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Magna will invest 15 million euros and create 50 new jobs backed by aid for R&D from the Government of Aragon

Magna Automotive expands its production in Aragon boosting their line of electric vehicles
Aragon consolidates its commitment to R&D subsidizing 28 new business projects that promoted an investment of 60 million euros

Magna Automotive will invest 15 million euros in its Pedrola plant over the next two years, which will be allocated mainly to new production lines for components for electric vehicles and the improvement of current processes, supported by aid for R&D in mobility of the Department of Economy, Planning and Employment of the Government of Aragon. With these projects under development and other products in the launch phase, the company expects to generate 50 new jobs.

Magna Automotive has been awarded a total of nearly 1.2 million euros through the two calls for R&D grants aimed at the automotive sector launched to date by the Department of Economy. The last of them, published last year, has made it possible to support one of Magna’s experimental development projects and ten other business proposals linked to sustainable mobility, in addition to four business initiatives in the pharmaceutical sector and 13 in the circular economy. These 28 subsidized business R&D projects in 2021 have made it possible to promote an investment of 60 million euros in Aragon.

In 2019, the Department of Economy had convened for the first time this type of R&D aid aimed exclusively at the development of the electric vehicle, subsidizing another nine different projects that have generated an investment of 53.9 million euros in Aragon. In that first call, Magna received a grant to create a hot stamping battery tray for electric vehicles.

The company has thanked the Government of Aragon for its support in their current and future plans which reinforces the commitment to the territory, people and industry as an economic engine for development.

Producing in Aragon since 2016

The Magna group is one of the main suppliers in the automotive sector, being a leading company in the use of technology and offering advanced solutions to facilitate mobility. Globally, the company has more than 161,000 employees and an organizational structure designed to innovate and adapt with agility. Magna’s 60 years of experience are supported by a unique systems approach for design, engineering and manufacturing that encompasses most vehicle components. Their global network includes 340 manufacturing operations and 89 sales, engineering and product development centers in 28 countries. The company is committed to a business model based on long-term sustainability and integrates Corporate Social responsibility policies into its processes.

After managing its implementation in our Autonomous Community with the support of Aragón Exterior / Invest in Aragon, this Magna division has been operating in Pedrola since 2016. At this time, the plant is focused on the manufacture of components for vehicle bodywork with a high level of automation and has a workforce of more than 300 people. The company expects to reach a turnover of close to 75 million euros in 2022 due to the specialization in hot stamping processes, laser cutting and assembly of parts through resistance welding and MIG/MAG. Components are served to the main automobile manufacturers, not only in Spain but also in several European countries.

As a complement to its productive work and to give greater impetus to its innovation and development activities, the company has been working for several years with the University of Zaragoza and has its own Collaboration Chair. The commitment to local talent and internal development has allowed the company to consolidate a high-level production and technical team through specific qualification programs.

Source: Aragonhoy
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Doing Business in Aragon

The Walqa Technology Park , the place to be

Walqa Meeting, Walqa Grow and Walqa Cloud are the newest ideal business ecosystem in Aragon

60 companies already take part in Walqa, one of the main concentrations of human capital and innovative business activity in northern Spain

Changes in the way companies work and relate to each other that digitalization has favored have been accelerated by the outbreak of the pandemic. In this context, the Walqa Technology Park has carried out a renewed service proposal.

With this expansion and updating of services, the Walqa Technology Park reaffirms its status as a strategic project for the development of the city of Huesca, its province and the entire autonomous community. Promoted by the Department of Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon, it is one of the main concentrations of human capital and innovative business activity in northern Spain, involving half a thousand people and nearly 60 companies in its ecosystem.

This project is based on three pillars: Walqa Meeting, Walqa Grow and Walqa Cloud. Under these names are included the services and advantages that make this Park the ideal ecosystem in Aragon to carry out any activity or business meeting, grow a new project or develop it in a connected environment in which attendance is no longer decisive.

