The companies from Barcelona’s Zona Franca show their firm commitment to innovation

• The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, in collaboration with AMEC, held a day where some of the companies from its area presented how they are applying innovation to their business activities.

• The ZF Innovative Ecosystem Awards were presented, recognising Prezero (circular economy), Motor Tàrrega Trucks (application of 4.0 technology), ASORCAD (collaboration), and Fundació DAU (impact on corporate CSR).

• The Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Óscar López, will open tomorrow’s session at 10:30am, which will include an innovation dynamic addressing the main challenges facing the current industry.

Barcelona, 5 February 2025.- The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) gathered this morning at the DFactory all the companies that are energising in the Zona Franca de Barcelona, turning it into the 4.0 District of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. The ZF Innovative Ecosystem Day, organised in collaboration with AMEC, showcased various innovation initiatives being promoted in this economic activity area. Likewise, a programme focused on active networking among companies and entities located in the Zona Franca industrial estate, the DFactory Barcelona, and startup incubators active in the sectors of industry 4.0 and 3D printing was also developed.

In the opening act of the ZF Innovative Ecosystem Day, the special State delegate in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, stated that “the innovative ecosystem of the Zona Franca industrial estate is creative and generates wealth, products, and services related to the economic development of the geographical area, the country, and internationally. It must be noted that this is not a project: District 4.0 is a reality. We already have the urban plan created; we have the connectivity capacity. All we need to do is transform the activities of the industrial estate towards an integration of Industry 4.0”.

For her part, Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB, wanted to highlight during the session ‘Innovative ecosystems that boost Industry 4.0’ that “we organised this event to showcase the innovation being developed by all the companies in our great ecosystem, thereby enhancing networking between different sectors of activity and fostering the creation of new business opportunities”.

 Among the various innovation projects presented, the one by Apaprocessing stands out, a service company designed to facilitate access to high-pressure technology for all types of food companies. Gonzalo Guarch, Managing Director of Apaprocessing, explained that the world’s leading supplier of high-pressure equipment, Hiperbaric, is their technology partner, which is why they have the best HPP technology. Therefore, in their facilities at Barcelona’s Zona Franca, they have an HPP line equipped with the Hiperbaric420 machine, capable of processing up to 2500 kg of product per hour, being the most productive machine installed in Europe.

Carlos Cosials, Director of Industry 4.0 at 9Altitudes, has also explained the company’s commitment to innovation. Acting as a digital partner, it focuses on the automation, optimisation, and continuous improvement of end-to-end industrial processes. The company transforms engineering and manufacturing into an intelligent experience by integrating the best software solutions on the market with its own innovations. They combine technology such as PTC, KeyShot, Esprit, and Tulip software, ensuring that each implementation is a profitable and sustainable investment for businesses, both now and in the future.

ZF Innovative Ecosystem Awards

Within the framework of this day, the CZFB also celebrated the first edition of the Awards for the most innovative companies in the Zona Franca, which recognised the work done by companies in 4 innovation categories: circular economy; projects carried out based on collaboration with technology centres, universities, or startups; application of 4.0 technologies; and with an impact on Corporate CSR.

The Innovation Award that promotes the circular economy went to the company Prezero for its Bio Energy Factory project, a new biogas production facility for biomethane generation with network injection and targeted treatment. Juan Antonio Gázquez Serrano, Industrial Director for the Northern Zone of Prezero, was responsible for collecting this award.

Motor Tàrrega Trucks, a company currently managing a fleet of 100 electric trucks, received the Award for the most innovative company applying 4.0 technologies for having developed technological solutions to analyse the best routes, as well as predictive maintenance. Xavi Esteve Roca, general director of Motor Tàrrega Trucks, collected the award.

The Award for the most innovative project based on collaboration went to Asorcad. Antonio Sánchez, CEO of Asorcad, received this recognition for defining processes, protocols, and equipment for ITER, a highly complex project that required collaboration from expert companies specialised in this field. Lastly, the Award for the innovation with an impact on corporate CSR, has been awarded to the DAU Foundation for its project “Transforming Communities: Innovation and Equal Opportunities for People with Mental Health Issues”. Anna Cohí, General Director of the DAU Foundation, was responsible for collecting the award.

Innovation ecosystems that are driving Industry 4.0

Today’s event also brought together prominent innovation ecosystems from the city of Barcelona that are invigorating Industry 4.0. Mercabarna, Port of Barcelona, and Barcelona Health Hub have shared their commitment to innovation and how they are creating specific communities – focused on food, the blue economy, and health, respectively – that complement each other and increase Barcelona’s appeal as one of the cities leading Industry 4.0 globally.

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López, opens tomorrow’s session at 10:30 am

Óscar López, Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration of the Government of Spain, will open tomorrow’s session which will take place at DFactory Barcelona at 10:30 am. The session will also feature Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State at the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB, and Joan Tristany, general director of AMEC.

Subsequently, an innovation dynamic led by AMEC will be held with the participation of all attendees. This session will address the main challenges facing the current industry and will involve working in groups to seek innovative solutions. Framed within four verticals (logistics 4.0, technology in the industry, sustainability, and new professional profiles), attendees will have the opportunity to share ideas and solutions with other participants, as well as generate new collaboration opportunities with other companies from this community and the Free Zone.