Porsche’s machines are made in this factory in Braga

From a small street on the outskirts of Braga, almost entirely taken up by businesses, come some of the machines that large companies use to manufacture car parts for luxury brands: Audi, BMW, Porsche and Rolls Royce. The company that makes them goes by the name of ITEC and was founded by former engineering students of the University of Minho. “We have an engineering team with skills in mechanics, software and electrical design, dedicated to producing robotic cells for production lines”, sums up Carlos Rodrigues, one of the partners.

This company in the north of the country has seen its turnover grow sharply. It closed 2016 with revenue of around 9.1 million euros, up from the 5.4 million recorded in 2015. This year, it expected to close 2017 with 13 million in turnover. But, near the end of May, it says it already has that amount “on its books”, given the orders received. With a large export component, it already has machines ready to ship to Malaysia — others are in China, Mexico and a number of countries on the old European continent. But it also has them in several other countries spread across the four corners of the world. By the end of the decade, the plan is to double the export rate.