At the end of the year, in the Basque economy as whole MONDRAGON accounted for: 3.1% of employment, 4.5% of GDP and 9.3% of exports. This meant that out of every €100 of wealth generated in Euskadi, €4.5 came from the activities of the Corporation’s firms.
Consonni, a company based in the province of Bizkaia joined the Group, as part of the Components Division, together with Domusa, from Gipuzkoa, a manufacturer of individual boilers for homes. The co-operative Ecotècnia, a company producing wind turbines, wind mills, became the first Catalan enterprise to join MONDRAGON. 1998 was an excellent year for Irizar as they opened their new plant in Ormaiztegi and increased sales by 52%. This was an increase similar to that posted b y the Danobat Group which had the best year in its history. It is interesting to note that the first machine was sold for the Japanese aeronautical sector. It was also the first year of operation for Mondragon Unibertsitatea, a cooperative university set up in 1997 through the association of three educational co-operatives, Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa Jose Mª Arizmendiarrieta S. Coop., ETEO S. Coop. (currently MU Enpresagintza S. Coop.) and Irakasle Eskola S. Coop. It had 2,400 students studying different levels and specialities and, this same year, the Co-operative University Institute, KUI, was set up at its heart.
