08-04-2015
The Pacte Industrial of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region held on 8 April the 41st Executive Committee Meeting, attended by the representatives of the local councils and entities which comprise the association. The meeting, held at the Barcelona Advanced Industry Park (BAIP), ended with a guided tour of the facilities of this new site, allowing the delegates to visit such areas as the mechanical workshop for the production of prototypes.
The meeting began with an address by Verònica Kuchinow and Anna Lluís, from the company Símbiosy, who explained the study they are performing on behalf of the Pacte Industrial into the challenges facing industrial parks in the light of energy transition. The study, which is at the development phase, aims to analyse the adaptation of parks to new means of managing available resources, through a change in organisation and integrated resource management, applying the concepts of the circular economy and its functional instrument: industrial symbiosis.
The President of the Executive Committee, Carles Ruiz, emphasised the key role of energy in industrial competitiveness, the reason why the Pacte Industrial included the issue among its priorities. For Mr Ruiz, the role of public authorities is vital in terms of managing industrial parks and promoting collaboration among companies. Meanwhile, the Managing Coordinator, Carles Rivera, announced a number of the forthcoming titles in the collection of Pacte Industrial publications, the Dossiers and Papers. Among the recent activities organised by the association, Rivera made reference to the seminar “The Car Industry. The Reasons for Success” held on 6 March at the Cercle d’Economia. Meanwhile, information was also announced at the meeting, among other aspects, on the close of the annual accounts for 2014, the proposed budget for 2015 and the membership applications of a number of RMB local councils wishing to join the Pacte Industrial as regular members.
Activity of the Working Commissions
During the meeting, the Presidents of the Working Commissions reported on the respective activities they had undertaken, and those in progress and scheduled for 2015. In the Mobility Sphere, for example, particular mention was made of the authoring of the first edition of the Pacte Industrial Papers, “Reflections on the goods mobility context in the industrial parks of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region”, which will be presented on 24 April. In the Training Sphere, involvement by the Pacte Industrial at the International Industrial Professional Training Seminar organised by the BCN Professional Training Foundation was mentioned.
Among the activities of the Economic Activity Sphere, details were given of the current status in the generation of the study “The Economic Internationalisation Support Network of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region”, headed by Professor Angel Saz-Carranza of the ESADE. Lastly, the Innovation Sphere announced the presentation on 7 May of Pacte Industrial Dossier 12, entitled “Technological Innovation in the RMB: Location and Technology of European Patents”.
Meanwhile, this was the last Executive Committee presided over by Jordi Roig, President of the Innovation Commission, who will be handing over his role as representative of the PIMEC business association to Serg Fuster, President of PIMEC Joves Baix Llobregat-L’Hospitalet. The President of the Executive Committee, Carles Ruiz, expressed thanks for all his efforts within the Pacte Industrial, with which he has been associated since it was founded in 1987.