• The STEEL TECH conference reinforces its international dimension
  • INTERNATIONAL STEEL WEEK, a strategic alliance
  • STEEL TECH expands its exhibition area and strengthens its role as a driving force for connection in the steel ecosystem
  • WORKinn Talent Hub for STEEL TECH, connecting talent with the steel industry

 

From 21 to 23 October, Bilbao Exhibition Centre will become the international meeting point for the steel industry with the STEEL TECH Congress & Expo. Organised by Siderex – Steel Industry Cluster Association – and BEC, in collaboration with UNESID, the event has established itself as a strategic event for the steel sector, positioning itself as a go-to platform for innovation, knowledge and business opportunities.

Over three days, STEEL TECH will bring together leading companies, internationally renowned specialists and players from across the value chain. The layout will feature a congress, exhibition and networking spaces, offering a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector on a global scale.

The third edition of this meeting will also include a wide range of activities in several spaces: B2B meetings, presentations, networking activities, the STEEL TECH AWARDS ceremony and technical visits to plants, as well as a comprehensive space dedicated to talent, the WORKinn Talent Hub. This is a unique opportunity to take the pulse of the market and open up new avenues for collaboration.

The event will take place in a Biosphere-certified venue, which accredits its commitment to sustainability both in the management of the venue and in the events held there.

The opening and inauguration ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 21st October at 12:45 p.m., and will be attended by the Deputy General, Elixabete Etxanobe, and the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, who will preside over the event.

STEEL TECH, Congress & Expo is supported by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, ICEX and SPRI – Basque Government as Institutional Partners. The event also receives the collaboration of UNESID as a Sector Partner, and the support of Steel Phalt and ABB as Gold Sponsors, together with FROMM Packaging Systems, Siderwrap and Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation in the Silver Sponsor category.

 

International congress at the highest level

The STEEL TECH conference will feature around 40 speakers from countries such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as from Spain, who will share their knowledge, experiences and strategies. Their presentations will offer in-depth analyses of the major challenges facing the sector from a distinctly international perspective.

Confirmed speakers include representatives from companies and organisations such as the European Commission, AIST, Deusto Business School, Kanthal, SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar, Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Cappel Stahl Consulting GmbH, Ibermática Innovation Institute, CEIT – Technology Centre Association, EbnerGroup, TU Delft, BAIC, Badische Stahl-Engineering GmbH, Dribia Data Research, Kocks Measure + Inspect GmbH, TSR Resource, Beawre, UNESID, Celsa Group, Inductotherm Group, University of Leoben, EU-BRITE, Stahl Holding Saar (SHS), Ebner Industrieofenbau and Kocks Measure & Inspect, among others.

21 October will be dedicated to the transformation of the European steel sector, its challenges and possible solutions. The presentations will be structured around three discussion panels: the transformation of the European steel industry to achieve carbon neutrality; carbon-free energy sources for European steelmaking; and global strategies for the supply of iron, a resource whose balance between availability, quality and cost is key to sustainable steel production. The programme will combine executive-level dialogues, technical panels and presentations based on the most advanced research.

The second day, 22 October, will be held under the title “European steel sector: challenges, innovation and future”, with a more technical focus aimed at professionals seeking to explore in greater depth the challenges and opportunities facing the steel industry. Issues such as the current situation of the steel industry in Europe, decarbonisation processes and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on industrial transformation will be addressed.

INTERNATIONAL STEEL WEEK, a strategic alliance

INTERNATIONAL STEEL WEEK is an initiative that stems from the alliance between STEEL TECH, Congress & Expo, and the European Steel Forum, hosted by IDOM. The collaboration between the two events, which will share the entire programme on the first day, will result in a leading international meeting that will position Bizkaia and the Basque Country as the global epicentre of the steel industry. This union will foster unique synergies, promoting the exchange of knowledge, international cooperation and the development of innovative solutions. This is a pioneering initiative, the result of an agreement between Siderex, Bilbao Exhibition Centre and AIST.

Based in the United States, AIST- Association for Iron & Steel Technology is a non-profit organisation representing more than 18,500 members in 70 countries. AIST promotes the technological development of the iron and steel industry through training, research and networking among professionals. It is also the organising body of the European Steel Forum, a meeting that brings together experts from more than 30 countries and which this year will hold its most international edition yet. Through its 22 regional committees around the world, AIST organises a wide variety of events.

Exhibition and networking area

STEEL TECH will have an exhibition area that is growing significantly in this edition. This exclusive space will bring together 64 exhibiting companies, including leading steelworks, engineering firms, suppliers and processors from countries such as Germany, Austria, the United States, France, Italy and Sweden, as well as from Spain.

Alongside the exhibition area, the networking area will also take centre stage as a space for promoting new collaboration and business opportunities. In this context, the B2B meetings stand out, with more than 270 meetings already scheduled among exhibitors, sponsors and international VIP guests. In this context, a reverse mission with more than 20 high-level buyers from 13 countries is being organised as part of the sectoral plan “Steel: products, machinery and engineering”, developed through an agreement with ICEX Spain Export and Investment. As part of this same activity, the Bilbao Exhibition Centre and SIDEREX, in collaboration with the Basque Government through its Cluster agreement programme, and in collaboration with the Basque Internationalisation Agency – Basque Trade & Investment and its Foreign Network, will invite potential customers from Colombia.

STEEL TECH will also offer other parallel activities such as Innovation Workshops and a Technical Poster Area with proposals featuring advances in technology, the environment and innovation, as well as other social events, including an Afterwork Drink and a gala dinner. The latter, which will take place on 22 October, will host the 3rd edition of the STEEL TECH AWARDS, which will recognise excellence in three categories: Women in Steel, for the outstanding professional career of a woman in the steel industry; Communication Forum, for the best initiative to disseminate and promote this industry; and Startup Challenge, an award that will recognise the most innovative solutions for CO₂ capture and recovery in low-volume and low-concentration processes in the steel sector. The finalists are: SBS – Thermal Technologies, Orchestra Scientific and Lightnet Carbon Capture.

On 23 October, STEEL TECH will conclude with technical visits to companies and strategic infrastructures in the steel sector. This activity will offer the opportunity to see first-hand the facilities, processes and technologies that are defining the future of the sector, directly showcasing advances in production and sustainability in Bizkaia and the Basque Country.

WORKinn Talent Hub for STEEL TECH

WORKinn Talent Hub, the employment forum specialising in the industrial sector, will hold an edition dedicated to the steel industry on 22 October as part of STEEL TECH, Congress & Expo in the morning. The meeting will connect leading companies and organisations with students and professionals actively seeking employment, creating a space for direct interaction between supply and demand.

The steel industry is going through a period of great challenges marked by digitalisation, sustainability and technological innovation, which requires people with profiles prepared to face new challenges. In this context, attracting and developing talent is essential to ensure competitiveness and generational renewal. It will be a day of direct contact with HR managers, where attendees will be able to learn first-hand about their projects and discover what it is like to work in some of the most important companies in the steel sector.

AFM Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing, Bilbao Exhibition Centre and Siderex are organising this first edition of WORKinn Talent Hub for STEEL TECH.