Walqa Meeting, Walqa’s proposal for business meetings

Within Walqa Meeting, meeting rooms, training rooms and an assembly hall are offered, equipped with audiovisual media, capacity up to 200 people and catering services in the park itself.  Designed for companies whose staff is geographically distributed, a new product has been offered: offices for temporary use with a capacity of up to 24 workstations.

Walqa Grow, a fountain of growth for projects 

To the current 12-seater coworking, called Cowalqing, a new space will be added in the upcoming months, with new membership formulas. It covers the needs of both people who undertake individually and larger teams who want offices for rent, rentals with the option to buy or even build your own building on the available land.

Currently 70% of the space is in use or reserved for future implementations. Spaces have opened up at the Ramón y Cajal Building, the María Josefa Yzuel Building, or the Félix de Azara Building.

The companies established in Walqa have advantages such as a lower price of the plots, a line of aid for investments and hiring from the Aragonese Development Institute, preferential conditions in aid from the Government of Aragon or reductions in municipal taxes.

Walqa Cloud, new solutions for companies in a global world

Walqa Cloud offers the possibility of belonging to the Park’s ecosystem without the need for a permanent physical presence. Thus, Cloud Home allows you to establish your virtual headquarters in the Park, make use of its facilities and participate in activities. Cloud Nomad is designed for the traveling professionals or those who only need sporadic use of coworking. Lastly, Cloud Nine is a powerful network that connects those companies with their own buildings in the Park with a group of companies and entities essential to the ecosystem.

The activities organized by the Park are included under the Walqa Roots brand, and include actions to attract talent, promote the professional growth of workers, spread technology, create an innovative culture and consolidate a professional and business network in Huesca and Alto Aragón.

Source: Aragonhoy
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Doing Business in Aragon

The Zaragoza area, a magnet for new investments

The municipalities located within a radius of 30 kilometers from the capital await a shower of projects

Certest, Amazon Web Services, Becton Dickinson and BonÁrea are the first firms to make the most of Aragonese attractive assets

The ring that surrounds Zaragoza has become in recent years a magnet for business investment. Zuera, Villanueva de Gállego, San Mateo de Gállego, La Muela, El Burgo de Ebro, Épila, La Cartuja and Pedrola are part of the list of municipalities that surround the Aragonese capital and that will be the focus of a shower of projects that will boost the corridors and regions in which they are located. Some of these initiatives may have not seen the light yet, but the Government of Aragon has rushed to enable industrial land at the request of numerous companies.

Among these investments, we find:

  • The Aragonese biotechnology company CerTest plans to disburse 100 million euros to light, among other projects, a factory for vaccines against COVID-19.
  • The giant Amazon finalizes the start-up of its three data centers (El Burgo, Huesca and Villanueva) with an investment of around 2,500 million euros.
  • Becton Dickinson recently announced an investment of 200 million euros and the creation of 600 jobs at the Empresarium of La Cartuja.
  • BonÁrea works are advancing at a good pace in a project that will generate 4,000 jobs in Épila.

But these projects are only the spearhead of many others that will arrive and serve as a driving force for attracting more companies. This diversified productive fabric will include the following sectors: logistics, automobile, renewable energies, new technologies, agri-food and biotechnology.

In order to make it happen, industrial land is needed in that golden ring. Therefore, the Governing Council approved land to build a logistics-industrial estate of 1.5 million square meters in Zuera in which 28 million euros will be invested over the next three years. In addition, the Government of Aragon and Sareb recently signed an agreement so that the grounds of the Recycling Technology Park (PTR) in Zaragoza, a total of 175 hectares, can house companies that are not just recycling.

Attractive Assets

There are several reasons why companies want to locate their facilities within this ring. Large firms are looking for administrative agility, adjusted land and logistics costs, good communications – all municipalities are located in corridors -, proximity to the airport or the railway and economic aid. Alongside these assets, they value stability and its proximity to Zaragoza guarantees qualified labor for these projects.

