IndustrialLAB 5.0 Eyes Digital Technologies for SMEs in the Alicante Region
The Alicante Metal Employers Federation, known as Fempa, together with the Metalworking Technology Institute, has signed an agreement to launch IndustrialLAB 5.0. The initiative aims to bring advanced digital technologies to small and micro-sized enterprises in the province, demonstrating smart factory concepts and practical tools that can be adopted on a smaller scale.
This commitment was announced following a board meeting where the document was signed with the involvement of Aidimme and in the presence of its leadership, including Fernando and Vicente Rocati, the chief executive. The project also receives support from the Valencia Institute for Commercial Competitiveness, Ivace, which operates under the Ministry of Economy. Ivace’s backing underscores the regional interest in fostering innovation and productivity through modern digital capabilities.
IndustrialLAB 5.0 is conceived as a demonstrator pilot. Its goal is to promote and disseminate digital activation technologies that are already transforming manufacturing. These include additive manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and virtual and augmented reality tools. The project intends to help industrial SMEs and micro SMEs access these innovations, participate in research and development initiatives, and improve productivity and competitiveness across the province.
A new demonstration space will be established within Fempa facilities. The setup will connect two smart manufacturing centers—one in Alicante and one in Valencia—through a digital network aligned with the smart factory model. In addition to the showroom and demonstration sessions, the program will organize a series of educational activities designed to raise digital competencies among participants and maximize the benefits of cutting-edge technology.
The IndustrialLAB 5.0 initiative will require Fempa to remodel its workshop spaces to accommodate a range of equipment and services that will be housed in the interactive space. The collaboration with Aidimme includes plans to equip both locations with the necessary and sufficient devices to operate the demonstrators, ensuring seamless access to the showcased capabilities in Alicante and Valencia.
Beyond the physical spaces, the agreement outlines a plan to energize exchanges between companies, run outreach campaigns that highlight innovation, and disseminate results from ongoing R&D projects. These activities are designed to stimulate collaboration, invite broader participation, and accelerate the transfer of new technologies into everyday production workflows.
The formal presentation of IndustrialLAB 5.0 was anticipated for the final quarter of 2022, with attendance expected from regional authorities such as the Minister of Sustainable Economy, Rafael Climent, and Ivace’s managing director, Julia Company. The event is framed as a milestone in the region’s effort to blend traditional manufacturing expertise with modern digital capabilities, offering a concrete pathway for smaller firms to engage with the future of industry. The overarching aim is to create a replicable model that can be scaled and potentially mirrored in other regions that share similar economic structures and growth ambitions, including North American markets that are prioritizing digital transformation in manufacturing (Attribution: Ivace, Aidimme, Fempa).