entirely in the Industry 4.0 and process automation. Seeking more real time information in order to make better informed decisions and to continue growing and contributing to the environment. "We have been through some difficult times, but there has been a very critical factor in order to handle all difficulties and become what we are today: the persons who are part of the Bidegain family, their commitment, their professionalism, and their desire to surpass themselves every day,” states Koldo Moreno.

Bidegain's general manager is very optimistic as regards the economic opportunities of Tolosaldea. He says that things are being done properly, and that it is a region well equipped to face the future. "There is considerable knowledge here, many entrepreneurs, several driving-force companies around, training centres with state-of-the-art facilities and technology and institutional commitment". Moreno believes that Tolosaldea has successfully adapted following the loss of the prominence of the paper industry, and raises an interesting consideration. "It is true that the that the majority of the companies in Tolosaldea are small-sized companies and that is why I think we should join forces and seek synergies between us."

Bidegain's general manager is a fervent advocate of Vocational Training and encourages studying courses in vocational training centres. In his opinion it seems unfair that vocational training courses are considered as inferior to university degrees."I studied at a professional training centre and university myself, and I am very clear about what each of the experiences afforded me," he says. “Many times one is not sure what one wants to do when one is 16 years old and having to make a decision about one's future. Vocational training is a great springboard for getting started on becoming a specialist or to learn about a certain profession in-depth, and which then enables us to continue that training with university studies. The perfect cocktail of a great professional is to be educated in both educational systems."

Moreno believes that much of Tolosaldea's economic success will be related to the strength of the VT. Further pointing out that the Tolosaldea and Gipuzkoa centres have updated resources, state-of-the-art technology, which attempt to pass on the best values and bring students closer to the reality of the corporate environment. "VT will play a key role in that regard. Companies are going to need better prepared persons every day and we will never cease educating ourselves. Nowadays, it is not easy to find professionals who wish to join companies such as Bidegain,” he admits.

As regards the importance of machining in the region, Koldo Moreno argues that it is a sector that until a few years ago has had very little real innovation." "Technology is making strong strides, and we also have to adapt and integrate all current tools and technologies in order to become more competitive in a globalised world such as ours," says the general manager. He adds that nowadays any company in the environment is competing with companies around the world and to meet these challenges, "we increasingly require more qualified persons."