“Our concern is to be able to respond to the lively and growing demand of investors, but with Malpica, the PTR, the extension of Plaza and the Zuera industrial estate, a good supply is guaranteed, and sufficient in the medium term, in real estate logistics”, affirmed the Executive. In this sense, they add that “the generation of employment is guaranteed in good numbers.”

The Government of Aragon trusts that the implementation of projects will improve communications, boost growth in population, promote residential areas and, ultimately, provide employment and wealth to their neighbors.

Source: El Periódico de Aragón
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Green Energy Pharmaceutical

Aragon triples funds raised in the H2020 program and is now among the leading Autonomous Communities in European resources for R + D + i

Regional companies and public entities achieve a return of 176.3 million euros from their participation in 500 EU-funded projects
SMEs, public technology and research centers, and the university achieve the highest funding in strategic areas such as clean energy, industry and agri-food

Aragon has achieved a return of 176.3 million euros in the European Horizon 2020 program to promote research and innovation, tripling its result from the previous funding plan of the European Commission and placing the Autonomous Community as the sixth in Spain in terms of fundraising.

This number is the result of the efforts of 145 Aragonese entities and agents, who have participated with excellent results in H2020. 

The biggest share of this amount was achieved by Aragonese companies, and especially small and medium-sized ones (SMEs), who have participated in 500 financed projects, accounting for almost 50 million euros (27.9% of total return).

The performance of the Aragonese technology centers such as the Technological Institute of Aragon ITAINNOVA and Aitiip Technological Center has also been remarkable, with 26.7% of the total funds obtained and a global amount of 47.16 million euros. University of Zaragoza, with 34 million euros, represents 19.2%; public research centers, 13.7% with just over 24 million euros; while the public administration represents 4.8%, exceeding 8.5 million euros.

Among the main participating agents, there are also the Institute of Materials Sciences of Aragon and the Institute of Carbochemistry, both dependent on the Higher Council for Scientific Research, as well as the Foundation for the Development of New Hydrogen Technologies, the Zaragoza Logistic Center Foundation, the Aragonese Health Service, the Iberus Campus of International Excellence or the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza.

From the sectors’ perspective, those who have obtained the highest returns are clean, safe and efficient energy (29.9 million); nanotechnologies, materials and biotechnology (26.5 million); and bioeconomy and food security (13.7 million). In fact, they account for 40% of the funds capitalized by Aragon and confirm the Community’s strategic specialization in the fields of energy (hydrogen and fuel cells), industry and agri-food.

In addition, this program has been supported by all actors of the Aragonese science and technology system, which speaks of good health and coordination of the regional ecosystem. The excellent results obtained by the Aragonese entities participating in the program, as well as by the rest of the Autonomous Communities, have led Spain to rank fourth in volume of subsidies received, only behind Germany, the United Kingdom and France.

The new Horizon Europe framework program, endowed with 95,517 million euros for the next seven years, aims to achieve the greatest scientific, technological, economic and social impact of EU investments in R & D & I, promoting the competitiveness of the regions and Member States. It is estimated that it could generate 11 euros for every euro invested and create up to 320,000 new highly-skilled jobs by 2040.

Source: Aragonhoy

Categories
Pharmaceutical

Pharmaceutical investments in Aragon are on the rise

More than 50 companies of the biomedical sector have established facilities in Aragon
CerTest Biotec, a local manufacturer of antigen tests, will invest € 100 million euros in the next three years, creating 205 new jobs

Nowadays, around 50 pharmaceutical companies have established their installations in Aragon, manufacturing a variety of  pharmaceutical products, radiation, electromedical and electrotherapeutic equipment, and medical and dental instruments and supplies.

BD‘s recent investment in Zaragoza has helped boosting the industrial sector in Aragon, and the pharmaceutical industry in particular. This project is part of its business unit specialized in the manufacture and marketing of preloaded drug administration systems, mainly glass syringes, that are supplied to pharmaceutical companies to be filled with the drugs they produce.

