This industrial cooperative will, over the coming months, undertake a 2,000-square-metre expansion of its facilities, aimed at improving production processes and the storage of parts prior to dispatch. In addition, it has obtained the final reclassification of a 25,000-square-metre area, for which it is currently assessing potential future uses depending on market demand. The announcement was made by its Managing Director, Jaime Urcola, during the institutional event marking the company’s 50th anniversary, attended by leading authorities from the Chartered Community of Navarra.
Specifically, Urcola announced: “We are currently immersed in two expansion projects that will strengthen our competitiveness and efficiency, while keeping all the added value within our organisation. Today, therefore, is a day to celebrate the past, but above all, to toast to the future.”
During the event, speakers also highlighted the improvements in efficiency and profitability achieved by this industrial cooperative—which employs 300 people and has an annual turnover of nearly €100 million—over the past five years. In this regard, SAKANA Group closed 2024 with an EBITDA of €10.3 million. Furthermore, the cooperative is currently boosting its presence in the offshore sector, taking on increasingly complex and large-scale component manufacturing projects.
Beyond these positive indicators, María Chivite, President of Navarra, stated in a recorded message that “half a century of history, commitment, and evolution—turning SAKANA Group into an industrial benchmark in Europe—is not something achieved every day.” She added: “You have shown that it is possible to grow while maintaining your essence; that an industry can be cutting-edge and at the same time socially responsible; that technology and craftsmanship can coexist; and that the greatest challenges are best faced as a team.”
In the same vein, Mikel Irujo, Minister for Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarra, praised “the enormous legacy this cooperative represents for the Sakana valley, for Navarra, and for the wider industrial fabric of the region.” He emphasised that “this is a project full of vision, effort, and human value, led by people with a deep sense of belonging and commitment, which generates a significant social and economic impact both in this area and throughout the rest of the region.”
Unai Hualde, President of the Parliament of Navarra, also highlighted the special importance of SAKANA Group for those born and raised in the region: “This project was founded fifty years ago by a group of Lakuntza residents, and today it stands as a model of good cooperative practice, sound management, and strong local and regional roots.”
Source: Diario de Noticias