Mertxe Uzkudun, Pello Rodriguez - DANOBATGROUP

"Promoting the Basque language in the working world is a challenge we owe to future generations"

Danobat was born in Elgoibar in 1954. Approaching its seventh decade, Danobatgroup is a benchmark in the machine tool sector, with a division made up of five cooperatives and a team of 1,300 people.

The president of the division, Pello Rodríguez, and the head of communications of Ideko technology center, Mertxe Uzkudun, helped us to learn about the history of this cooperative group from its foundation to the present day.

"We are a benchmark, very small in size but very good at what we do. Machine tools in the Basque Country represent around 80% of the state and in Europe we are small in volume but a benchmark in the applications we make, we have been able to find our niche, both Danobatgroup and other machine tool manufacturers here", emphasizes Pello Rodriguez.

When talking about the challenge of promoting Basque in the industrial sector, Mertxe Uzkudun considers that "promoting Basque language in the working world should be considered as a strategy for us. It is true that this should be done by everyone at their own pace, because both with customers, in-house staff and suppliers, it has to be done at different paces, but I think it is something we owe to future generations."