Bonaplata Factory
First factory in Spain to employ steam engines, using them to drive mechanical textile machinery / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bonaplata Factory (1832-1838) (also known as El Vapor lit. 'The Steam Engine') was the first factory in Spain to successfully use steam engines (using them to drive mechanical textile machinery), the first foundry to manufacture and repair cast-iron machinery for sale to the textile industry and, significantly, gained government concessions that definitively demonstrated the government's commitment to domestic manufacturing.[1]
Historians recognise the factory's establishment as a major milestone in the history of Catalan cotton industry and of Spanish industrialisation more generally.[2][1] The Factory's foundation marked the opening of the flood-gates of capital into the industry and foretold its full and rapid industrialisation.
Although the Factory was severely damaged by fire during riots in 1835 (which eventually led to the company's dissolution in 1838), the foundry part of the factory recovered operation quickly after the fire and has continued in operation through various mergers and acquisitions, later becoming part of La Maquinista Terrestre y Marítima and is now a subsidiary of Alstom.