Other notable companies, in addition to Becton Dickinson, have also set their eyes on Aragon:

  • Novaltia, the sixth pharmaceutical distribution company by national market share, has invested in two logistics centers in Zaragoza and Calatayud in 2020.
  • One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Teva will invest 40 million until 2025 in its Zaragoza plant and will create new 60 jobs, to increase its production by 20%
  • Alliance Healthcare has hired about 200 people – half of them in the company’s international digital innovation center WBA Digital – in Villanueva de Gállego.

Another  project that is already being developed is part of the industrial park Polígono Río Gállego II, in San Mateo de Gállego, where local antigen test producer CerTest Biotec  is installed and whose presence and expansion is serving as a tractor for the installation of other projects in the biomedical sector.

CerTest will invest € 100 million in the next three years creating 205 new jobs. After the seventh phase of its initial development project to double the area and number of employees, construction of a  vaccine factory has also started, with an investment of 10 million euros, out of the 100 announced last year in the presence of the Spanish Minister of Science. The company is  already working on the earthworks, the total estimated  execution period will be of 15 months.

The pharmaceutical industry reveals  to be one of the strategic sectors that contribute to the economic reactivation of Spain and attracts new international investments to our country, being a driving force for science and the economy, contributing to its revitalization. Each euro invested in this sector generates between one and two in other sectors, and each direct job generates up to four additional ones.

Source: Aragonhoy

Categories
Pharmaceutical

Aragón, in the top tier of European pharmaceutical hubs with BD investment

BD will build a 200M€, latest generation plant for glass syringes, creating 600 jobs in Zaragoza
Aragon grows as the new pharmaceutical benchmark in Europe

In two years and a half, Becton Dickinson (BD), one of the largest medical technology companies in the world, will begin to manufacture in Zaragoza the first components of its latest generation glass syringes that will reach an annual production of 400 million units in 2030.

With a consummated investment in Aragon of 450 million euros, the American multinational founded in 1897 presents itself as a reliable company that will continue to invest another 206 million euros between 2021 and 2030. This investment will lead to the creation of 150 qualified jobs -in areas such as electromechanics, metrology, robotics or process quality control- until the end of 2023, a figure that is expected to increase to 600 workers upon completion of the start-up of all production lines.

The project for the new plant located in Zaragoza is linked to the operations of the company’s facilities in Fraga, which will contribute to its consolidation and potential growth. Both plants will be connected through their production processes and the possibility of sharing knowledge, which will make both factories located in Aragon a benchmark within the Becton Dickinson organization and the Aragonese industrial fabric itself. Aragon is becoming a firm competitor of Liège (Belgium) and Basel (Switzerland), thanks to its strategic entry position to Europe and its logistical capacity.

The Fragatina plant has an area of 65,000 m2 and is one of the largest factories in the region, fully automated and 100% powered by renewable energy . Its staff reaches, after the last hiring, almost 700 employees. With a production of 6 billion units per year, it is the only plant in the company that integrates the entire supply chain, including direct delivery to the customer, with an automated warehouse whose capacity of 24,000 pallets will increase to 38,000 after the expansion works.

On July 14, 2021, the Governing Council of Aragon approved the declaration as an investment of regional interest for the new manufacturing plant, in other words, streamlining the administrative processing of this project. The project includes the phased construction of a sustainable plant for the manufacture of plastic components of multiple types and production lines for Hypack glass syringes, with their corresponding equipment and services. Long-term planning is to optimize space utilization to allow the installation of at least 10-12 lines of these syringes, equivalent to 1.5 billion units of syringes per year.

The company will continue working with the Government of Aragon to develop the legal-technical framework so that the  industrial park can accommodate other companies interested in settling there.

Source: Aragonhoy

Categories
Green Energy

Pontegadea joins forces with Repsol and invests 245 million in a wind farm in Aragon

The project comprises 89 wind turbines, with a capacity of 335 megawatts, all located in the Zaragoza province
The Delta wind project keeps up the investment euphoria in renewable energies in Aragon

The business of renewable energies in Aragon maintains its steady growth with Pontegadea Inversiones acquiring 49% of Repsol’s Delta Wind Park, which operates 89 wind turbines in the region.

