The Generalitat Valenciana and Finanzauto Strengthen Their Collaboration to Support Heavy Machinery and Operator Training

The Third Vice President and Regional Minister for the Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery, Vicente Martínez Mus, accompanied by Antonio Galvañ Díez, Regional Secretary for Employment and Director General of LABORA (under the First Vice Presidency), paid an institutional visit today to Finanzauto’s facility in Chiva (Valencia). During the meeting, representatives of the Valencian Government and the company’s management team discussed potential areas of collaboration to strengthen the region’s resilience, ensuring the availability of heavy machinery while advancing the technical training of new operators. These needs have taken on unprecedented urgency following the 2024 DANA.

The visit highlighted the critical importance of the heavy machinery sector, not only as a driving force behind public works and construction, but also as a vital productive resource for industry, logistics and, above all, emergency management. In this regard, Vicente Martínez Mus stressed that “a region’s ability to respond largely depends on having the right machinery, in good working condition and operated by qualified personnel.” The Regional Minister highlighted Finanzauto as a strategic partner, stating that “we need companies that can respond quickly and adapt to changing circumstances. Collaboration between public authorities and the private sector is key to moving forward and restarting our economic activity.”

Boosting the Sector and the Proposal for a Machinery Renewal Plan

This meeting would not have been possible without the sector’s close involvement and active support. For this reason, the event was attended by the Valencian Association of Machinery, Construction and Public Works Companies (Avemcop), represented by its President, Felipe Ferrer, and Vice President, Paco Cerdá, whose work is essential to driving and coordinating these joint initiatives.

During the working meeting, the Generalitat Valenciana, the employers’ association and Finanzauto agreed on two major structural challenges currently limiting operational capacity: the need to maintain a properly sized and modern machinery fleet, and the pressing shortage of specialised operators due to the lack of generational renewal.

To address the current state of the machinery fleet, the need to launch a Renove Plan was discussed during the event. In this area, Finanzauto plays a key role in ensuring that Spanish companies can access the most advanced technologies and processes, thereby improving their production cycles. Among the initiatives promoted by the company is the proposal for a national Machinery Renewal Plan to equip Spain with the latest technologies, an essential measure to ensure the successful delivery of future public works projects.

Innovation in the Face of the Talent Shortage: Training Through Advanced Simulation

To address the talent challenge, Finanzauto presented its Operator Training School to the regional representatives, a comprehensive training programme designed to bring professional training closer to the sector. At the heart of this programme is the Training Box, an advanced simulation system that the authorities had the opportunity to experience first-hand. Equipped with high-immersion simulators, the system faithfully replicates real-life working situations, allowing users to simulate up to 10 different types of equipment, from crawler excavators and articulated dump trucks to motor graders and wheel loaders. Its modular design provides a completely safe training environment, significantly reducing learning times: what would require months of training on a real machine can be achieved with the Training Box in training cycles of between 8 and 20 hours.

In this regard, Antonio Galvañ stressed the strategic importance of creating employment opportunities linked to these technical profiles: “We need quality jobs and skilled professionals for sectors with sustained, genuine demand. Heavy machinery requires specialised skills, which is why training is essential.” The Director General of LABORA spoke highly of Finanzauto’s comprehensive Operator Training School solution, viewing it as a concrete, effective and safe response to accelerating the integration of new professionals into the workforce, thereby investing in the competitiveness of Valencia’s industrial sector.

For his part, César Fresneda, Director of Finanzauto’s Eastern Region, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to playing a key role in the recovery process: “For us, working closely with the Generalitat Valenciana at this crucial time is an absolute priority. Reconstruction requires not only the best technology and machinery, but also qualified professionals who can operate it safely and efficiently. With comprehensive solutions such as our Operator Training School, Finanzauto is reaffirming its long-standing commitment to Valencia’s industrial sector, providing innovative solutions that create quality employment and accelerate the region’s recovery.”