- The number of participating firms has risen by almost 24%
- UNIRE will be at Ficoba again on March 18th and 19th, for two days showcasing the latest sector developments, networking and generating new contacts and business deals.
- The updated exhibitor list can be consulted at the official UNIRE website, where visitors can get their professional credentials
(Irun, 10 March 2025). UNIRE, Spain’s only trade fair specialising in welding and other joining technologies, is set to be held for the second time, with even more exhibitors having put their trust in the event this year. The first UNIRE fair attracted a total of 68 exhibitor firms, with stands in two of Ficoba’s pavilions, and this year the number of participating companies has risen to 84, which will fill three pavilions at Gipuzkoa’s exhibition venue. The exhibitor enterprises will include firms from other countries like Belgium, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and France.
This further confirms UNIRE’s appeal and is good news for the trade fair itself and especially positive for all those who plan to visit it on March 18th and 19th, as they will get to see a more complete and attractive offering. Visitors will comprise professionals from industrialised sectors in Spain and South-Eastern France, including welding professionals, purchasers and buying decision-makers from companies with a high demand for joining technologies.
Conference Area: Five round tables for addressing sector challenges
This year’s conference programme has been organised with a round table system, where the exhibitor firms and sector experts will pool the latest innovations and trends in welding and joining technologies. The sessions have been geared towards current issues and the aim is to create a unique space for knowledge exchange. The topics to be addressed will include areas such as process optimisation as the key to successfully combining efficiency and sustainability; the generation shift as a challenge and an opportunity; technology as the ally of the new inspection and verification methods; digital transformation, with automation, sensing, robotics and artificial intelligence playing a key role; and the impact of the energy transition in joining technologies
The welding competition: gateway to the world championship
Another of UNIRE’s points of appeal is the welding competition. Coordinated by CESOL (the Spanish Welding and Joining Technologies Association) and sponsored by Fronius, Messer, Fein, Izasa Cientifics and Nippon Gases, it will be held on March 18th with welding students as the contestants. As with last year’s fair, the competition has raised much interest, enhanced by the fact that this year’s winners will have the chance to compete in the International Welding Competition to be held in Essen, Germany.
28 training centres, based in Alicante, Asturias, Barcelona, Burgos, Cantabria, Córdoba, the Basque Country, Huelva, Logroño, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Zaragoza are already preparing their contestants for the trials in MAG welding (Process 135), TIG welding (Process 141) and coated electrode welding (Process 111). The trials are now more complex, as this year the jury will also be assessing and judging the overall quality of the welded parts.
UNIRE is a pole of attraction for the young people who are the sector’s future professionals. Their interest is not only in the welding competition but also in the fair itself, as evidenced by the large number of training centres that have pre-registered to visit the event. These are not just centres from the Basque Country but also from other communities such as Asturias, Catalonia or Navarra.
The B2B agenda
The tools for generating business relationships between exhibitor companies and visitors are a vital aspect of any professional industrial fair, and UNIRE is no exception. With this in mind, the fair’s organisers have set up a matchmaking platform for scheduling an agenda of meetings and a physical area for them to take place (sponsored by Kuka), which will be located at the entrance to Pavilion 1. This service can be accessed following registration for the fair, which is free for professionals and students. https://ficobaunire.org/acreditacion/
A highly-rated trade show
In just one year, UNIRE has become a well-known and highly appreciated fair in industrial sectors requiring welding for their production processes. And that comes as no surprise, as UNIRE has numerous points of appeal for exhibitor companies. This was reflected in the satisfaction surveys conducted on conclusion of the first fair held last year, with the companies giving a score of 4.17% out of 5 for the overall quality of the fair, an excellent rating for its first year.
About UNIRE
UNIRE is the trade fair specialising in welding and multi-material joining technologies, organised by Ficoba in collaboration with CESOL (the Spanish Welding and Joining Technologies Association). It aims to bring together the ecosystem of sector enterprises to boost business generation, knowledge exchange and leveraging of young talent.