Repsol has reached an agreement with one of the main private investment groups in the world – the fund that manages the personal fortune of Zara owner Amancio Ortega – to partner in the Delta wind project, made up of eight wind farms located in the province of Zaragoza. Its 89 wind turbines, all of them fully operational since last March, add up to 335 megawatts (MW) of installed power, .

Under the agreement, Pontegadea invests 245 million euros to take a 49% stake in Delta, which means valuing these assets at 500 million, that is, 5.6 million for each windmill. This operation is Pontgadea’s first foray in the renewable energy sector, following in the footsteps of other great fortunes and multinationals that have been seduced by the green energies of Aragon, such as Amazon.

The parks are located in the surroundings of the Zaragoza towns of Villar de los Navarros (in the county of Campo de Daroca), where 236 MW are located; and Fuentes de Ebro (Ribera Baja de Ebro), with almost 100 MW. 

These facilities began operating in tests a year ago. Construction involved the investment of 300 million euros, and works were completed in less than 12 months with tips of up to 600 workers involved. Delta will produce 992 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy per year, equivalent to the average annual consumption of 300,000 homes, preventing the emission of one million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere per year.

Thanks to its favorable wind conditions and orographic features, Aragon has become one of the epicenters in the deployment of wind farms in Spain.

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Doing Business in Aragon Logistics

DHL Express invests 4.7 million euros in its Zaragoza facilities

The project includes the implementation of a new international transport center in Aragon
E-commerce in Aragon has grown by 60% in two years, and traditional businesses are recovering pre-pandemic activity levels
DHL Express will expand its presence in Zaragoza Logistics Platform (PLAZA) with a new 1,995-square-meter center for operations related to international transport. These new fully mechanized facilities, built on an area of 8,900 square meters and incorporating the latest technology, have already been in operation for a few weeks. The total investment for the expansion is 4,739,000 euros.

The objective of this investment is to respond to the registered growth of more than 50% both in the volume of import and export shipments in the Zaragoza facilities. “Industrial development is being strong and the companies we are providing services to are growing,” says Miguel Borrás, Managing Director of DHL Express Spain and Portugal.

Growth in B2B and B2C trade led the company to delopy five additional delivery routes between 2006 and 2021. Retail, fashion and engineering are the main sectors that concentrate shipments and deliveries in Zaragoza, followed by professional services, consumer goods and the automotive industry. Regarding the origin of shipments to the Zaragoza facilities, the “top” countries are China, Italy and Germany, while Mexico, France, the United Kingdom and Italy are the main destinations for the merchandise.

Due to this expansion, DHL’s workforce in Zaragoza has increased by 15%, mainly to carry out work related to routes and customs, among others. In fact, chances are DHL will be able to incorporate more professionals according to the growth and development macroeconomic trends for this year.

In Zaragoza, DHL Express has also committed to sustainability acquiring 12 small electric aircraft  and it is expected that, by 2025, the company will have replaced all its fleet to be electric, with the exception of long-haul vehicles.

Future growth and expansion

By maintaining the existing facilities focused on domestic transport operations, DHL Express expects to continue growing because e-commerce in the area of Zaragoza and Aragon has grown by 60% in two years, even during the pandemic, and traditional businesses are recovering, reaching pre-pandemic activity levels.

DHL’s growth forecasts within Aragon are currently focused on Zaragoza and Teruel, although the company does not rule out opening another facility in the third Aragonese province, Huesca, in the longer term. The company has a market share of around 53%, although “in Zaragoza, it may be higher and above the Spanish average.”

Categories
Logistics

Inditex invests 80 million in the expansion of its facilities in Plaza

The apparel giant will expand its main logistics center, located in Aragon, starting in 2022
Zaragoza Logistics Platform, Plaza, proves to be an attractive location for investment

Inditex will expand, from 2022, its facilities in the Zaragoza Logistics Platform, Plaza, with an investment of 80 million euros and will create 250 new direct jobs. These facilities are expected to be functioning by 2023. The project includes the acquisition of new plots with a total surface of more than 63,500 square meters located in Plaza, close to the existing 180,000-square-meter facilities, which will allow them to connect all the centers it has in the logistics area.

