The Company Meltio, Winner of the VII National SME of the Year Award

• H.M. The King has stressed the role of SMEs that support, move and contribute to the growth of the economy, in addition to driving innovation and create most of the employment.
• The President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce praised the role of SMEs, highlighting the need for awards that recognize them as protagonists and highlight their achievements.
• The CEO of Santander Spain stressed that companies should not only be the engine of the economy and material prosperity, but should also play a role as bearers of social justice and protection.
• His Majesty King Felipe VI presided over the national final of the SME of the Year Award 2023, an award granted by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Banco Santander.
• Felipe VI presented the National SME of the Year 2023 Award to Meltio, an SME from Linares (Jaén), which is revolutionizing the industry with a pioneering method of 3D metal printing.

His Majesty the King stressed in his speech that “SMEs sustain and move our economy, contribute to its growth, drive or extend innovation and create most of the jobs. You are also the ones that suffer the most from shocks or adverse cycles in the economy, whether for domestic or external reasons, before and to a greater extent. Recognizing – and valuing – your work, in addition to contributing to your strength and resilience, is an important part of our mission.

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, said that “the good moment of the Spanish economy is largely the result of its SMEs, which represent the vast majority of our productive fabric”. Carlos Cuerpo also pointed out that “awards such as the one presented today help us to understand that behind a solid economy, which grows and creates jobs, is the daily effort of many people devising and carrying out projects such as those known here today.

The president of the Chamber of Spain, José Luis Bonet, praised the role of SMEs “awards like this are necessary in which you are the protagonists and we put the focus on your achievements: in your ability to create jobs, to conquer the world, to innovate and to generate social impact. In addition, Bonet thanked His Majesty the King for his presence “for yet another year at this event to pay tribute to SMEs, which is a sign of the invaluable support that you provide to Spanish companies, of which you are the best ambassador”.

For his part, the CEO of Santander Spain, Ángel Rivera, thanked the SMEs that participated and said “companies should not only be the engine of the economy and material prosperity, they should also play a role as bearers of justice and social protection, humanizing work and leading technological progress. SMEs are a social asset in themselves. An asset that we must preserve together because they generate wealth and employment, and contribute to the cohesion and stability of our country”.

Meltio’s CEO, Ángel Llavero López de Villalta, highlighted in his speech the transformative power of companies and that “Andalusia can be a technological leader at a global level”. “We are the generation in history with more opportunities, there have never been so many changes in such a short period of time. Spain, in this new situation has an ideal position to have a great potential in the industrial sector,” said Llavero. The CEO of Meltio concluded by thanking the team that makes up the Jinense SME and their families for their dedication.

The jury was chaired by José Luis Bonet, president of the Chamber of Spain, and its members were, on behalf of Santander Spain, Ángel Rivera, CEO and Olga Abad, director of Companies and Institutions; the general director of the Chamber of Spain, Inmaculada Riera; the head of the Business Supplement of El País, David Fernández and Juan Cantón, general director of Prensa Prisa Media; and the president of the SMEs Commission of the Chamber of Spain, Isabel Puig Ferrer, in her capacity as secretary of the jury.

Spanish National SME of the Year Award 2023
Meltio is dedicated to the manufacture of wire-laser metal 3D printing solutions. Incorporated in 2019, its great innovation is the development of its worldwide patent: the first head that extracts welding wire from a multi-laser, capable of manufacturing 100% dense parts. This wire is very low cost compared to other conventional manufacturing processes.

The company aims to become a world leader in technology to reduce costs, time and energy in production processes. Thanks to this pioneering method, the manufacture of metal components in industrial processes can be revolutionized at a lower cost and with greater efficiency. Thus, this multinational SME works with the automotive, aerospace, engineering, mining, military and naval industries.

Its export percentage reaches 96% and its 3D printing products have already been exported to more than 70 countries around the world. Meltio’s main markets are Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States.

9,176 SMEs have participated since the Award was created.
The SME of the Year Award, organized annually by Banco Santander and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, recognizes the performance of small and medium-sized Spanish companies, whose activity is fundamental for the creation of employment and wealth at the local level.

In this seventh edition of the SME of the Year Award, 1,740 companies from 50 provinces registered. In its organization, 52 territorial Chambers of Commerce and 13 Territorial Directorates of Banco Santander and the main headers of the Spanish press have participated. Since 2017, the year of its launch, 9,176 SMEs have already participated in this contest.