Por Redaccion 
General Dynamics does not want to divest its factory in Asturias, where the 8×8 Dragon for the Spanish Army is produced.
MADRID, 13 (EUROPA PRESS)
Indra’s president, Ángel Escribano, criticized the management of Santa Bárbara Sistemas by its owner, General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS), and stated that "there has been no investment," that "it has not grown," and that "it has destroyed almost all the industrial fabric that the once great company Santa Bárbara had."
This assessment was made by Indra’s top executive during his appearance before the Joint Committee on National Security, at the request of the PP.
Escribano’s comments come at a time when GDELS has rejected an offer from Indra to acquire the company’s factory in Trubia (Asturias), where the armored 8×8 Dragon for the Spanish Army is produced through the Tess Defence consortium, controlled by Indra and also involving Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Sapa Placencia, and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E).
"There has been no investment, it has not grown, and, rather, it has destroyed almost all the industrial fabric that the once great company Santa Bárbara had. And for that reason, Indra offered an option to purchase the capabilities and pay for their use. It is a very successful purchase for the seller. Above all, because what we are going to do is bring in other industrial technologies," highlighted Escribano, clarifying that this comment was made as a "citizen" and not as the president of Indra.
Escribano also expressed the opinion that Santa Bárbara Sistemas is a "great desire" of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces, and the Spanish Army, in the sense of having a national factory of this kind.
NEW CONTRACTS IN TRUBIA
In this context, it is worth noting that Santa Bárbara Sistemas has strengthened the production of its factory in Trubia (Oviedo) with the allocation of new contracts from international programs of other GDELS companies amounting to 50 million euros, as confirmed by sources from the company to Europa Press.
With this move, the company aims to highlight the priority it gives to this plant within its productive ecosystem, as the Trubia facilities have become a center of excellence for General Dynamics European Land Systems in the manufacture of subassemblies for armored vehicles for all markets within the group.
The allocation of these contracts to the Trubia factory is part of the strategy to boost the penetration of Santa Bárbara Sistemas beyond Spain, as in the last two years, the Asturian plant has participated in various international contracts from the GDELS group aimed at four foreign countries, most of them European.
In fact, in Trubia, main components and subassemblies have been manufactured for around 320 armored vehicles acquired through GDELS, in addition to the recent contract signed by Santa Bárbara Sistemas for the supply of 42 units of the ASCOD (Pizarro in Spain) for the Armed Forces of Latvia, a program that will be fully executed at the Asturian plant.
General Dynamics has ruled out the possibility of selling Santa Bárbara Sistemas, whether it be its production capacity (factories and personnel) or its ‘know-how’ (such as its blueprints and technology).
This was made clear by the company in an internal communication addressed to the staff, accessed by Europa Press, emphasizing that far from wanting to divest from the company, General Dynamics intends to strengthen its agreements and enhance its industrial capacity in land systems in Spain to support the European objective of achieving strategic sovereignty.
MINSAIT "NOT FOR SALE," AT LEAST NOT ENTIRELY
During his appearance in Congress, Escribano also referred to Minsait, Indra’s technological subsidiary, and emphasized that it "is not for sale," although he indicated that there is a possibility of divesting part of the subsidiary.
On February 26, during the presentation of the company’s 2024 results, Escribano recalled that to strengthen Minsait, they are exploring the possibility of bringing in a strategic partner to "enhance its autonomy" and accelerate its growth in digital solutions.
It is worth remembering that Minsait accounted for 62% of Indra’s revenues in 2024, totaling 2.982 billion euros.
Furthermore, Minsait’s payment media subsidiary, Minsait Payments, has rebranded and is now called ‘Nuek,’ as announced by the company, which explained that this transformation is part of the strategy to strengthen its growth, specialization, and autonomy.
This rebranding comes less than six months after the Indra board of directors decided to begin a formal process to analyze various options regarding Minsait Payments (now ‘Nuek’), including a potential sale.
"This change is part of a growth and specialization strategy that reinforces its autonomy, innovation capacity, and positioning as a key partner in the transformation of the payment ecosystem. Currently, the company operates in more than 20 countries in America and Europe and has over 1,500 professionals specialized in this field," detailed Minsait in a statement.