The King of Spain visits Solvay Torrelavega in its Centenary
The King of Spain visits Solvay Torrelavega in its Centenary
July 2nd, 2008 is an historic date for the factory of SolvayTorrelavega.In an event that hosted more than 600 people, His Majesty King Juan Carlos I visited the facilities of the plant to commemorate its Centenary.
The King was accompanied by the President of the Government of Cantabria, Miguel Angel Revilla, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Solvay, Christian Jourquin, and the Director of the Torrelavega factory, Jose Luis Zárate.
Solvay participants in the event were the Regional Manager for Europe, Marc Duhem, the Country Manager for Spain and Portugal, Luis Serrano, several members of the Executive Committee, General Managers of the Group and Directors of Solvay in the Iberian region.
Also present were the Belgian ambassador to Spain, Claude Rijmenans, the Secretary of State for Research, Carlos Martínez, and representatives of the main authorities in the region.
During the visit, the Monarch was close to the many workers and guests, customers and suppliers that had the occasion to meet him. In his speech, he addressed a few words to all attendees: "I would like to express my thanks to the Chairman for his words, my congratulations on your 100th anniversary, and my most heartfelt wishes for success to all of you, since I cannot do it personally".
The factory of Torrelavega had received a previous visit from a King of Spain, at that time Don Alfonso XIII, grandfather of Juan Carlos I, on the occasion of its inauguration in 1908.
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Speech by Christian Jourquin, Chairman of the Executive Committee
Your Majesty,
We are all very pleased to welcome you to our factory on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Solvay Torrelavega. It is an honour for me to express these words of thanks for your visit.
One hundred years ago, your grandfather, Alfonso XIII, granted Solvay the immense honour of officially inaugurating the Torrelavega factory. One hundred years later, we are able to confirm that the Spanish monarchy is still committed to this plant, which has been confirmed by your presence. All of us who have worked in one way or another on this project are very grateful to you.
We would also like to express our strong commitment to the Solvay plant in Torrelavega. One hundred years has made this factory a benchmark for the Solvay Group, and we foresee a future full of promise and the desire to ensure that this plant continues to be one of the most important in the world.
All of this is thanks to the effort of generations of people working in their individual areas to place the Solvay plant in Torrelavega in this position of leadership. Now it is the turn of the current generation and the ones to come to play their part in the future of this plant.
I would now like to dedicate a few words to the excellent relations that have been generated over the years between the factory and the communities that have welcomed us as a good industrial neighbour. This “good chemistry” between our plant and the community where it is located has made Solvay Torrelavega an industrial model in Cantabria, Spain and the world at large.
Once again, we would like to thank you for your visit and ask you to unveil the plaque commemorating this event, which will be placed in a prime location at the Solvay plant in Torrelavega.
