Since at least Roman times, the history of the Basque Country has been closely linked to iron. Humble mountain haizeolak, noisy hydraulic forges or, more recently, immense iron and steel industries have been shaping our landscape.
The industrial revolution brought great opportunities for development to our territory, but also, over time, the depletion of mining resources and, in turn, the closure of many of the industrial facilities linked to the transformation of the mineral.
In this article, however, we are going to talk about an industrial space that has survived the different situations for more than 150 years, reinventing itself when necessary, but without forgetting its past linked to metallurgy. A space and industrial facilities that have been direct witnesses to the Basque industry’s greatest period of splendor and which, today, once again have a future in front of them, thanks to Insertec.
The origins: Pradera Hermanos
This long history had its origins in the initiative of the brothers Juan Benito and Gregorio Pradera Maguregui, who in 1838 set up a modest foundry in the Arkotxa neighbourhood of Zaratamo. Using copper from the Arrazola mines and taking advantage of the water power of the river Ibaizabal, they began to manufacture non-ferrous metal products, such as sheet metal and brass bars. This workshop marked the beginning of a company that would become one of the most important in Bizkaia. Some time later, in 1856, the workshop became a factory, after obtaining a licence from the Galdakao town council to build in the jurisdiction of Zaratamo.
During the second half of the 19th century, the company continued to expand and diversify its operations. They manufactured copper boilers for ships and pipes, as well as fasteners for RENFE and for the French railway network during the First World War. These contracts led the company to make considerable profits and to establish itself as a major player in the industrial sector at the time.
The company maintained its relevance in the region during the first half of the 20th century, expanding into Basauri in the 1930s. However, despite its long history of success, Pradera Hermanos began to face difficulties in the second half of the 20th century. In the 1970s, it temporarily closed its doors and was subsequently taken over by Ibercobre, becoming part of the Sociedad Española de Construcciones Electromecánicas (SECEM).
Over the following years, Pradera Hermanos continued to undergo restructuring and changes of ownership. In 1989, the company was renamed Outokumpu Copper, after being acquired by the Finnish multinational Outokumpu. However, despite these efforts to revitalise the company, it continued to face financial and labour problems. In 2009, after years of struggle, the company finally closed its doors.
Throughout its history, Pradera Hermanos left a significant legacy in the region’s copper industry, but its eventual demise marked the end of an era. Despite the challenges and obstacles it faced, its story continues to be remembered as an example of the importance of hard work, innovation and adaptability in the business world.
Back in business
The closure of Outokumpu, successor to the iconic Pradera Hermanos, which at its peak employed more than 1,200 workers, together with that of other neighbouring industries around the same time, left an almost one kilometre long straight line of industrial ruins and empty pavilions, a desolate, almost apocalyptic space located between Arkotxa and the Bridgestone factory in Basauri.
However, the liquidation of the company opened the door to a potential economic renaissance in the area. Thus, in 2014, Insertec and Wandpi Inversiones y Proyectos acquired this immense extension for their respective business projects, reviving the hope of a local economic revitalisation.
After the logical remodelling and adaptation of spaces to the new uses, Insertec has occupied, since 2017, a large part of the old facilities of the historic Pradera Hermanos, from which it has taken the baton of a long Basque industrial tradition linked to metallurgy. The initiative has meant unifying the company’s activity, which until then had been scattered across different locations in Bizkaia. The aim has been, on the one hand, to rationalise and improve work processes, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, to demonstrate Insertec’s commitment to our territory and to local tradition, as well as to demonstrate the potential of these facilities to provide new industrial opportunities.
In short, the return of industrial activity to Pradera Hermanos offers hope for the economic future of this historic industrial enclave and represents a rebirth for a community that has been hit by the metal sector crisis of recent times.