Tarragona

The Chemical Mediterranean Cluster has gathered 25 consultants, of national and international level, in order to present ChemMed and the chemical pole of Tarragona as a good destination for future investments. This event, dedicated to consulting and engineering was motivated by the strategic role that can play this kind of companies seeking new locations for companies of the sector, which is the target audience of ChemMed.

At 9 am the event began in the function room of the Port Authority. There, the presidents of the AEQT and the Port of Tarragona, Jesus Loma-Ossorio and Josep Andreu, welcomed the attendees. Loma-Ossorio has placed the audience, by reviewing the history of this industry in Tarragona, which led to the creation of the Cluster and also explained which potential this project differs from its competitors. For his part, Josep Andreu explained that the aim is to continue with the international projection and recalled that Tarragona is one of the regions of Europe with a forecast of higher growth in the coming years. The president of the Port de Tarragona also highlighted the potential of the industry, logistics and other members of the cluster. Upon completion of this greeting, the CEO of the Port, Francesc Sanchez, was responsible for making the corporate presentation of ChemMed, who has deepened in every detail of this project, which seeks to attract investment in Tarragona. To conclude this first part of the day, consultants and engineers were able to visit the port facilities, from the sea by boat.

The day continued after the visit to the port with a session at the site of Bayer MS in where the cluster was presented as an example of integration of companies. In Bayer the four installed companies in the site; presented their cases. The manager director of Bayer Ms, Jesús Loma was the first to speak. Followed Elix director, David Casteñeda; Bertschi director, Markus Widmer; and the director of Kemira, Lluís Sabaté. Finished the speeches a bus toured the places of MS Bayer Industrial Park, where it has been known in situ the cases explained above.

To end this first consulting and engineering meeting, the expedition traveled to Port Aventura facilities. There, after a snack, four companies of the Tarragona chemical polygon presented their cases to the attendees. This part of the session was opened by the Director of Engineering and Development of Repsol Química in Tarragona, Maria Mas, who presented the industrial complex that Repsol has in the territory and some of the future projects in which they are working on. Followed Emilio Bravo, head of BASF Spanish production in Tarragona, who explained the investment that the sister company will do in the production of food and agriculture in Tarragona . The third speaker was the CEO of Dow Chemical in Tarragona, Kepa Diaz de Mendíbil, who presented how his company is betting in Tarragona, and through investments by step towards specialty products with high added value, and research and development. It closed this session of talks the Director of Clariant in Tarragona, Miguel Muñoz, who presented his ‘business case’ and the latest investments of the company in Tarragona. Some presentations that demonstrated the bet of the companies already established on specialties and the products with high added value. In these four presentations was made patent also the certain of one of the objectives of ChemMed, which is simply to attract investment, whether the new companies such as those that are already established and are still betting on the territory.

This morning, the Shed 1 “Moll de la Costa”, in Port de Tarragona, has been the frame of the inauguration of TankBank 2015, one of the major international events in the petrochemical field and it has chosen Tarragona in order to hold its first meeting in the Mediterranean. Tony Quinn, CEO of TankBank International; Josep Andreu, president of the Port de Tarragona and Francesc Sánchez, general manager of the Port de Tarragona were in charge of welcoming the hundred attendees which are representatives of major companies in the storage industry, management of chemical and petrochemical terminals, European Ports and manufacturers of storage tanks.

In his speech, the president of the Port de Tarragona, and vice president of ChemMed, defended the strategic role that plays this territory on the international map and the possibilities it offers as an investment destination. Before him, the CEO of TankBank, Tony Quinn, has given the starting point for the conference and he wanted to stress the great potential of Tarragona, not only for its strategic location, also for the ability that the territory has in economic and development growth next to the powerful chemical industry and the Port de Tarragona. Moreover, among others, the director of Tepsa Spain, LLuis Sala and the Director of Operations of Repsol refinery in Tarragona, Baltasar, Boix have spoken this morning.

Before ending the morning conference the participants have made a sea tour by port facilities.

The Chemical Cluster of the Mediterranean has put full stop to the first day of TankBank in Tarragona in the Hipòlit sarcophagus room in Tower of Pretorio, which has hosted the presentation of this project that brings together the Chemical Industry, the Port de Tarragona and all the agents surrounding the sector in this territory. Its president, Jesus Loma-Ossorio, presented to the attendees the project in company of the vice president of ChemMed Tarragona, Josep Andreu.

