A Catalan delegation, led by Enterprise and Competiveness Secretary Pere Torres, travelled to Germany this week with the objective of gaining a better understanding of the latest trends in smart technologies applied to manufacturing, and urban development in smart cities and regions. The session was organised with the collaboration of the Government’s Delegation in Germany and included the attendance of Jordi Puigneró Ferrer, General Director for Telecommunications and Information Society; Mar Ortega, the Government’s Delegate to Germany; Daniel Marco, Agenda Digital Catalana director; Artur Serra, i2CAT Foundation deputy director, and representatives of ACCIÓ, the Generalitat’s Agency for Business Competitiveness.     

 

The company’s programme comprised visits to various centres and firms in Germany known for their cutting-edge technology including the Fellbach Virtual Dimension Center (VDC), one the world’s leading networks in virtual engineering, and SIEMENS’ Digital Factory in Amberg, known for being a “factory of the future” where new technologies converge to modernize the manufacturing process. The Catalan retinue also visited Berlin’s “Metropolitan Solutions” fair where its members engaged with several representatives of companies specializing in sustainability and smart city solutions. In this regard, the delegation also visited Potsdamer Platz, Berlin and Europe’s first smart city district, to better understand the potential of these technologies applied to urban development.

 

Additionally, the Catalan cohort took the opportunity to meet with representatives of Baden-Württemberg’s State Ministry for Finance and Economic Affairs as well as with representatives of Industrie 4.0, a working group focused on microsystem techniques. Finally, the delegation held meetings with representatives of the 4Motors for Europe’s economic group and, while in the German capital, with members of the Senate. The latter of the two gave rise to a series of presentations on smart city strategies both in Berlin and Catalonia, and a best practices session to exchange knowledge on innovative technologies for the development of smart cities and regions.