The event’s second edition will be held from 24th to 26th October 2023 at BEC

Knowledge transfer, networking and sustainable leadership have been the main features of the first edition of Steel Tech, Congress & Expo, which was held from 19th to 21st October and was co-organised by Bilbao Exhibition Centre and Siderex –Basque Steel Cluster. The event, which aims to become Southern Europe’s leading meeting point for the steel sector, was attended by 576 professional participants visiting the main spaces and is now looking ahead to the second edition, which will be held from 24th to 26th October 2023.

During the opening of Steel Tech, the CEO of Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Xabier Basañez, highlighted the steel sector’s commitment to innovation, which is in the region’s DNA. He also pointed out that BEC is working to become a reference space where “the new economy is turned into new opportunities for companies through access to knowledge, new technologies, alliances, businesses… and Steel Tech is the result of this commitment”.

The event has undoubtedly lived up to expectations at the close of its first edition. “Over the two days of the Congress, we have focused on trying to offer a global orientation, analysing steel solutions and applications in client sectors and setting sights on steel of the future and challenges related to major issues”, claimed Asier San Millán, Managing Director of Siderex, during the closing ceremony.

The event’s conference programme revolved around innovation and technology in the steel sector. It included more than twenty keynote speeches, concluding with round tables open to debate. The main clusters and companies of the sector participated in these round tables, discussing the most relevant conclusions of the talks.

The first day was devoted to the solutions that steel offers to the construction, automotive, rail and energy sectors. “The competitive advantages of steel over other materials were presented in various talks and interventions by the panellists of the round tables”, indicated Juan José Laraudogoitia, President of the Steel Tech Scientific Committee and R&D Director at Sidenor. The second day of the congress addressed issues such as automation, digitalisation and cybersecurity, where “the importance of data as an element that acts as a raw material to feed the appropriate algorithms” was tackled; as well as aspects such as the environment, the circular economy or recycling. “Efforts are currently focused on industries receiving the raw materials and consumables for their processing, whereby only new raw materials for other industrial applications or final consumption leave our production units after the industrial process”, concluded Laraudogoitia.

The STEEL TECH exhibition area included the participation of suppliers from different levels in the steel sector’s value chain, who showcased their products and services in the space set up for exhibition. Similarly, Steel Tech has combined the innovation workshops and the networking area in a single space. As part of the latter, the B2B meetings stood out, which were held by pre-arranged meetings between exhibitors, sponsors and international VIP guests from countries such as Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Oman or Morocco. Almost all of these meetings took place in person.

On the evening of Wednesday 20th October, the Gala Dinner was held, where the Steel Tech Awards were presented. They recognised the efforts of Steeluniversity in contributing towards the promotion of the steel sector in the Communication Forum Award category, as well as Hans-Willi Raedt, CEO of Prosimalys and expert in today’s tendencies in steel technology for forged products, whose professional career was recognised in the Achievement Award category. During the ceremony, Siderex praised the work of the group of companies involved in Room4Steel, a space where training, recycling, projects and the challenges faced by companies will come together. Furthermore, Xabier Basañez presented Siderex with a plaque in recognition of its 25th anniversary and all of the people and companies who have been involved in the cluster’s brilliant path since 1996. “You have undoubtedly positioned Siderex as a leading reference of the business structure in the steel sector”, claimed Basañez. To round off, this morning, 21st October, the participants have visited the Sarralle and IDOM plants.

The first edition of Steel Tech has counted on SPRI as an Institutional Partner, in collaboration with UNESID – Union of Iron and Steel Companies, and the Platinum Sponsorship of IDOM, Gold Sponsorship of Sarralle, and Silver Sponsorship of Olarra, Tecnalia, Metalia, and Harsco.