Barcelona is projected as a global technological epicenter with District 4.0.

 

District 4.0 , promoted by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium ( CZFB ), is consolidating its position as the city's major initiative to become a global technology hub. This was stated by Pere Navarro , the State's special delegate to the CZFB, during his address last night at the Barcelona Tribuna forum , organized by the Barcelona Economic Society of Friends of the Country.

 

Before an audience of prominent figures from the economic, social, and cultural spheres, and introduced by Miquel Roca Junyent , president of Amics del País, Navarro outlined the transformative vision of the CZFB. "Before, we were an industrial park, and now we are District 4.0 because we want to evolve," he stated, emphasizing that the goal is to transcend the local level to become "a global benchmark, not only for District 4.0 in Barcelona but for the world."

 

The special delegate emphasized that the success of this initiative is based on the "fertile ground" that Barcelona offers . "Barcelona is the second city in the world for attracting talent, the fourth in number of conferences, and the fifth digital hub in the European Union ," Navarro argued, adding that the city has prestigious research centers and a rich history that foster the emergence of this innovative ecosystem.

 

The State's special delegate to the CZFB assures that "Barcelona has fertile ground that makes this commitment work and explains why this is happening here and not somewhere else in the world."

 

At the heart of this strategy is DFactory Barcelona , ​​an Industry 4.0 ecosystem that currently houses 40 companies specializing in robotics, artificial intelligence, IoT, 3D printing, and nanotechnology, among others, and is already nearing 90% occupancy. "DFactory is the heart of District 4.0, the landing strip for Industry 4.0," commented Navarro.

 

Given the growing demand and the success of established companies, the CZFB is now putting out to tender the expansion of the DFactory, which will grow from its current 17.000 m² to almost 60.000 m² by the end of 2026, with a future projection of up to 100.000 m². This expansion will incorporate open spaces for collaboration, manufacturing areas, digital centers, and laboratories, also opening up to sectors such as healthcare and agriculture.

 

The DFactory philosophy seeks to permeate all the activity of District 4.0, which already has relevant projects such as reindustrialization with the arrival of Ebro and the Chinese manufacturer Chery , the connected mobility laboratory and the logistics 4.0 and 3D printing incubators.

 

This effort has been recognized internationally. Navarro proudly highlighted the recent OECD certification that recognizes the CZFB as "the first free trade zone in the world to meet the highest standards of security and transparency in international trade." "We were the first in the world to receive this OECD certification, and we are very proud," he concluded.