Pere Navarro presents the vision of the Zona Franca Barcelona at the Europa Tribuna Catalunya Forum

• Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the CZFB, said during his speech that “the CZFB is not only an agent of transformation, but also strives to be a catalyst for innovation and growth for other companies. The Consorci operates in Barcelona but projects its economic and industrial sectors to the whole world”.

• The informative breakfast was the perfect occasion to unravel the Consorci’s audacious vision of becoming the technological and disruptive ‘District 4.0’ not only of the city, but also of its entire metropolitan region.

Barcelona, October 26, 2023.- Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) has been the guest protagonist this morning at the Europa Tribuna Catalunya Forum, the conference-informative breakfast organized by the Nueva Economía Fórum. The special delegate of the State in the CZFB explained to the public the important work and dedication being carried out by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona in terms of promoting innovation, transformation of industry and connectivity of the new economy for large corporations, but also the entrepreneurial fabric of the city. This intervention took place this morning at the Palace Hotel in Barcelona and was presented by Raúl Blanco, president of RENFE.

During the inauguration, Navarro took the opportunity to present the bold vision of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona to become the great District 4.0, a greener and more digital space that covers not only the city of Barcelona but its entire metropolitan region, with its 5 million inhabitants.

“Our dream is to evolve from being a factory of opportunities to a true District 4.0. A place where green areas, outstanding industries in various sectors and innovative projects based on the new economy are harmoniously combined,” said Navarro during his speech. And he added “our ambition is to transcend the borders of a physical space and become an epicentre of innovation and transformation of the economy that impacts the entire community”.

This transition will take place naturally with the second phase of the extension of DFactory Barcelona, which will be created in the location adjacent to the current facility and will add an extension of 72.500m². The prospect of this breadth is that it will generate direct employment for around 1.500 people, and approximately 5,000 indirect jobs. This second phase of DFactory Barcelona aims to consolidate the technological and digital ecosystem, and thus create an innovative, technological and sustainable space of large dimensions to boost the competitiveness of industry 4.0.

The CZFB as a catalyst for opportunities

The current DFactory Barcelona, of 17.000 m², has 2.000 tons of steel and a total of 4 floors with open, diaphanous and digital spaces where a new, more sustainable and efficient form of production is being worked on, optimizing processes. This ‘cathedral of the new economy‘ has established itself as the main technology hub of the most relevant Industry 4.0 in southern Europe and has a business ecosystem made up of 30 companies, large corporations and startups that work with cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Robotics, Sensors and Cybersecurity. The building currently employs 500 people and is 80% occupied. This emblematic and unique building located in Barcelona’s Zona Franca involved an investment of 30 million euros by the CZFB.

The CZFB also contributes to the drive of technological innovation thanks to its two incubators, the 3D Incubator and the Logistics 4.0 Incubator. The 3D Incubator is Europe’s first high-tech incubator in 3D printing that, since its inception in 2019, has helped more than 100 startups develop their innovative projects. In its case, the Logistics 4.0 Incubator is the first incubator in Spain dedicated to Industry 4.0 in the field of logistics, a disruptive project that has the support of the ERDF and INCYDE Funds. Inaugurated last July, it already has 30 startups that develop the most cutting-edge technologies and offer innovative solutions, services and products focused on logistics.

In the same way, the public entity also connects the new economy with the creation of new hybrid and disruptive events such as the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) and the Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (BWAW) and the celebration of the emblematic International Logistics Exhibition (SIL). The Consortium’s activity extends from Barcelona to Latin America, thus forming a mechanism of various sectors such as talent, mobility, sustainability and digitalization to promote collaboration and synergy between different industries and disciplines, with the aim of promoting economic and social progress on a global scale.

The progress of the new economy also exists behind closed doors. The CZFB has created the first certified green hydrogen plant for public use in Spain, which supplies fuel to dozens of buses of Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona; it also promotes the installation of photovoltaic panels in the industrial estate; the promotion of sustainable mobility within it and the use of renewable sources for energy production throughout the Zona Franca.

“The Consorci de la Zona Franca has established itself as a benchmark in efficiency and vision in public management. Through our programs and projects, we have demonstrated that the public sector can be an engine of progress, boosting job creation, promoting foreign investment, and contributing to the sustainable economic growth of our region”, said Navarro at the end of his speech.