SIL 2025 begins by highlighting logistics as a key sector for the economy and society

• The Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, presided over the opening ceremony of SIL 2025, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Department of Territory, Housing and Economic Transition of the Government of Catalonia, Jordi Terrades; the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council, Jordi Valls; the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto; the State Special Delegate at the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Pere Navarro; and the General Director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué.

• The 650 participating companies are unveiling 163 world-exclusive innovations and organising more than 250 side events, figures that reaffirm SIL as one of the major reference fairs in the fields of logistics, transport, intralogistics and Supply Chain.

Barcelona, 18 June 2025.– This morning saw the opening of SIL 2025, Spain’s leading trade fair in logistics, transport, intralogistics and Supply Chain and one of the global benchmarks, organised by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), bringing together the entire supply chain until 20 June in Hall 8 at the Plaza España-Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona. The opening ceremony was presided over by the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, who was joined by the Secretary General of the Department of Territory, Housing and Economic Transition of the Government of Catalonia, Jordi Terrades; the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council, Jordi Valls; the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto; the State Special Delegate at the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Pere Navarro; and the General Director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué.

During the opening ceremony, the officials present emphasised the importance of the logistics sector for both the economy and society, as it is the sector that ensures the timely delivery of products to customers and is an essential element for the competitiveness of any company. In this regard, the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, stated that “the SIL is the leading trade fair in Spain and Europe for the logistics and transport sector. It is also a window to innovation, with the virtual platform SILvIA as a prime example.” He also highlighted that: “We have railways, ports, roads and airports, and we must all work together. Logistics and transport play a very important role in our economy, and it is a sector that is constantly undergoing transformation and demonstrating resilience. Its influence on the competitiveness of the entire business fabric is undeniable. In this respect, Spain has a privileged position to lead the transformation of logistics and the fight against climate change by strengthening more sustainable mobility.”

For his part, the State Special Delegate at the CZFB and President of SIL, Pere Navarro, underlined: “We celebrate SIL as a participative, transparent space, open to sharing solutions that improve life for society as a whole. Logistics is key. The world moves thanks to logistics. And this year, we want to highlight that logistics does not only happen during the three days that SIL takes place: logistics is every day, even if it is not always at the forefront. It is only noticed when it doesn’t work, but it always works. Because there is talent behind it, because there is innovation, because there are companies that make sure everything arrives when it should and when it is really needed.”

The General Director of the CZFB and SIL, Blanca Sorigué, commented that “SIL is much more than an internationally renowned fair; it is the sector’s annual meeting point, where the entire supply chain is represented.” Sorigué concluded by stating that “at the CZFB we are very proud to continue promoting such an essential sector for the economy and for people as logistics. For us, SIL Barcelona is and will remain a strategic commitment.”

Artificial Intelligence takes centre stage

Under the slogan ‘Connecting worlds to boost innovation’, the fair has opened its doors with an agenda focused on innovation, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking centre stage. Over the three days of the event, the 650 participating companies, 30% of which are international, will present 163 world-exclusive innovations, figures that reaffirm SIL Barcelona as the meeting point for the entire supply chain sector. With the aim of further personalising the experience for attendees, SIL 2025 debuts its edition with the integration of Artificial Intelligence into its digital platform. The new SIL Virtual AI Platform (SILvIA) offers two new functionalities: an intelligent agenda, which recommends events, sessions, and meetings according to the interests of users and participating companies, and a virtual assistant that answers questions related to SIL.

Sessions with broad sector representation

Many regional and institutional associations in the logistics sector have taken advantage of SIL to present their latest studies. In this regard, today’s first session saw the inauguration of a new edition of Meda Logistics Week, the leading logistics summit for the Mediterranean, which brings together the most authoritative voices from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and is once again organised by the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce (ASCAME) and the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB). In the first session, entitled ‘The Mediterranean: a strategic axis for global trade and cooperation’, ASCAME’s General Coordinator, Anwar Zibaoui, highlighted: “The 21st edition of Medalogistics is taking place at a time of profound transformations in global trade. Geopolitics has become a decisive factor in economic decision-making, with growing tensions between the United States and China, challenges to multilateral agreements, and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and the Red Sea, now joined by the war between Israel and Iran. Despite this complex scenario, trade flows continue to grow. We are not witnessing deglobalisation, but a reconfiguration of international trade towards greater regionalisation. Supply chains are evolving they are becoming shorter, more resilient, and adopting a more responsible and sustainable approach.” Zibaoui added: “In this context, MedaLogistics is a call to action and an affirmation of the key role played by the logistics industry in the Mediterranean region to compete in a global market, attract investment and enhance connectivity between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Mediterranean has a unique opportunity to once again become a world-leading logistics hub. To achieve this, it is essential to promote public-private collaboration, a sustainable approach and new logistics planning that encourages trade exchanges among the three continents.”

There was also a technical conference by the Organización Empresarial de Logística y Transporte (UNO). Francisco Aranda, President of UNO Logística, presented the I Logistics Competitiveness Report and its Autonomous Communities, produced by UNO, and highlighted that “Catalonia is positioned as the second most competitive region in Spain in terms of logistics. This leadership is due to its solid business network, great capacity for innovation, significant infrastructure, more than a dozen logistics nodes, and its privileged geostrategic location, making it a key connection point for marketplaces linking Europe, Asia and Africa. To continue driving growth in the sector in the region, we need to strengthen its competitiveness with measures such as the release of new logistics land, reduction of tax burdens, a stable regulatory framework that encourages investment, and active policies to attract talent and foster public-private collaboration. Catalonia has all the ingredients to lead logistics in southern Europe, but to achieve this, a firm and strategic commitment from the institutions is essential.”

The President of UNO Logística also explained that “we represent an essential and strategic activity because it demands intelligent management, which has led us to become a technological sector that manages data to build the most competitive supply chain as quickly as possible and thus guarantee efficiency at every stage of the process.” Francisco Aranda added that “for this digital transformation to be possible, we have put people at the heart of companies, bringing in technologists focused on business, reinventing work processes, and integrating digital tools into our daily routines to seek personalised solutions. We are moving from manual labour to brainwork, which requires a profound transformation of existing training in the market. All of this was the subject of analysis and debate during the session ‘The most profitable technologies for logistics and transport’, organised by the employers’ association as part of the SIL Barcelona 2025 trade fair.”

Furthermore, the QUO VADIS conference ‘Multimodal Terminals: the strategic terminal plan for Catalonia’ was held, organised by CIMALSA, and the Col·legi Oficial d’Enginyers Industrials de Catalunya presented the White Paper on Inmologistics in Catalonia 2025.

TECH by SIL

Another new feature this year is the ‘Events by SIL’ held in the Hospitality Zone of the CZFB. Today and tomorrow, TECH by SIL offers topics in which various professionals from the technology, logistics, engineering, services, and IT control sectors present trends and advantages of incorporating 4.0 technologies into logistics processes. Among the various sessions, digital tools for logistics management, digital strategies to minimise environmental impact and increase competitiveness, and the digital revolution transforming logistics have been explored, for example.

La Nit de la Logística of SIL 2025

Tonight, at the Hotel Torre Melina in Barcelona, La Nit de la Logística will take place, the major gala dinner for the sector where the SIL 2025 Awards will be presented, recognising the best projects in the categories of SDG 5, Best Logistics Startup, 4.0, and CSR. The SIL 2025 Logistics Night is expected to be presided over by the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, accompanied by the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the Minister for the European Union and External Action of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Jaume Duch, the Special State Delegate to the CZFB, Pere Navarro, the President of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Lluïsa Moret, the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council, Raquel Gil, and the Director General of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué.