The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona closes 2022 accounts with a slight profit from ordinary operations

• The plenary session served to showcase the dynamic activity of the CZFB as an engine of transformation, innovation and generation of economic and social value throughout the metropolitan region of Barcelona.
• The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona has already executed 90% of the actions defined in the entity’s Strategic Plan drawn up in 2019.

Barcelona, July 11, 2023 – The plenary council of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) today approved the audited annual accounts for the 2022 financial year, which show a profit from ordinary operations of 14.8 million euros, a slight increase over the previous year’s results (14.1 million euros). Moreover, during 2022 CZFB continued to consolidate the reduction of financial debt, which closed with a reduction of 25.1% compared to the 2021 financial year, bringing it to €8.7 million. The entity’s net equity amounted to 573.9 million euros. It should be noted that the public entity is financed entirely by its own funds and its asset management, so that all its profits are used to promote innovation and boost the economy of the city of Barcelona.

Activity report

The plenary also served to review the main projects on which the organization has been focused in recent months, including the International Logistics Exhibition (SIL), the first phase of the factory of the future, DFactory Barcelona, the launch of the high-tech incubator in Logistics 4. 0 (Logistics 4.0 Incubator), the more than achieved objectives of the 3D printing Incubator or the preparations for the 4th edition of the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) and the XXVI Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America that will take place from November 8 to 10 and in which the Consorci de la Zona Franca will act as host. As for SIL, its 25th anniversary has been a great success, exceeding the attendance of 15,000 industry experts from 91 countries, consolidating its position as the leading trade fair for the Logistics, Transport, Intralogistics and Supply Chain sector and the benchmark in Spain, the Mediterranean and Latin America.

The entity is also working on preparations for the 4th edition of Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW), the event that has positioned Barcelona as the capital of the new economy, and which this year will feature verticals of sustainability, mobility, talent, digital industry, proptech, health and experience. In the case of DFactory Barcelona, it has established itself as the largest industrial 4.0 ecosystem in southern Europe with the presence of 30 installed companies, which employ about 500 people, which means an occupancy of 80% of the 17,000 square meters of its surface. The second phase is currently being planned, which will increase its surface area by more than 70,000 square meters.

The special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro, stressed that “this year we have inaugurated disruptive and innovative projects that allow us to continue leading the way towards the new economy. The development and transformation of Industry 4.0 is the focus of our activity, creating solutions and projects for the logistics sector, society and our environment with the ultimate goal of generating future opportunities for citizens in the form of quality and highly qualified employment. We at CZFB are agents of change and the driving force behind the revitalization of the Barcelona metropolitan area, and we will continue to be committed to innovation, transformation and talent in the coming years.”

Following Strategic Plan

The CZFB’s plenary council also followed up on the organization’s strategic plan. In this regard, CZFB’s CEO, Blanca Sorigué, stated that “today, more than 90% of the actions defined in the CZFB Strategic Plan drawn up in 2019 have already been implemented. We are talking about strategic actions based on 3 key pillars, such as the long-term sustainability of the CZFB, the economic and social development of the territory and urban integration and environmental sustainability”.