Santa Bárbara Sistemas, the Spanish subsidiary of the U.S. defense group General Dynamics, has announced that it is positioning itself to take on future programs after allocating 21 million euros to investments over the last two years, according to what it communicated this Wednesday.
The company has explained that it is accelerating this investment effort with the goal of updating and expanding its industrial and technological capabilities, within the framework of its Industrial and Technological Plan 2025-2030.
With those 21 million already executed, the company seeks to get ahead of the demands of the Armed Forces through new facilities, technologies, and equipment prepared to take on upcoming contracts, which allows it to increase its production capacity and strengthen its competitiveness.
Strengthening and expansion of the industrial base
"This evolution is also reflected in the expansion of the industrial base of Santa Bárbara," the firm has emphasized, specifying that since 2024 it has increased the covered area of its plants to around 113,000 square meters.
This increase "strengthens" its production and logistics infrastructure, as well as its capacity to undertake manufacturing, integration, and sustainment work for defense systems, relying on centers prepared to respond to current and future industrial needs. Regarding the investments planned for 2026, Santa Bárbara has indicated that they are structured around two main axes.
On the one hand, the transformation of the production centers through initiatives to expand capacity, automate processes, and develop new manufacturing techniques. On the other, the commitment to technological development, focused on maturing solutions, processes, and capabilities that make it possible to address future operational requirements in less time and with less industrial risk.
The Trubia plant, an example of the "transformation"
In this context, the company has emphasized that the Fábrica de Armas de Trubia, in Asturias, concentrates an "essential" part of this transformation. Among the actions carried out are the launch of new production lines and specialized workshops in processes such as machining, together with the modernization of the Artillery Workshop.
"This last one is a clear example of the strengthening of a strategic capability for Spain and Europe: the manufacture and sustainment of 155/52 artillery gun barrels", the company has indicated, which has expanded production capacity and completed the modernization of the "critical" machinery for the manufacture of these gun barrels.
As it has highlighted, this combination of "specialized equipment, advanced technologies and own knowledge makes it possible to carry out new work with even greater guarantees of precision, traceability and deadline".
"These capabilities have recently contributed to the awarding of projects to manufacture new gun barrels both nationally and internationally, including a new order received this very week", the company has added, which also highlights "improvements in logistics such as the use of AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) systems or intelligent solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI)".
These initiatives are part of a "comprehensive evolution" of Trubia toward a more flexible, connected center prepared to industrialize new solutions. Likewise, Santa Bárbara maintains that its industrial and technological strategy is based on the idea that critical capabilities cannot begin to be developed when a contract arrives, since they require "anticipation, ongoing investment and accumulated knowledge".
In this sense, the company recalls that it has been immersed for more than 25 years in a process of "sustained innovation that makes it possible to evolve processes, incorporate technologies and prepare its centers for complex programs with high standards of quality, precision and efficiency".