The President of the Basque Region, Iñigo Urkullu, and the councillor for Economic Development and Infrastructure, Arantxa Tapia, welcomed the managers of GHI Industrial Furnaces in the President’s Office to celebrate the company’s 80th anniversary.
On November 9th, GHI Industrial Furnaces marked its 80th anniversary at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall in Bilbao. The event was led by Board Member Íñigo Guinea and Managing Director José Berasategui, with various notable figures in attendance.
Celebrating 80 Years of Excellence
The anniversary celebration brought together key officials, including Íñigo Bilbao Rekagorri, Galdakao’s municipal councillor for Finance, Heritage, and Economic Development; Ricardo Barkala, Bilbao’s Deputy Mayor and councillor for Works, Services, and Rehabilitation of Urban and Public Spaces; José María Bilbao Inchaurraga, Biscay Regional Government’s deputy director for Economic Development, and Javier Ormazábal, chairman of the Basque Country Association of Family Companies. Javier Ormazábal gave a significant talk on family companies and values.
International Reach and Economic Impact
GHI Industrial Furnaces spends over 15 million euros annually on procurement of goods and services, 75% of which are purchased from suppliers in the Basque Country. All equipment is assembled and tested in the Galdakao facilities. From there, they are shipped to countries worldwide, with over 1000 installations supplied, particularly to Latin America and Europe. International business accounts for 70% of income on average over the last 25 years. According to Berasategui, “we want to increase our international presence and continue expanding into new markets.” This includes the new sales office opened last year in Mexico, a country with a sizeable customer portfolio.
Innovation and Growth
Berasategui highlighted the focus on the new line of Technical Support 4.0 services, which offer significant growth potential by applying new technologies to industry. With over 8000 installations worldwide, GHI sees tremendous opportunities in this area. Ana Isabel Portilla, GHI Sales Director, gave a brief overview of the history of the company’s visual identity and presented its new corporate image.
GHI Industrial Furnaces has increased its annual turnover by 30% over the average figure of the last 10 years, reaching 21 million euros. Staffing levels have also increased by 30% over the last 5 years, with 41 new staff members contracted since 2016. Today, 40% of the total number of employees are technical, advanced, and degree-holding engineers.
