Last Tuesday, July 8, 2025, a total of twenty-one first-year students (ASP1º) from the Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering offered at the Defense University Center at the Spanish Naval Academy (CUD-ENM) took part in a professional visit to the facilities of the company UROVESA, located in the municipality of Valga, in the province of Pontevedra.
The objective of the activity was to bring the students closer to the real industrial environment, offering them a direct experience in one of the centers where the assembly and assembly of the special vehicles manufactured by the company is carried out, one of whose users is precisely the Navy.
The students were accompanied by the professor Mr. José Antonio González Prieto, and were received by the person in charge of the commercial area of UROVESA. The day began with a technical presentation on the company, which covered key aspects such as its history, technological evolution, product lines and expansion into new national and international markets. The exhibition was complemented with demonstration videos that illustrated the technical and operational capabilities of the different vehicles manufactured, highlighting models such as the URO-T and the VAMTAC. Specific applications such as helicopter transport, adaptation to emergency missions (firefighters), use in anti-riot operations in urban environments, etc., were shown.
Afterwards, the students were taken on a guided tour of the facilities, where they were able to observe in situ the different stages of the production process. From the first stages of assembly of structural components, to the integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic systems, the students followed the complete manufacturing cycle. They also visited the lines where the different elements that make up each vehicle are assembled, as well as the testing and final quality control area, where the procedure for the detection of possible faults, their correction and the final finishes, such as the application of paint, were detailed.
Throughout the visit, UROVESA staff provided detailed explanations and answered questions posed by the students, allowing for a greater understanding of the technical and logistical challenges involved in the production of specialized vehicles for highly demanding operational environments.
The activity allowed students to relate the theoretical knowledge acquired in undergraduate courses with its direct application in a real industrial context, thus reinforcing their training. The observation of the manufacturing processes, the contact with professionals of the sector and the understanding of the technical requirements of the design and production of tactical vehicles, provided a valuable practical and professional perspective, aligned with the training objectives of the CUD-ENM.