ULMA Agrícola’s new production plant represents a leap towards more efficient and sustainable industrial processes in the manufacture of greenhouses for agricultural crops, plant and flower nurseries, aquaculture, livestock and storage.
The Basque Regional Minister for Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries, Amaia Barredo, the Gipuzkoa Regional Councillor for Green Territorial Balance, Xabier Arruti, and the Mayor of Oñati, Izaro Elorza, visited the new ULMA Agrícola plant. This cooperative, which forms part of ULMA Group, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastic greenhouses and exports 85% of its production with projects installed in more than 50 countries.
As part of its new Strategic Plan, ULMA Agrícola has inaugurated a state-of-the-art production plant that promises to be a benchmark in terms of sustainability, efficiency and capacity to adapt to the future demands of the sector. With a total investment of 10.5 million euros in infrastructure and technology, this space of more than 9,000 m² reflects the company’s commitment to innovation and sustainable growth.
‘Greenhouse crops are, today, the safest bet in agricultural production in the face of increasingly changing and aggressive weather conditions, pests and diseases; in addition to ensuring product quality and supply commitments on time, they represent a reduction of up to 40% in water consumption and considerable savings in the use of fertilisers and agrochemicals’.
Alberto Galdós, Managing Director of ULMA Agrícola
The plant incorporates multiple energy efficiency measures and advanced functionality to respond to the challenges of a constantly changing market.
25% increase in the workforce
The new plant, located in Oñati, will also make it possible to increase its workforce by 25%, especially in the areas of industrial engineering and climate control technology. The company is thus committed to attracting specialised talent, offering a modern and sustainable platform for professional development. The current workforce is made up of 35 people in Oñati and 10 in the Mexico subsidiary.
Markets and challenges
ULMA Agrícola has projects in more than 50 countries, although its main markets are in the Americas, mainly the United States and Mexico, where it invoices 60% of its sales. In fact, Alberto Galdós considers one of his challenges to be ‘to increase our presence in markets where we are not yet consolidated and to increase our turnover by 35% in the next four years’.
Last year sales reached 11.3 million euros and for the current financial year there is an estimate of 13.5 million.