"We need to walk towards the metropolitan region of 4.5 million"

Pere Navarro (Terrassa, 1959) has been since 2018 the special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, one of the State's most influential positions in Catalonia. Since he took this position, the Zona Franca seems to be present in all debates of the metropolitan area. Through the 4.0 business incubator, the DFactory, the SIL or the BNEW, the Consorci de la Zona Franca has become an institution that goes far beyond its administrative area.

--- What is the Zona Franca?

--- The Consorci de la Zona Franca is an institution that is over 100 years old and was born because several institutions considered it essential to create a free port for Barcelona to be competitive in international trade. The Zona Franca is currently a consortium where almost everyone is represented and, therefore, everything we develop in the Consorci de la Zona Franca is done by consensus. This is very positive because, even if there is a change of political color, a certain continuity of projects is guaranteed.

--- What activity does the Consorci de la Zona Franca carry out?

--- The role of the Consorci is economic promotion, basically industrial. And this, in the 21st century, translates into industry 4.0. If in the 50s manufacturing a 600 was very innovative and employed many people, now we have to find the same formula: innovative manufacturing, employing more people and, above all, doing it with a long-term vision.

--- What is Industry 4.0?

--- Robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence, internet of things, 3D printing, etc. All this is what is considered industry 4.0.

"If in the 50s manufacturing a 600 was very innovative and employed many people, now we have to find the same formula: innovative manufacturing, employing more people and, above all, doing it with a long-term vision"

--- It already is. At DFactory, we have robotics companies, 3D printing companies, professionals working with artificial intelligence, and others with augmented reality. That is to say, all these activities take place within the DFactory building. The idea is that this building, which has represented an investment of 30 million euros for the Consorci, will be a meeting point where all these companies collaborate with each other and thus all kinds of new projects emerge. Companies that did not know each other were installed here and, thanks to the relationship established within DFactory, they have ended up generating joint projects.

--- Are there already examples?

--- Yes. For example: we have an electric car made with 3D printing that has been generated through a joint project with Leitat. Another example: we have a company from Calaf that is working on the detection of different waste fractions using artificial intelligence and that has collaborated with Windforce teams to create a prototype model using 3D printing. We want this building to serve precisely for that: to create synergies between projects.

--- And then?

--- We want it to permeate the entire industrial estate and be an attraction. The idea of this building is to contribute to creating a relationship between various companies, large and small. And that this relationship can benefit the environment. For example, we knew that Wallbox was looking for a space for its factory: well, there it is, in the industrial estate. DFactory is a prototype building, but what we want is for the second phase, which will be right next door (with 70,000 more square meters), to be more of a manufacturing area.

--- And what is your current occupancy level?

--- We are happy, honestly. At the moment we are at 65% occupancy and this 2023 we will begin to outline what the second phase will be.

--- That is, you are already thinking about the expansion.

--- Yes, it is the second phase of DFactory. About 70,000 square meters. It will be the great complex of Industry 4.0. We want it to be a magnet for attracting national and international Industry 4.0 companies and, at the same time, a place from which this type of activity will extend throughout the country.

"We want it to be a magnet for attracting national and international Industry 4.0 companies"

--- They focus more on the entire digital theme. That is, on the creation of digital platforms. And we basically address the industrial world, that of manufacturing. It is true that everything has a digital part, but here we focus everything on industrial activity. That said: we collaborate with everyone who aligns with our philosophy. And Tech Barcelona, for example, is a good example. In fact, we have already collaborated in the editions of Barcelona Tech Spirit. And we also have agreements with 22@, with Barcelona Activa or with Fira Barcelona, since the philosophy that feeds us is the same.

--- The feeling that citizens may have is that many things are being done, but that there is no point of coordination among all of them.

--- Theoretically, the point of coordination should be the City Council. But it cannot coordinate everything, nor, to a certain extent, is it good for it to do so. Ultimately, we are talking about a very creative galaxy. There are many people doing many interesting things at the same time and, above all, oriented towards this new economy.

--- Does the future of Barcelona, and understanding Barcelona also with its metropolitan area, involve the most disruptive economic sectors?

--- It is very interesting that the world of startups and the world of innovation are here. But we also need large companies, large industries. And this is an pending issue. It is very good that we have small and medium-sized companies distributed throughout the territory. However, it is essential to have large industrial companies. And in fact, what we want to promote is precisely that: the presence of large industrial companies like Wallbox.

"We want to promote the presence of large industrial companies like Wallbox"

--- Apart from being neighbors, we have a very good relationship, as we are complementary. What we try to sell, in the best sense of the word, is that privileged geographical location which, let's not forget, is next to the metropolitan region of Barcelona. The power we have together is very great.

--- To coordinate all this, do you think the figure of a metropolitan mayor would be interesting?

--- The metropolitan world needs to scale, it needs size. The city of Barcelona has a small municipal area and its size is reduced, compared to large European metropolises. Therefore, we need to move towards the metropolitan region of 4.5 million inhabitants. This region is within the metropolitan arc between Mataró, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa, Martorell, Vilafranca and Vilanova. Everything we have in there is the real Barcelona. I think it would be good if there were some kind of governance for that real Barcelona. I don't know if a metropolitan mayor, but that governance should exist.

"We need to move towards the metropolitan region of 4.5 million inhabitants. This region is within the metropolitan arc between Mataró, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa, Martorell, Vilafranca and Vilanova"

--- Yes, it is. The Generalitat de Catalunya will hardly accept governance of an area like this, which brings together a large majority of the population of Catalonia. But it is possible that an institutional structure is not necessary, but rather an operational and planning area. Now: the essential thing, if we want to compete with the rest of the world, is to have more dimension. And the Barcelona of 4 million is this.

--- What should be the great consensuses of Barcelona or the metropolitan area?

--- There is one capital: economic development. The recipes are different, but on certain issues of economic promotion there is great consensus. At BNEW, for example, representatives from different political options come, but the positions are quite similar. The other essential issue is education. Educational policies should be like the Constitution. A new government cannot arrive and make another education law. And the third issue is mobility. Mobility within a large metropolitan area is a fundamental issue if we want to promote the great Barcelona. We need to finish the fourth ring road and improve the railway structures.

"Mobility within a large metropolitan area is a fundamental issue if we want to promote the great Barcelona." Pere Navarro

--- We have a project that excites us a lot: the transformation of the old Post Office building, which is on Via Laietana, into a building that is useful for uniting the world of the new economy with young people who do not have work. We live in a great contradiction: we have gigantic youth unemployment and, in parallel, companies tell us that they cannot find professional profiles to hire. Well, we want to create a meeting point between young people who lack work ---whether trained or not---, companies that need certain professional profiles, and the educational sectors.

--- When is it scheduled to open?

--- It is possible that things will start happening this 2023. But it does not only depend on us. We are talking about a 30,000 square meter building, so we have signed a collaboration agreement between the three institutions involved: Correos, the Barcelona City Council, and us. And, from here, it is necessary to carry out the remodeling of the building. It is a listed building and we estimate that we will make an investment of about 50 million euros.