The Logistics Sector in Barcelona Edition Barcelona City Council Area of Economy, Enterprise and Employment Llacuna 162 08018 Barcelona
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The logistics sector in Barcelona Edition Barcelona City Council Area of Economy, Enterprise and Employment Llacuna 162 08018 Barcelona www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth With the help of Page photo12 and 13: Juanjo Martínez. Table of contents Port de Barcelona Design and layout: g.grafic 01. Barcelona, the Mediterranean’s innovation hub 05 D.L. (Copyright): B-20099-2012 Barcelona, July 2012 02. 10 reasons to invest in Barcelona 06 03. The logistics sector in Barcelona and Catalonia 08 04. 10 reasons to invest in the logistics sector in Barcelona and Catalonia 01. Privileged geographic location 10 02. Important centre of production and consumption, and a Euro regional distribution centre 12 03. The Port of Barcelona 13 04. Barcelona Airport 14 05. The rail network 16 06. The road network 17 07. Wide range of specific areas for logistics 18 08. Concentration of logistics operators 20 09. Benchmark platforms and major city projects 22 10. Culture regarding research and training in the logistics field 24 05. Links 26 01 Barcelona, the Mediterranean’s innovation hub Euro-MEDITErrAnEAn rEgIon catalONIA BArCELonAA Barcelona, located in north-eastern In 2011, Catalonia was home to more Regarding this last point, and given the Spain and on the shores of the than 5,000 international companies importance of innovation in the promo- Mediterranean, is one of the principal and it received 135 foreign investment tion of competitiveness, productivity and European cities and the centre of a projects, 85% of which were located in the internationalization of firms, the lo- vast metropolitan region of more than and around Barcelona. gistics industry is one of the key sectors 160 towns, and with a population of for Barcelona and Catalonia. more than 4.8 million people. It is the Taking into account the distribution economic, cultural and administrative of gross value added across business Catalonia is the leading logistics centre capital of Catalonia and the centre of activities, Catalonia is Spain’s top auto- in Southern Europe and the Mediterra- an emerging area of economic activity nomous region in the industrial sector, nean. It enjoys a geo-strategic location, in Southern Europe, with 17 million accounting for 23.6% of the total mar- with a comprehensive network of infras- people and 800,000 businesses. The ket. In terms of services, it is positioned tructure -where all the different modes Euro-Mediterranean region, including second regarding national gross value of transport interconnect-, and an indus- the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Ara- added generated. trial and commercial network that offers gon and the south-east of France, is all the logistics services that companies, positioning itself in new strategic and Additionally, Barcelona’s entrepreneurial importers, exporters and international internationally-competitive sectors, activity rate in 2010 was 5.5%, above operators might need. consolidating itself internationally as a both the Spanish and European avera- major European metropolis. ges according to the Global Entrepre- In addition, Catalonia has around 33,000 neurship Monitor (GEM) 2010. companies specializing in freight and With a long industrial tradition and a Barcelona’s international economic logistics operations with a large and con- dense business fabric, Barcelona has a activities are mainly driven by the Trade nected network of logistics platforms. highly diversified economic structu- Fair, the Port, Airport, the Zona Franca re. Its more traditional sectors coexist Consortium, Barcelona’s Tourism Con- Regarding the availability of human with new emerging ones, creating new sortium, Barcelona City Council and its resources, in recent years Barcelona has clusters of knowledge that prioritise spe- new technological innovation districts. increased the amount of resources avai- cialisation and competitiveness, focusing lable for specialized education in areas on internationalisation and creating a dy- In addition, Barcelona and Catalonia are related to the logistics sector, and in namic and innovative city economy. This leading Spain’s movement towards a terms of new technologies and facilities has helped to drive Barcelona’s strategic knowledge economy. As such, Catalonia available for research, which ensures the leadership in these fields. accounts for 21.6% of Spain’s innovation- availability of the sorts of professionals based companies and 22.5% of all Spa- that are most suitable for fully develo- nish spending on innovation activities. ping the sector. The logistics sector in Barcelona 05 02 10 reasons to invest in Barcelona Barcelona offers a 01. Strategic geographic location 06. Human resources prepared for the future number of different Two hours by road from France and one day from the main European Barcelona now has one of the leading labour markets in Europe in terms of elements that make it an cities. The gateway to Southern Europe and capital of the union for the critical mass in high value-added sectors; highly productive, one