Nestlé and Siemens announce new projects in Barcelona outskirts

Two multinationals on Tuesday announced plans to expand their operations in the Baix Llobregat area of Catalonia, just outside Barcelona. While food giant Nestlé says it intends to expand its technology center in Esplugues de Llobregat, German industrial manufacturer Siemens says it will open a new digital innovation centre in Cornellà de Llobregat.

On Tuesday, Nestlé announced in a statement that it will close its tech division in Switzerland, laying off some 500 employees over the next 18 months, to “reorganize its IT activities.” Without giving any details, the firm said its plans include expanding the company’s technology center in Esplugues, where some 150 people currently work.  

Meanwhile, Nestlé’s coffee-making wing, Nespresso, is looking into setting up operational centers in Spain and Portugal to boost the company’s e-commerce and distribution hubs, as well as opening a center of excellence for boutique operations in Italy. Yet the firm says its plans will not affect its Swiss production plants and that it remains “completely committed to its base in Switzerland.”  

As for Siemens, its new digital innovation center in Cornellà will develop solutions for Mindsphere, the company’s cloud platform, in the energy sector. According to the German company, with the help of suppliers, software engineers and experts, this new ideas lab will carry out research into getting the most out of digital technology applied to energy and maximizing the efficiency of plants and factories. The center is due to open on June 7.