Danobatgroup’s bid towards more sustainability in advanced manufacturing

• The industrial group has published its second Sustainability Report, where it places people, innovation, social commitment, good corporate governance and environmental respect as keys to ensuring sustainable growth.

• The industrial group continues to make progress in its bid for sustainability following ESG criteria (Environmental, Social and Good Governance) in all its operations according to its Strategic Plan 2021-2024

• In addition, the Group strengthens its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a lever for growth.

Given its cooperative nature, the search for a balance between economic growth, environmental protection and social well-being has been a concern of Danobatgroup, a leading industrial group in machine tools and advanced manufacturing, since its inception more than 65 years ago.

However, in recent years, several business units of the Group have stepped up their efforts towards achieving this objective by focussing on sustainability and well-being with the ultimate aim of bequeathing a more promising future for the next generations. This conclusion may be drawn from its second Sustainability Report published this week, which reports on the actions carried out in the field of sustainability in 2022.

Committed to the SDGs as set out by the United Nations, sustainability has been included across the business model of the industrial Group. “An important decision - in the words of Pello Rodriguez, CEO of Danobatgroup - that lays the foundation for the future of the group beyond 2024.”

To this end, Danobatgroup has incorporated 13 areas of work and different objectives within its management model, based on ESG (Environmental, Social and Good Governance) criteria, among the priority strategic lines of the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan.

More environmentally friendly

With a focus on environmental conservation and protection and the fight against climate change, Danobatgroup invested €1 million in 2022 in the installation of 2,500 solar panels at the Danobat, Soraluce and Ideko plants. The implementation of this measure not only guarantees a constant flow of clean and renewable energy, it will also contribute to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by the business units of the Group by some 250 tonnes/year. 

In addition, a number of measures are being implemented to promote a more sustainable use of resources that have a positive impact on reducing gas and electricity consumption. These measures include monitoring and control of heating and lighting systems and LED lighting with light-dependent dimming, among others.

In terms of reducing the environmental impact of the products, Soraluce, a cooperative business unit of the Danobatgroup and a world-leading manufacturer of milling, boring and multifunction technology, has manufactured 3 new models of machines in 2022 with UNE-ISO 14006 Ecodesign certification to minimise the environmental impact of these products throughout their life cycle.

In addition, last year the group designed a tool for measuring the Organisational Carbon Footprint of its business activities. This solution, which will be implemented in the main companies of Danobatgroup from 2023 onwards, will allow to evaluate and quantify the emissions of greenhouse gases of Scope 1, 2 and 3.

To continue its efforts to protect the environment and the fight against climate change, last year the group carried out a mobility study to analyse the environmental impact of workers commuting to work. "The data collected is being analysed and a plan is expected to be implemented in 2023-2024 to reduce the negative impact through more efficient use of transport means. This plan will include measures aimed at optimising travel and breaking the dependence from private vehicles", says Rodríguez.

People at the centre

Generating quality employment is one of the goals set out in Danobatgroup´s Strategic Plan for the period 2021-2024. With a staff that has grown to 1423 people in 2022, the group has managed to fulfil the expectations in this regard. This purpose is not only limited to the creation of stable and high-quality jobs, but also includes the promotion of an environment that favours personal and professional growth of all people within the organisation, fostering the principles of diversity, equality and non-discrimination.

Even though the machine tool sector is traditionally a male-dominated industry, the group strongly believes in equal opportunities for all people. In this sense, the Group has adopted several measures such as further expanding the equality plans to five of its six companies.

Promoting women´s access to careers in science, technology and research is key to the sustainability of the industrial sector. To this purpose, Danobatgroup is active in several projects aimed at boosting the creation of vocations and STEM-related careers, such as STEAMsare, Bizilabe, ZTIM HUB  and Elgoibarko Zientzia Azoka. This in addition to raising the profile of women´s contribution to science and technology through its support for the Ada Byron and Gladys awards.

In addition, the Group is firmly committed to strategic talent management by providing constant training and professional development programs, and partnering with universities and training centres, such as the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, the School of Engineers of the University of Navarra ( Tecnun), Mondragon University, Deusto University and the Machine Tool Institute. In 2022, around 50 people did work-linked training schemes at Danobatgroup through placements, projects or dual training.

In 2022, Danobatgroup also adopted the new Legal Compliance Procedure approved in August 2021 into its governance model, which has required the introduction of a new Code of Ethics and several related policies.

Commitment with the local community

Danobatgroup’s bid to improving the welfare of society as a whole is but one of its noteworthy commitments, geared towards better living conditions and promoting sustainable development in the community. In this sense, the group’s business units have allocated more than € 1,400,000 to different entities linked to social development in the last three years, € 500,000 of which in 2022.

Danobatgroup´s commitment to society is also materialised through the Elkarrekin Eragin initiative, to which the group has allocated € 525,000 over the last three years. This is a participatory project in which the members of the organisation propose and select three 3-year cooperation programmes, to which the group allocates the above-mentioned amount of money.

Also, as part of its commitment to promoting sustainable development in the environment, Danobatgroup continued to work with local supply chains in 2022 as well. Specifically, 70% of the suppliers with whom the group worked last year are Spanish, of which 50% are located in the Basque Country and Navarra.

Danobatgroup is aware that there is still a long way to go to achieve this economic, social and environmental balance. However, as the General Manager, Pello Rodriguez, puts it, "we are convinced that if we continue to take steps forward in this direction, collaborating with our stakeholders and driven by the commitment of everyone in the organisation, as well as being a benchmark in advanced manufacturing, we will also become a benchmark in sustainability".

Innovate to progress

Innovation plays a key role in being able to offer products and services that are at the cutting edge of technology and are more sustainable. This process has allowed the group to maintain a steady pace of growth over the past few decades.

In 2022, the group invested €25 million in R&D for the implementation of new technologies, products, services, solutions and processes to enable sustainable growth.

Also, all companies of the industrial Group have adopted and systematically develop open innovation. This process allows people in the group to have access to greater knowledge through alliance with other entities. In this regard, an "Open Call for Start-ups" was launched in 2022 to identify potential partnerships with other organisations in the field of artificial intelligence.

About Danobatgroup

With 65 years of experience in the field of industrial manufacturing, DANOBATGROUP employs some 1,400 highly qualified people. The group is an international benchmark in advanced production systems and the machine tool sector.