“The purpose is to be able to provide the ‘Zara’ fashion chain with the logistics necessary for the export of its products, thus consolidating Plataforma Europa in Zaragoza as one of the logistics points of reference in the Inditex Group at an international level”, they have pointed out.

Established in 2003, Plataforma Europa has been one of the main logistics centers of Inditex and, therefore, an object of constant investment, with important expansions in 2010 and 2021. In addition, the Inditex group has highlighted that the presence of these facilities in PLAZA “has not only been a showcase for the city as a logistics hub, but has also represented a notable attraction of investment by third parties willing to develop auxiliar services for this center and for other companies in the Community, which thus benefit from the driving effect of this activity”. In 2020, it has reported a turnover of 120 million euros, a workforce of almost 1,800 people and positive results of 4.2 million euros.

On average, 1,750 indefinite jobs were created, and around 2,000 people were hired at peak times, with quality pay and social conditions. Due to this expansion, more job placements, ranging from specialist operators to production supervisors, logistics technicians, customs, administration or systems, among others, have been offered. Likewise, it is estimated that the indirect job creation factor will remain above two jobs for each direct job generated, which translates into about 750 new jobs in Aragon, between direct and indirect, associated with the expansion project.

This major investment made in PLAZA has been generating from its inception a remarkable driving effect in the economic and social environment, both in the area of activity of associated infrastructures – Zaragoza airport – as well as auxiliary companies – transport, maintenance, textile re-operations. In fact, the Zaragoza airport has become, since 2019, AENA’s second largest cargo airport, with 182,659 tons of transported materials, 90 percent of which are shipped by Inditex.

Categories
Logistics

Amazon continues to invest in Aragón with a new logistics center and a logistics station in Zaragoza

The President of the Government of Aragón, Javier Lambán (right), and Amazon's General Manager Operations Spain, Fred Pattje (center), met in Zaragoza in June.

Amazon today reinforced its commitment to Aragon with the announcement of its first Operations facilities in the region, a logistics center and a logistics station. The company is making progress in its investment in the Community with two new centers that will be located in the city of Zaragoza -in the Plaza industrial estate-, to serve Amazon customers and support Spanish and European demand.

The logistics center, of more than 52,000m2 and expected to start operating in 2022, will be used by Amazon to store and manage small and large products. These products will then be processed and shipped to other fulfillment centers, supporting Amazon’s operations throughout Europe.

“We are delighted to continue investing in Aragon with a new logistics center in Zaragoza, which will play a key role for our operations in Spain and, ultimately, in Europe. Furthermore, sustainability has been a fundamental pillar for the construction of this center, ensuring a low carbon footprint ”, said Fred Pattje, Director of Amazon Customer Fulfillment in France, Italy and Spain. The president of Aragon, Javier Lambán, pointed out that “the arrival of Amazon to PLAZA is a before and after for Aragon, being the greatest support for the take-off of Aragón Logistics Platform, which currently has more than 20,000 employees in more than 500 companies, to which the direct and indirect jobs will be added after the landing of Amazon ”. Lambán added, “the Amazon logistics center is the confirmation of the great logistics commitment in Aragon and the beginning of a long journey of excellent collaboration with a strategic company that will bring positive consequences, such as more employment and innovation.” Amazon has also announced a new logistics station of more than 6,600m2 that is expected to start operating this year. This last-mile hub will be located near the new logistics center, and will help speed deliveries to customers in the Aragon region. Fulfillment stations power the last mile of Amazon’s ordering process and help improve the delivery experience for customers. Packages are shipped to a fulfillment station from nearby Amazon fulfillment and distribution centers, loaded onto delivery vehicles, and delivered to customers.

Source: www.aragonhoy.es, www.amazon-prensa.es