Currently, the companies in the Azkoyen Group manufacture and sell boxed products and drinks, and selection machines for coins and other methods of payment. In recent financial years, the Azkoyen Group increased its services by making and selling coffee and complementary products for the catering sector.

Out of every hundred euros of the Azkoyen Group's income, 36.5 euros represent sales on the international markets, which in that financial year amounted to 15,157 million pesetas, an increase of 21% on the previous year. The domestic market grew by 8%.

The 2000 financial year was described as "transitional" by the Chairman of Azkoyen, S.A. , José María Careaga, between "a stage of strong investment and the start of new commercial and future prospects ".

According to the same sources, the forecasts for 2001 "are encouraging" , taking into account the expectations for development of the markets and the entry into circulation of the euro. The Azkoyen Group has added extra production capacity with the appropriate technological additions to satisfy the predicted demand

R&D
Investments in tangible fixed assets were 1,485 million pesetas and R&D expenditure was 1,139 million pesetas, with an increase of 19% on 1999. Five out of every hundred euros of sales by Azkoyen are used for R&D&I, which is above the industrial parameters in the European Union and shows how important innovation and technological development are for the Group.

The complexity of some products due to their high technology and the permanent adaptations required by the different markets demand that considerable resources be allocated to R&D. For the research processes the Azkoyen Group has framework agreements with universities and technological centres, both public and private.

NEW STRUCTURE
The General Meeting also dealt with the new structure of the Azkoyen Group, which has been in operation since January. From a legal point of view, it has involved incorporating the subsidiaries Azkoyen Hostelería, S.A. and Azkoyen Comercial Internacional, S.A. into Azkoyen Industrial, S.A., which is responsible for producing the main "Catering and Vending" products for the Group.

The new structure, based on the principles of autonomy of assets, finances and management, does not affect employment or subcontracting. The aim is to improve the Group's position in the world market and its competitive capacity.

The Azkoyen Group, which began to produce and sell coffee four years ago, currently sells more than two million kilograms of coffee, mainly in the catering sector. Its coffee roasting plant, in Noáin, Navarre, a few metres from the airport, was the first in Spain to obtain 14001 certification for environmental management (EMS). It is one of the most modern examples in Europe, and has 30 silos with a capacity of more than one hundred tonnes.