The future is digital and Barcelona stands as the capital of the new economy. With 66% of Spanish SMEs planning to invest in digitalization in the next three years, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) report, and Spain ranking 11th in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) from the European Commission, the transition towards Industry 4.0 is in full swing.
It is key in terms of strategic competitiveness that the Spanish industry advocates technological development and digital transformation towards a more connected, intelligent, optimized and automated industry. In fact, the Government of Spain has established various initiatives such as the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy 2021-2027, to promote digitalization and Industry 4.0 in companies. And it is, in this context, where the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB), as a key actor in the transformation of the industry, leads innovation and change in the midst of this revolution.
For the fourth consecutive year, the CZFB convenes the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW), an event that merges the physical and the digital to shape the future of the global economy. From October 2 to 5, the iconic DFactory Barcelona building will be the epicenter of the transformation, hosting more than 400 speakers and providing more than 140 hours of content in the form of panels, debates and interactive sessions. This edition will focus on seven fundamental verticals of the new economy: Proptech, Mobility, Sustainability, Talent, Health, Experience and Digital Industry, where the latter occupies a prominent place.
Industry 4.0, driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and cloud computing, redefines the way we produce, connect and create value. The Digital Industry vertical at BNEW 2023 will address different topics in depth with disruptive technologies as a basis and their impact on the industry, with presentations from experts and visionary leaders.
Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State at the CZFB, states that “events like the BNEW help promote and accelerate the transition towards the new economy, designing disruptive solutions to the challenges of the present, generating opportunities and synergies to jointly define the near future for the economy and industry 4.0”.
During the days that the BNEW is held, we will be able to see a theme focused on the automation of the future (the fusion between AI, Chat GPT and robotics): experts from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, On Robot, Alysis, Eurecat and Pons Mobility will share the trends that are transforming industrial processes, increasing production and improving efficiency. Along these same lines, there will also be a theme with a focus on the digitalized and connected industry where the implementation of technologies such as artificial intelligence, 6G, IoT and cloud computing in industry processes will be discussed to optimize processes, production and efficiency thanks to ASORCAD, EURECAT, Innovae and Nexiona.
On the other hand, BNEW will explore the convergence of IoT, big data analysis and how advanced analytics accelerates the transformation and growth of Industry 4.0, generating valuable information for strategic decision making. It is important to highlight that, by 2030, 75% of EU companies will make use of the cloud, AI and big data, according to the Council and the European Parliament after the agreement called “Road to the Digital Decade.” Likewise, Another of the main themes will focus on the technological cutting edge of the industry through the promotion of Artificial Intelligence and also on investment in digital infrastructures such as robotics, 3D printing, etc.
In parallel, the Digital Industry vertical will also collect the latest advances and the impact of cybersecurity in industrial environments. It is worth mentioning that for the World Economic Forum, cybersecurity “is one of the biggest challenges facing the economy and companies” in this decade. Precisely in this edition of the BNEW, the challenges facing the prevention of computer attacks and the keys to protecting data, valuable information and critical infrastructures will be made tangible with a luxury panel made up of BBVA, DG INCIBE, Pons Mobility and the CCI. In the field of big data management, BNEW will also conduct an immersion with experts from Nexiona, Tubos Reunidos, CELSA and Balena towards industrial data lakes and predictive maintenance, which are revolutionizing the way we use data and maintain operations .
Another of the central pillars of the digital industry are green algorithms and sustainability: Technology joins sustainability in this topic to discover how algorithms are helping companies reduce their environmental footprint and embrace more responsible practices. And finally, there will be an international theme where cooperation between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa in the digital era will be discussed under the title ‘The rise of Mediterranean’s digital industry’.
In the words of Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB: “we cannot forget sustainability in the industry of the future. The BNEW has emerged as the epicenter of knowledge, technological development and innovation as the spearhead to generate a positive impact on people, the planet and the economy. Climate change is one of the challenges of the present that we must address head-on and together to build a brighter future.”
BNEW 2023 is not only a conference, it is an ecosystem of innovation and collaboration. The connections formed in the BNEW are the heart of the new economy. Through immersive experiences, in-person interactions and its powerful online platform, the event blurs borders and reimagines how we interact in the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions. To register, the BNEW has a website with information about the event, while the different speakers and participating companies are being announced on the Twitter and LinkedIn profiles.
