AFM, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Machine Tools, accessories, parts and tools, represents 90% of machine tool and advanced manufacturing technology companies in Spain. AFM, based in San Sebastian and with an office in China (Tianjin), works to promote internationalisation and, through its INVEMA (Foundation for Machine Tool Research) technology unit, the technological innovation of its member companies. AFM defends and represents the industry's interests, building links with government bodies, professional associations and related organisations, particularly promoting inter-company relationships. It offers a comprehensive range of added-value services to its members, and is a part of the CECIMO (European Association of the Machine Tool Industries) and ECTA (European Cutting Tool Association) associations. Each year it organises the Members' General Meeting, while every two years it runs the Machine Tools and Manufacturing Technologies Conference and co-organises the Spanish Machine Tool Biennial together with the BEC Bilbao exhibition centre. THE INDUSTRY IN FIGURES Spain is the European Union's third most important producer and exporter of machine tools, and is ranked ninth in the world. This position has been achieved thanks to the commitment of manufacturers of machine tools, accessories, parts and tools to technological innovation, internationalisation and personal development. For example, by exporting an average of over 80% of the industry's production to international markets and investing approximately 5% of turnover in Research, Development and Innovation.