President of AEQT and ChemMed explained that the cluster born just to anticipate the future, placing a value on the potential of Tarragona and to project this brand to the world in search of investments to consolidate the future of this industry in the territory. Loma took the opportunity to travel back in time to explain what role the petrochemical sector has played in the last half century in Tarragona and how now it makes a step forward into the specialties world.

This afternoon session was also attended by the Mayor of Tarragona, who wanted to receive the TankBank attendees in the same “Tower del Pretorio”. In his speech the mayor stressed the importance of the territory as an economic engine, pointing the chemical industry, the Port de Tarragona and other sectors such as knowledge and tourism. Josep Felix Ballesteros has placed the audience in the historic site where they were, recalling that Tarragona is a place not only of past and present also with future.

ChemMed Tarragona sponsors the SIL CHEMICAL 2015, in collaboration with the promoters of the cluster : Port de Tarragona and the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT). The conference will take place on Thursday 11th June at 9.30 am in the Pabilex room, in the context of the International Logistics , and entitled as “ChemMed Tarragona, common infrastructure and competitive services”. In this way, after more than one year of international diffusion, the chemical cluster in the Mediterranean returns to SIL to expose his maturity as a cluster and to value the strengths and assets on the global map of the chemical industry and logistics.

ChemMed Tarragona is a brand for the promotion at international level with some very clear lines which show that Tarragona has all the elements necessary  to develop the future challenges of the sector.

The SIL CHEMICAL 2015 is the fourth edition which this year includes as speakers Jesus Loma-Ossorio, president of ChemMed Tarragona and AEQT; Josep Andreu i Figueras, president of the Port de Tarragona and vice president of ChemMed Tarragona; Marc Fargas, CEO of AITASA; Teresa Pallares, general manager of AEQT and ChemMed Tarragona and Francesc Sánchez, CEO of the Port of Tarragona and board member of ChemMed Tarragona.

ChemMed Tarragona is the most important chemical cluster in the Mediterranean. The sum of the chemical industry, the port and all the agents that surround it have  provided a reality that has 50 years of experience and highlighting, among others, major infrastructure associated, as the pipe rack Dixquímics, plant regenerated water, the Chemical Safety Parks, common emissary, the moll de la química or common service for the operation of marine pollution contingency, are some of the examples that have given meaning to the premise that there is strength in numbers .

To register on the day SIL CHEMICAL 2015: http://www.silbcn.com/cat/actos_jornadas/jornada_chemical.php

The President of the Chemical Cluster in the Mediterranean, Jesús Loma-Ossorio, has presented this afternoon the project ChemMed Tarragona in the bosom of the ‘6th meeting of the Chemical Sector’, annually organized by FEIQUE and IESE Business School.

The also chairman of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT)  explained that ChemMed brings together industry, port and all the agents who surround him in a project of present and future. The Chemical Cluster, explained Loma, was born the last year as a response to the threats that market could see in the short, medium and long term. It was about, therefore, to put the focus point on an industry that bet for high value-added products. The President of ChemMed Tarragona explained that this cluster puts at the service of the investment the know-how and synergies created during the half-century that the history of chemical industry has  in the territory. Loma-Ossorio has referred to the economic benefits that  can assume a newcomer company, as it can concentrate all their economic efforts in the nucleus, in the business, taking advantage of all the infrastructure that is already built and, thus, saving, and in some cases, up to 50% of what  could mean be installed in a greenfield.

The explanation of Loma-Ossorio has been framed within the round table on the ‘promotion of industrial investment’, which has analyzed the processes of decision in enterprises, their ability to finance themselves and the own role of the clusters in obtaining new investments. This has been moderated by the Professor of IESE and academic director of this forum, Joan Roure.

The table has counted on exceptional speakers, as the CEO of BASF in the South of Europe, Erwin Rauhe, who has spoken about the decision proces in multinational companies; The Managing Director of the financial group Riva y García, Ignacio García-Nieto, which has conferred on obtaining funding;the Group Juste, Ines Juste ,President and CEO of Panreac and President of Fedequim, Joan Roget, who have offered their views about decision-making in SMEs.

The Chemical Mediterranean Cluster has been presented during the period of a new edition of Logichem speech, one of the most important meetings at international level which is celebrated in the chemical and logistic sector.

The general manager of Port de Tarragona, Francesc Sánchez, has been the person responsible for pronounce the speech about ChemMed, who has revealed the power of  Tarragona like a chemical reference hub located in south of Europe. The presentation has given an overview about how industry, port, and all the agents that go around this sector in Tarragona have united to the project in order to position to the wider world the Tarragona brand like a suitable destination for new investments.

