Economy

Industry in Ontinyent

Industry has shaped Ontinyent's history for centuries, and it still accounts for nearly three in ten jobs in the town's businesses.

Industry in figures

  • 29.7 %

    of jobs in Ontinyent-based businesses are in industry

    2,526 of 8,493 workers registered with Ontinyent-based Social Security accounts, 3T 2026.

  • 185

    industrial companies

    Companies with employees registered with Social Security in Ontinyent, out of 1,141 in total, 4T 2025.

  • 5

    official industrial areas

    All classified as “basic” areas by the Valencian government (2023).

  • 181

    hectares

    Combined area of the five estates: 1,810,689 m² (IVACE census, 2026).

These figures count jobs in businesses based in Ontinyent, whether or not the people holding them live in the town. They are not comparable with the figures for employed residents in Ontinyent in numbers. Ontinyent in numbers →

The five industrial areas

The Valencian government's official census lists five industrial areas in Ontinyent, all classified as “basic” under Law 14/2018. In everyday use, people usually name three: El Pla, Sant Vicent and L'Altet.

  1. El Pla

    Official name: Polígono Industrial El Pla

    The town's main industrial area, east of the town centre, around Avinguda del Tèxtil.

    Area: 1,070,847 m²Basic area

  2. El Pla Area 27 and 30 bis

    Official name: Polígono Industrial El Pla Área 27 y 30 bis

    An area next to El Pla, developed from planning sectors 27 bis and 30 bis. It is usually regarded as part of El Pla.

    Area: 154,300 m²Basic area

  3. Pla de Sant Vicent

    Official name: Polígono Industrial Área 45 Pla de Sant Vicent

    Known as the Sant Vicent estate, north of the town centre, near the Sant Vicent chapel and the Clariano river.

    Area: 113,800 m²Basic area

  4. L'Altet

    Official name: Polígono Industrial L'Altet

    In the north of the municipality, away from the town centre. It has its own website, promoted by the Town Council.

    Area: 392,742 m²Basic area

  5. Àrea 37

    Official name: Polígono Terciario AH-37

    At the northern entrance to the town, along the València road. The documents consulted use different names for this area: the industrial-area census lists it among Ontinyent's areas, while both the classification resolution and the IVACE record call it «Polígono Terciario AH-37».

    Area: 79,000 m²Basic area

Areas and classification: IVACE census (2026) and classification resolution (DOGV, 18/05/2023). They cannot be added to the industrial land in the town plan: they are different boundaries.

Map

Loading the map…
  • Developed industrial land
  • Industrial land for new development (may not be built yet)
  • IVACE reference point

The shading shows industrial land in the town's urban plan, not the official boundaries of the five areas in the census. The locations of the areas are reference points published by IVACE.

© Institut Cartogràfic Valencià – Generalitat Valenciana, CC BY 4.0 · IVACE – Generalitat Valenciana, CC BY · © OpenStreetMap

An industrial history

Textile and paper crafts in Ontinyent are documented since at least the 15th century. By the late 18th century the town was one of the specialised wool centres of the Valencian region, known above all for its blankets, and manufacturing clustered along the Clariano river.

In the 20th century textiles, with the blanket as the signature product, were the town's great economic engine, alongside paper, ceramics and distilling. Industry moved from the riverbank towards the Albaida and Gandia roads, and the chimneys you can see on the Factory Chimneys Route remain as a reminder.

Today industry sits alongside a larger service sector and a more varied range of activities, but it remains an essential part of Ontinyent's economy, much of it concentrated in the industrial areas.

Upgrading the estates

Since 2017 the Town Council has carried out improvement works in the industrial areas, largely with IVACE grants. Some documented examples:

  • 2017-2018Completed

    El Pla, Sant Vicent and L'Altet: CCTV cameras linked to the Local Police, a cycle lane, street lighting, a recycling point and signage, with IVACE grants of about €1.6 million.

    IVACE, 07/03/2018 ↗
  • 2023Works started

    Àrea 37: a new drinking-water main, renewed street lighting and a fire hydrant at the entrance.

    Loclar, 12/09/2023 ↗
  • 2024Contract awarded

    El Pla and Sant Vicent: new improvement phases, including LED lighting and a storm-water collector in El Pla.

    El Periòdic d'Ontinyent, 27/09/2024 ↗
  • 2025Under way

    L'Altet: improvement works awarded in 2025. There is no record yet of their completion.

    elperiodic.com, 02/12/2025 ↗
  • 2026Completed

    El Pla and Sant Vicent: improvements to Camí de la Font Santa and Camí Fondo, a cycle and pedestrian path, LED lighting and over 50 trees.

    elperiodic.com, 31/03/2026 ↗

No area has a Management and Modernisation Entity (EGM) yet. The Town Council is considering one for L'Altet (July 2026).

Useful links

Method and sources

  • Areas, classification and surface: IVACE – Generalitat Valenciana, “Parques empresariales de la Comunitat Valenciana” (2026, CC BY), and the industrial-area classification resolution (DOGV, 18/05/2023). IVACE · DOGV
  • Jobs and companies: Valencian Institute of Statistics (IVE), Territorial Data Bank (“Companies registered with Social Security”). IVE
  • Map: industrial land in the urban plan (developed and new-development industrial zones), Institut Cartogràfic Valencià, CC BY 4.0, simplified; IVACE reference points (CC BY); base map © OpenStreetMap contributors. ICV
  • History: Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana (“Ontinyent”); J. M. Benaul, “Davallada i transformació de les indústries tradicionals”; J. Gandia, A. Ribera and R. Sanchis, “Indústria i ximeneres: els fumerals fabrils d'Ontinyent” (Recerques del Museu d'Alcoi, 2014). GEC · Benaul · Recerques
  • Upgrades: IVACE and local press reporting council information (linked for each item).

🗓️ Reviewed: October 2026