Seat, Nissan, Ficosa, Gestamp and Doga back up the creation of an automation cluster in Catalonia

Barcelona (ACN).- On Tuesday, some of the most important companies in Catalonia’s automation sector gave their explicit support to the development of a car and motorbike cluster to foster business, innovation, training and sustainability. Seat, Nissan, Ficosa, Gestamp and Doga supported the initiative in an event at the Catalan Government’s Palace in Barcelona. The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, announced the initiative on Monday, coinciding with Barcelona’s International Car Fair in the days ahead, which is one of the most important events in Europe since Spain’s car and motorbike industry is traditionally based in Greater Barcelona. The automation cluster would profit from the multinational companies based in Catalonia, the country’s industrial sector traditionally linked to cars and bikes, the export infrastructures (such as Barcelona’s Port and the Mediterranean Railway Corridor), the Catalan capital’s car fair, the Formula-1 racing circuit and the innovation, design and education centres. The new cluster is fully supported by the Catalan Government, since automation has traditionally been one of the main engines driving Catalonia’s economy and it can play a great role in the economy’s future growth and in the creation of jobs, according to the Catalan President. The cluster project aims to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness, foster cooperation between companies, facilitate the education and training of professionals, develop innovation and implement strategic agendas such as sustainable mobility and electrical vehicles. The companies that have already backed the initiative are a combination of multinational companies based in Catalonia (such as Ficosa and Doga), abroad (such as Nissan), in other parts of Spain (such as Gestamp) and originally based in Catalonia but bought out by an international group (such as Seat, which is part of the Volkswagen Group). They also represent car manufacturers (Nissan and Seat) and companies producing car components (Gestamp, Ficosa and Doga). The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Felip Puig, emphasised that the cluster will be open to more companies working in the sector and operating in Catalonia.

On Tuesday, representatives of Seat, Nissan, Ficosa, Gestamp and Doga met with the President of the Catalan Government in Barcelona to illustrate their support for the project. “We have good musicians, now we need them to play as a good orchestra”, stated Artur Mas in the event at the Generalitat Palace. The Catalan President was referring to one of the cluster’s objectives: to foster cooperation between companies in order to improve competitiveness. Mas celebrated the genesis of the cluster, since according to him it shows how a sector “with roots and a present” in Catalonia can cooperate to work for a better future. Mas emphasised that the new cluster has leading international companies, it combines car manufacturers with their auxiliary industries, it also includes car sellers and fairs, as well as universities and innovation and design centres.

Mas explained that Catalonia was a pioneer in the automation industry, in the early 20^th century. It also was a pioneer in creating clusters and “now we need to be pioneers again”. In this sense, the Catalan President announced that very soon there will be an initiative offering vocational training linked to the automation industry. “We need to give a positive message: a traditional industry such as automation has a future”, he stated.

During the event at the Catalan Government’s palace, Mas added that “one of the good sides of the economic crisis” is the improvement of the industry’s competitiveness, which is happening “while in Europe car factories are closing”. The Catalan President thanked the recent agreements reached between companies and trade unions to improve competitiveness in the factories located in Catalonia. According to him, this will guarantee employment in the mid-term.

The Catalan automation sector has a turnover of €14 billion per year. It also generates 100,000 jobs in Catalonia, 36,000 directly. In addition, it represents 25% of Spain’s automation sector. The Catalan car and motorbike industry exports 80% of the vehicles built and 50% of the vehicle components. Therefore, according to the Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Felip Puig, this sector is “essential” for economic recovery.