A total of 490 Catalan companies received €6.5 million in 2020 to start or accelerate their digital transformation processes. Through the Industry 4.0 Coupons of the ProACCIÓ 4.0 program, these 490 companies received direct grants of up to €20,000 for developing digital transformation plans and implementing new technologies such as robotics, additive manufacturing, big data, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality.

This was announced on Wednesday by ACCIÓ‘s CEO, Joan Romero, during a virtual event with Catalan companies to present the new call for grants. Romero revealed that this call has a budget of €2.5 million to reach more than 200 new Catalan companies, and applications are already open from this Wednesday through this link.

The funding line consists of two modalities:

• Grants of up to €8,000 for carrying out diagnostics to establish digital transformation plans.
• Grants of up to €20,000 for implementing these plans and integrating new technologies.

During the session, ACCIÓ’s CEO, Joan Romero, emphasized that “before the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital transformation of companies was already necessary and important, but now it is even more urgent.” However, Romero highlighted that “we have a business fabric that is making this change, and a country with the capabilities to carry out this transformation.” In fact, the ACCIÓ CEO pointed out that since 2017, the number of Catalan companies providing Industry 4.0 solutions has almost tripled.

The 490 Catalan companies that have received Industry 4.0 Coupons as part of the ProACCIÓ 4.0 program are mostly from sectors such as logistics, distribution, and e-commerce (12.6%), metallurgy and metal products (10.2%), infrastructure and construction (9.8%), and food and gourmet products (9.6%). In total, around 75% of the applications submitted by Catalan companies have been covered.

The ProACCIÓ 4.0 program, launched in November 2019 by ACCIÓ, aims to accelerate the technological transformation of Catalan companies, especially SMEs, in collaboration with the General Council of Chambers of Commerce of Catalonia, Foment del Treball, PIMEC, the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia, and the Foundation for Industry. To date, in addition to supporting the diagnosis or implementation of transformation plans, more than 40 awareness-raising events have been held throughout Catalonia, with the participation of over 3,300 professionals and 1,300 companies.

Additionally, more than 170 professionals have been trained in various editions of a course specifically focused on managing and implementing digital transformation plans. Catalan companies have also been supported at international events in Catalonia and Europe, such as the IOT Solutions World Congress, the Advanced Factories Fair, In(3D)ustry, the Hannover Messe Fair in Germany, and FORMNEXT – 3D Printing.

1,111 Companies Work in Industry 4.0 in Catalonia, Three Times More Than in 2017

In addition to explaining the figures from the ProACCIÓ 4.0 program balance sheet and presenting the new call for grants, the session also revealed the report Industry 4.0 in Catalonia, produced by ACCIÓ and available through this link. This document serves as an update to the previous report from 2017 and identifies 1,111 companies in Catalonia working in the Industry 4.0 field, three times the number in the previous analysis.

This is a growing ecosystem that already has a total revenue of over €5.5 billion and generates 26,400 jobs. Additionally, 45.5% of the companies are under 10 years old, 28.5% are startups, and nearly a third are exporters (31.3%).

The dominant technology among companies working in Industry 4.0 in Catalonia is cybersecurity, with 361 companies, although those with the highest revenues are those dedicated to artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT).

In fact, Industry 4.0 activity in Catalonia shows sustained growth, which is also reflected in the number of projects started at a European level, with 251 projects between 2014 and 2020, growing from 19 in 2016 to 58 in 2020. In total, all these projects have mobilized €151 million.

Regarding application sectors, the report points out that those demanding Industry 4.0 solutions in Catalonia the most are the metallurgy and metal products, food and gourmet products, and logistics, e-commerce, and distribution sectors.

The report also reviews the global situation of Industry 4.0, analyzes the technologies involved, and presents the main trends in this field. In this case, biological technologies, human-centered design, the growth of intelligent automation, advanced materials, sustainability, and the ability to work 100% remotely are identified as key future fields for Industry 4.0.

Finally, the study also reviews some of the major investments in Industry 4.0 by foreign companies in Catalonia, as well as presenting several notable examples of Catalan companies developing technological transformation projects in the industry.