Fast, silent, traceable, modular, personalized, scalable. Industry 4.0, manufacturing that incorporates digital technologies, from the Internet of Things (IoT), the cloud computing or robotics to data analysis, artificial intelligence or machine learningin its production facilities and in all its operations, is taking shape. And in the next year and a half, with the expansion of DFactory Barcelonathe cathedral of industry 4.0 in the Catalan capital, the creation of the great District 4.0 for the entire Metropolitan Region of Barcelona will materialize.
Driven by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB), the project falls within the framework of the Itinerary towards the Digital Decadethe program that establishes the specific digital objectives that the countries of the European Union intend to achieve by 2030. Its objective is for the activity and spirit of DFactory Barcelona to radiate the almost six million square meters of the industrial estate until converting the Free Zone of Barcelona is a great hub for attracting talent, investment, business and economic activity that will have an impact on the economy of the city and the country as a whole.
“District 4.0, in some way, means returning to the origins of the industrial estate of the Free Trade Zone, 70 years ago, when SEAT and Motor Ibérica were promoting the automotive industry, which was evolving rapidly and was an engine of progress for Barcelona. and for the entire State. Now we seek to convert the Free Trade Zone into a 4.0 District, for the entire metropolitan region and as a world reference in industry 4.0, with DFactory as a central element,” said Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State at the CZFB, in the latest edition of BNEW.
“In the coming years we will focus our efforts on ensuring that the industrial estate of the Barcelona Free Trade Zone, where thousands of people come to work every day, becomes part of the citizens’ imagination. That is to say, this is a city, interesting things happen here that have to do with technology, opportunities and the world of work. Our purpose is for this entire area to truly be an urban space that is integrated into the thinking of the citizens of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. All of this, added to the 4.0 spirit that DFactory Barcelona already radiates, will make us District 4.0,” Navarro continued.
Innovation to attract talent
With an investment of 100 million euros, the second phase of DFactory will add 80,000 square meters to the current ones, so that the new district will have 100,000 square meters dedicated to innovation, technology and sustainability. Today DFactory is an open innovation ecosystem of 17,000 square meters, which houses 35 multinational companies, medium and small companies and research centers that develop pioneering projects in the field of 3D printing, robotics, cybersecurity, reality augmented and virtual, sensory, artificial intelligence, blockchain or nanotechnology.
District 4.0 has been conceived to constitute a hub of technological innovation. A focus of attracting national and international talent, taking into account the social and economic perspective, so that the professionals and qualified profiles that will make the advancement of industry 4.0 a reality want to be part of this disruptive environment.
This new space will attract investments, attract and retain talent and generate opportunities for the territory. “District 4.0 will allow us to create wealth and new business opportunities, consolidating Barcelona’s key role as the capital of industry 4.0. A pioneering city, cradle of technological talent and digitalization, where companies can benefit from an ecosystem of knowledge and specialized talent. We envision a great hub of projects, businesses and knowledge,” said Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB.
Strategic location
“Many multinationals explain to us that to decide their location in the world they must have three fundamental things: properly trained talent capable of adapting to the changing needs of companies; connectivity with the world, and a solid ecosystem with good universities and technology centers,” explained Pere Navarro. “Barcelona has all these ingredients and the Barcelona Free Trade Zone meets these conditions,” he added.
The industrial estate of the Free Trade Zone has a strategic location, with good transport and communications infrastructure, next to the port and Barcelona airport and a few kilometers from the city. This enclave makes it the gateway to the European Union and a natural and cultural bridge to North Africa and Latin America. Currently 317 companies carry out their activity there, making it one of the largest and most active industrial areas in Spain.
#innovation #underpin #District
