The manufacturing sector is one of the key drivers in Europe, with more than two million companies and almost 30 million people directly employed by it. However, new market and societal needs, fast technological advances and environmental and sustainability requirements are driving a deep change in the sector. The EIT Manufacturing initiative was created in order to contribute to making it more competitive, sustainable and productive. With the support of the European Commission, more than 50 companies and technology centres from all over the continent will work together to make Europe a world leading benchmark for manufacturing innovation and encourage companies to adopt new technologies more quickly and efficiently.

An aeronautics workshop and a guided tour around its Ajalvir facilities have been two of the many activities ITP Aero has organized for primary, high school and vocational training students. "Why do planes fly?", "How does an engine work?" These have been the type of questions answered by the initiatives developed by ITP Aero during the XVIII Science and Innovation Week in Madrid. This event is being held from the 5th to the 18th of November in order to encourage society to get a more familiar with science and technology.

This morning the Minister for Economic Development and Infrastructures of the Basque Government, Arantxa Tapia, and the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Unai Rementeria, have led the groundbreaking ceremony of the new ITP Aero plant in Bizkaia (North of Spain). The new facilities will focus on the design and manufacturing of Externals, which are components used in aircraft engine-dressing such as fluid systems, structures and other.

ITP Aero has organised the "A day with ITP Aero's Technology Executive director" initiative thanks to which Josu Sarasola, a fourth-grade student at the Higher Technical School of Aeronautics and Space Engineering (ETSIAE) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has been able to discover the day-to-day activities of ITP Aero's technology management with its Technology Executive Director, Iñaki Ulizar.

ITP Aero is hosting the annual Integrated Technology Demonstrators (ITD) meeting, Clean Sky 2 programme's engine technology area, from the 5th to the 8th of June in Madrid. Clean Sky 2 is the largest European aeronautical research programme aimed at reducing gas and CO2 emissions, as well as cutting aircraft noise levels, with a budget of 4,000 million euros until 2020.

This morning the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Unai Rementeria; Deputy of Economic Development and Territory, Imanol Pradales and the Mayor of Sestao, Josu Bergara, have visited ITP Aero's new Castings facility in Sestao. Authorities have been guided by Carlos Alzola, Managing Director of ITP Aero, and Iratxe las Hayas, Managing Director of ITP Aero, Castings.