Industrial Sectors in Spain: Key Areas and Activities
Item 16: Areas of Industrial Activity in Spain
1. Key Sectors: Basic Industries and Consumer Goods
Traditionally, industries have been classified into three groups:
- Basic industry takes the first step in the industrial chain, transforming raw materials into intermediate products, which are used as feedstock for other industries.
- Equipment goods industries produce machinery or tools used by other industries in their manufacturing processes.
- Use and consumption industries transform materials with different degrees of development into products that are used or consumed directly.
Based Industry (Heavy Equipment):
- Base: Manufacturing of heavy metals and chemicals.
- Team: Construction, metallurgy, and mechanical transformation.
Goods for Use and Consumption (Light):
- Light chemical, textile and garment, food, books, and printing.
2. Traditional Sectors: Metallurgy, Steel, Shipbuilding, and Textiles
Among the traditional sectors of Spanish industry are those that had importance in the process of industrialization and are related to contemporary metals.
Basic Metallurgy
It is one of the main sectors of Spanish industry. The most prominent is steel metallurgy in two ways:
- The Integrated Steel Industry: Was consolidated in the Basque Country, extending to the Mediterranean and Asturias. Its oversized capacity for the needs of Spain was a cause of its crisis. It had to be converted, resulting in significant social implications.
- The Non-Integral Steel: Smaller business structure and private equity.
Transformed Metal
It has a clear link with the metallurgical industry. Its expansion was synchronous with the changes experienced by society in the 1960s, due to the adoption of new energy sources for domestic use and the spread of the refrigeration industry.
Shipbuilding
It is another of the most important sectors of our traditional industry. Major shipyards were built at the initiative of the INI (National Institute of Industry). They specialized in the construction of large tankers and bulk carriers. There are also companies dedicated to the construction of smaller vessels. Since 1990, it has been a sector in crisis and undergoing restructuring (led off).
Textile, Leather, and Footwear
They are very important in Spanish industry. Catalan textiles represented one of the mainstays of industrialization. Over time, it has undergone great change (substitution of organic fibers for chemical fibers, corporate restructuring, etc.).
Clothing Industry
It is a branch of the textile industry that has resulted from it, as the population demands apparel instead of tissue.
3. Dynamic Industrial Sectors
The most dynamic industrial sectors are automotive, chemical, and food and agriculture. They are usually high-technology activities, requiring large capital investments and multinational manufacturing.
The automobile sector was developed in Spain in the 1960s. It grew under state protection and the protection of investments made by the INI. Spain has major manufacturing plants and is one of the most important export sectors of our economy.
The chemical industry is built around basic chemistry that takes place in large industrial complexes associated with oil refineries.
The chemical transformation produces various products in much smaller factories. It is located in Madrid, Catalonia, and the Basque Country.
The food industry is a sector characterized by the diversity of origin of products, processing of agricultural products, corporate structure, etc. These factories are small and/or medium in size and are located in irrigated areas.
4. Cutting-Edge Industries and New Technologies
High-tech sectors contribute discoveries, new materials, and systems to improve industrial production, and from which speaks of a new industrial revolution. It integrates the various branches of electronics and information technology. It occupies technology parks. It requires a skilled workforce and drives innovation in other industrial sectors through the actions of R&D&I (Research + Development + Innovation).