When the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZBF) devised the 3D printing incubator at its headquarters, "the first seed" of something bigger was planted, recalls its general director, Blanca Sorigué. The public entity began to consider the idea of creating a space dedicated exclusively to industry 4.0, being the cradle of companies that are dedicated to areas such as robotics, cybersecurity or artificial intelligence, among others. After an investment of 30 million euros, the building is not only a reality, but the DFactory – as it is nicknamed – already houses some thirty companies and 500 employees.
“We hoped that it would go well due to the substratum that the Barcelona metropolitan area has on these issues, but we are very happy”, acknowledges the special delegate of the State in the CZFB, Pere Navarro. This week it is being exhibited to the public by hosting the Barcelona New Economy Week (Bnew) congress.
In its day to day, the space of 17,000 square meters and four floors has a 50% occupancy when its first year of life has not yet been completed. Companies like HP or initiatives like Leitat are present in it.
“Being here has given us visibility and made it easier for us to close deals,” says Mike Hastewell, president of Malena Engineering. His signature proposes a "new concept of mobility" with vehicles manufactured by 3D printing. A prototype of these cars is exhibited at the door of the DFactory, where they are located.
"What this building does is unite different technologies, generating an ecosystem where it is very plausible to establish synergies," says Xavier Riba, co-founder of Innovae, a company specializing in virtual and augmented reality. “It helps that it is public investment that bets on initiatives like this,” he adds.
"Digitalization is transversal, so companies from any sector can come here," remarks Sorigué. "It is important for Barcelona to host a building like this, unique in Europe," says Navarro. The State delegate in the CZFB advances that they are “talking with the architects to see if we can locate more companies and thinking about a second phase”.
Without an official inauguration, and although some events have already been held inside, the Bnew is serving as a coming-out for the DFactory. The facility hosts the event on the new economy with 600 speakers and a total of 180 hours of content that will end this Thursday.