of the best in attractive place to live, Mediterranean, Barcelona’s port, airport, logistics parks, international Europe according to the oECD; 8 public and private universities; a number of work and do business. trade fairs and city center are found within a five-kilometer radius. prestigious business schools including ESADE, IESE and EADA; 34 international Today the city is a highly schools; wide-spread use of new technology and a natural tendency for innova- tion and creativity. interesting location for 02. Comprehensive transport infrastructure new economic activities. network of motorways connected to Europe, the fastest growing Euro- Some good reasons pean airport; Spain’s top port connected to the European railway network 07. Excellent quality of life to invest here are as on international gauge track, Europe and the Mediterranean’s top interna- For the 14th year running, Barcelona boasts Europe’s best quality of life for emplo- tional cruise port, placed 4th in the world ranking; extensive metro, railway follows yees*. It has a mild climate, sun, beaches, culture, splendid leisure time and arts and bus network, high-speed train that will connect the city with the programmes, a network of 4,500 educational institutions, modern and accessible European network in 2013. health system. It is easy to get around on the public transport system and boasts beautiful parks that surround the city. 03. Center of a large, dynamic and diverse economic area 08. Large-scale urban-planning projects for The Barcelona area has nearly 5 million inhabitants. It is the capital of the future Catalonia, with 7.5 million inhabitants, and the center of the Mediterra- A complete and renewed offer in terms of intelligent land for the development of nean Basin, an economic area with 18 million inhabitants. It accounts for new economic projects in the main sectors of the knowledge economy, which 70% of Catalonia’s gDP, and is the 6th largest urban area in Europe and is transforming more than 1,000 ha and 7 million m2 of build surface space in has the 5th highest concentration in Europe in terms of industry. Catalonia Barcelona’s metropolitan area. has nearly 7,000 businesses working in innovation related activities, most of which are located in Barcelona and its surrounding area. 09. Competitive real estate market 04. Successful foreign investment Wide range of offices, retail spaces and industrial warehouses with excellent Barcelona is ranked the 6th best city in Europe for business*, and Catalo- price/quality balance and a high occupation rate. nia accounts for approximately 36% of all foreign investment in Spain and is home to more than 5,000 foreign companies, most of which are located in the Barcelona area. 10. Unique public/private cooperation Barcelona City Council and the Catalan government are highly committed to companies; the success of traditional public/private collaboration has been key to 05. Internationally renowned positioning Barcelona’s transformation. Barcelona tops a number of international rankings, which rate its urban environment, ability to attract foreign capital, entrepreneurial spirit and quality of life very highly. *According to Cushman & Wakefield, European Cities Monitor 2011. The logistics sector in Barcelona The logistics sector in Barcelona The logistics sector in Barcelona The logistics sector in Barcelona 06 07 03 The logistics sector in Barcelona and Catalonia The logistics sector is a The main factors that determine billion Euros (year 2010), Catalo- The existence of a network of This document aims to explain the basic features and future trends of key activity for the Catalan Catalonia’s and Barcelona’s com- nia has one of the largest specific infrastructures that is conti- the logistics sector in Catalonia and Barcelona by way of 10 strategic nuously growing, which promo- reasons: economy, because it is an petitive advantage in the logistics weightings in the Europe of the sector are: Regions. 60% of its population is tes the interconnection between economic activity in itself concentrated in an area of 25 km different modes of transport, which 01 Privileged geographic location and because of the support A geostrategic location: Catalo- around Barcelona, the so-called makes up one of the most compe- titive intermodal logistics systems it provides to the rest of the nia has historically been a transit Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, 02 Important centre of production and consumption, and a Euro regional in Europe. In 2010 this logistics economy, making it more route between the Iberian Penin- which is one of the most dynamic distribution centre competitive, especially in sula, North Africa and Europe, and metropolitan areas in Europe. Besi- system handled about 400 million des its local consumption potential, tonnes. international markets. this functionality is seen today 03 The Port of Barcelona in a vocation for logistics with a Catalonia and Barcelona’s geo- continental reach. The geography strategic location is optimal for An extensive and diverse range 04 Barcelona Airport of Catalonia is articulated along distribution to the major consumer of around 33,000 companies two so-called corridors –one called markets in southern Europe.