SMOPYC, the International Exhibition of Public Works, Construction and Mining Machinery, opened its twentieth edition today at the Zaragoza Trade Fair. This marks the beginning of four days during which the venue will be the premier meeting point for the international construction sector.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice President of the Zaragoza Trade Fair, Berta Lorente; the Minister of Development, Housing, Logistics and Territorial Cohesion of the Government of Aragon, Octavio López; the Councilor for the Presidency and Institutional Relations of the Zaragoza City Council, Ángel Lorén; and the Special Commissioner for Industrial and SME Competitiveness of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Núria Aymerich Rocavert, among other authorities.

In her address, the Vice President of Feria de Zaragoza, Berta Lorente, emphasized that “we are in a moment of great transformation, with digitalization, new technologies, automation, sustainability, and new energies,” and highlighted SMOPYC's role as “a connection point and a useful tool for facing all these challenges.” Lorente also underscored the fair's commitment to addressing other fundamental challenges, such as generational change. In this regard, the visit of more than 200 fourth-year secondary school students has been announced for Friday, April 17, along with a roundtable discussion with content creators in the machinery and construction sectors, scheduled for Saturday the 18th.

For his part, the Minister of Development, Housing, Logistics, and Territorial Cohesion of the Government of Aragon, Octavio López, highlighted the role of the event in the current economic climate, noting that “Aragon is positioning itself as a benchmark not only in Spain, but also in Southern Europe, with investments that will transform our economic model and our GDP.” He also acknowledged the fair's track record, offering “express and emphatic congratulations to the Zaragoza Trade Fair for its excellent, continuous, reliable, and efficient work over many years at the helm of one of Europe's most important international trade fairs.”

Similarly, Ángel Lorén, Councilor for the Presidency and Institutional Relations of the Zaragoza City Council, emphasized the current state of the city, stating that “Zaragoza is, without a doubt, the city of opportunities” and underscoring the importance of the event for the city, since “SMOPYC is not just another trade fair for the Zaragoza City Council; it is something much more significant.”

This year, SMOPYC occupies a total of 107,383 square meters of exhibition space and brings together 1,055 exhibiting brands, of which 571 are Spanish, 46 are from Aragon, and 484 are international, representing 32 countries. A total of 445 direct exhibitors and 610 indirect exhibitors are participating, confirming the international scope and importance of the event as a platform for business and innovation.

Technical Workshops and Parallel Activities

During this first day, various technical workshops, parallel activities, and professional meetings were also held, complementing the trade exhibition. Among them, the Rental Day, organized by ASEAMAC (Association of Machinery and Equipment Rental Companies), stood out. This day-long event featured the Rental Route, a tour of member companies' stands to showcase the advantages of the rental model and the latest innovations presented by participating companies.

SMOPYC also hosted the International Prescribers' Reverse Trade Mission early in the morning, organized by ANMOPYC in collaboration with ICEX Spain, Export and Investment. This event brought together specialized media from India, Singapore, Germany, and the United Kingdom for a networking session.

Innovation Pavilion, a Key Feature of SMOPYC 2026

Innovation takes center stage in Pavilion 9, a space specifically dedicated to showcasing the latest technological trends and the future of the sector. In this setting, the Innovation SMOPYC Talks program is taking place throughout the event. This program is promoted by the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Machinery for Construction, Public Works and Mining (ANMOPYC), the Spanish Technological Platform for Construction (PTEC), and the Technological Institute of Aragon (ITA).

The morning sessions addressed the digitalization of machinery and construction sites, as well as robotics and automation in construction equipment. This afternoon, starting at 4:00 PM, the program will continue with a session dedicated to new energy sources and the decarbonization of machinery, in which technological solutions for reducing emissions in mobile machinery will be analyzed.

This Innovation Pavilion, organized by ANMOPYC, ITA, PTEC, and the National Federation of Excavators (FENAEX), also brings together R&D prototypes aimed at driving innovation for technological innovation in the sector.

In this context, the 2nd Competition for Future Professionals in Machinery and Lifting is also being held in the AFUPRO Zone, organized by AFUPRO (Association for Future Professionals) with the support of SMOPYC and ELEVA (Alliance of Associations of Rental Companies and Manufacturers of Lifting Machinery).

The initiative aims to showcase young talent and promote generational renewal with finalists from vocational training centers in six autonomous communities.

For its part, the Spanish Association for the Recycling of Construction and Demolition Waste (RCDA) will be present at the event with an information stand where it will present the initiatives it promotes to encourage the recycling of RCDA and the use of aggregates and recycled materials, representing more than 60 member recycling plants in Spain.

Technical Innovation Competition Awards Ceremony

This afternoon, at 6:00 PM, the SMOPYC 2026 Technical Innovation Competition awards ceremony will take place in the Zaragoza Trade Fair Auditorium. The jury has recognized 14 products in five categories: innovation in design or performance, technology and digitalization, environmental sustainability, health and safety, and technological research and development.

All information about the winners can be found on our website or via this link.

The event continues tomorrow, Thursday, April 16

The second day continues tomorrow with a schedule of industry meetings and technical sessions. Among them is a talk organized by ANMOPYC, ITA, ANAPAT, PTEC, the Construction Labor Foundation, and FENAEX entitled “Boosting Talent, Dual Training, and Attracting Talent,” a proposal to bring the sector closer to young people and show them the many professional development opportunities it offers.

Professional events also took place, such as the technical seminar “Advances in Applied Geotechnical Machinery,” organized by AETESS, and the session “MasterCO2re: From Innovation to the New Market Benchmark,” organized by Masters Builders Solutions.

Following the success of this first opening day, SMOPYC 2026 will remain open to the public until Saturday, April 18, with a program of parallel activities, technical seminars, its Demo Zone, and Outdoor Area. The event thus reaffirms its status as an international benchmark for the construction, public works, and mining machinery sectors.