BCL celebrates 30 years at the service of sustainable logistics development in Catalonia

On February 15, 1994, the Barcelona Logistics Center Association (BCL) was formally constituted, an entity that was born to progressively achieve the competitive improvement of the logistics system in Catalonia, progressing in a balanced way in the economic, environmental and social spheres.

To this end, the formula chosen was public-private collaboration and, for this reason, and since its inception, BCL has brought together both the public administration (municipal, metropolitan, regional and even state) and private enterprise in various fields of activity (logistics and transport, productive and export industry, infrastructure development and logistics land, training, technological innovation, environment and renewable energy or social responsibility, among others), as well as other business entities and institutions whose objective is also aligned with increasing the competitiveness of the economic and productive fabric of the territory.

The natural evolution over these three decades has generated that the current Barcelona-Catalunya Centre Logístic is immersed in supporting the implementation of new production models, especially those related to Industry and Logistics 4.0, in addition to facilitating public-private investment models that are aimed at generating employment in socially sustainable conditions.

To work in all these areas, BCL currently has seven working committees dedicated to: Transport Infrastructure and Services, Air Cargo and Logistics Security, Logistics Training and Occupation Roundtable, Logistics Green Deal, Logistics Innovation Hub, ODS, and Economic Promotion and Logistics Land. BCL also has the International Economic Forum in Logistics, a joint initiative with IESE, which is a space for multidisciplinary reflection on the logistics sector and its future trends.

All of these groups are made up of professionals who, in a disinterested manner, debate, analyze, make demands and contribute their knowledge, thus helping to advance in the common challenge of achieving a more efficient, sustainable, safe and responsible logistics activity, always at the service of companies, people and the territory.

Since its creation, the presidency of BCL has been shared and alternated, for a period of two years, between the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona and the Port of Barcelona. Since November 2022, the Executive Committee is chaired by Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, and at the head of the three vice presidencies are: Lluís Salvadó, president of the Port of Barcelona; Pau Solanilla, commissioner of city promotion of the Barcelona City Council; and Isaac Albert, president of Cimalsa.

Pere Navarro, president of BCL, wanted to emphasize that “the 30 years of history and success of BCL show that, in order to advance and face the challenges that are constantly presented to us, it is necessary to join efforts, make alliances and establish bridges of dialogue and collaboration between all the links that today make up the logistics chains”.

Without the support of all the parties involved, the logistics system in Catalonia will not advance at the cruising speed that the new trends, most of them very disruptive, impose on the organizations and the business fabric of our country in terms of innovation, environmental sustainability, economic progress and fair and inclusive social development.