ChemMed, besides the fact that it has presented officially, it has presented through yesterday and today, with its own stand in this meeting.  The expedition of the Cluster, leaded by the general manager of AEQT, Teresa Pallarès, and by the general manager of the Port, Francesc Sánchez, has been made known the potentials of the Tarragona chemical pole and its logistic strength through the Port de Tarragona.

LogiChem is a key area for the responsible of the value chain, logistic and for the chemical manufacturers, in general. It is about the only European meeting, focused only and exclusively on the business channeling function which born from de supply chain, and where concentrated more than 200 leaders from the sector on world-wide scale.

This afternoon, it has been celebrated the first ChemMed Tarragona Assembly, the Chemical Mediterranean Cluster. The ceremony has carried out at half past four in the Autoritat Portuaria de Tarragona facilities, founding member in the Cluster.

The president of ChemMed Tarragona, Jesús Loma-Ossorio ( AEQT) and the vice president, Josep Andreu ( Port de Tarragona) have been responsible for make the welcomes to attendees of the meeting. Moreover, the two highest responsible of the Cluster have gone over the 2014 agenda, the first ChemMed year of life which was born in May twenty-eighth two thousand fourteen  in an act celebrated in Palau de Fires I Congressos of Tarragona, in the presence of millions of people.

After that, the Cluster’s treasurer , and general manager of the Port de Tarragona, Francesc Sánchez, has gone over the financial statement of 2014, and also has explained the expected budget for this year 2015 which is underway.

Finally, the manager director of ChemMed, Teresa Pallarès, has explained the Cluster action plan that is expected for this year 2015. In this explanation, besides the expected promotion actions, Pallarès has informed partners about the impending publication services catalogue and about the preparation of the strategic process plan which is expected to see the light this coming summer.

Today, representatives of the ChemMed cluster presented ChemMed in France as well as in Germany. The two delegations highlighted Tarragona’s desire to continue leading the chemical sector in southern Europe and attracting investments related to the chemical industry.

Chemical Valley, France

This afternoon the president of ChemMed I and the chairman of the AEQT presented the Mediterranean chemical cluster, ChemMed Tarragona, in Lyon, France. Jesús Loma Ossorio gave a presentation within the framework of the conference sponsored by the “Agence d’urbanisme pour le développement de l’agglomération lyonnaise”, an organisation that promotes economic and regional development. In his speech, the president of the cluster outlined the competitive advantages of Tarragona’s chemical hub, the most important of its kind in southern Europe. Loma explained that the cluster is the result of the union of stakeholders related to the chemical sector in the region, led by the AEQT and the Port of Tarragona. After his corporate presentation, the director of Bayer MaterialScience for the Iberian Peninsula region spoke about urban development in Tarragona and its links with the chemical industry. Loma explained that Tarragona uses a collaborative model in which all parties are heard, which has created a harmonious relationship between the general public, the chemical industry and other stakeholders and the region’s business community.

After the ChemMed Tarragona speech, Werner Buch from the Frankfurt City Planning Office gave a presentation focusing on the balanced relationship between urban growth in his area and the different local business enterprises. Prior to these two speeches, the hosts also took their turns at the podium. Vincent Couturier and Lionel Arambourg briefly introduced the conference.

Couturier and Arambourg used the opportunity to present Lyon’s Chemical Valley to the members of ChemMed that same morning. During the trip, visitors had the chance to see the facilities of the IFP (the French Institute of Petroleum), which conducts research and educates professionals in the chemical sector and related fields. Attendees also learned about the size and scope of the chemical industry on the shores of Rhone River in the second largest metropolitan area in France.

Euroforum in Germany

That same morning, as the president was learning about the French project, the general director of the cluster, accompanied by Antoni Torà from BASF Española, was presenting the ChemMed project in Germany, at the Euroforum event in Cologne. In her speech, Pallarès underscored the main strengths the cluster used to create an ideal place for investment. The merging of forces, infrastructures and related services, and the wealth of talent in the region were among the points she brought to the debate table in Germany. The director of the cluster and of the AEQT emphasised the leading role of the chemical capital of southern Europe while explaining future projects to make Tarragona’s chemical hub even more competitive.

Pallarès gave the presentation along with Antoni Torà, the site services manager at BASF Española in Tarragona. The BASF representative who accompanied the cluster’s representative to Euroforum explained that BASF Tarragona had become a multi-company site. Torà stated that the site currently accommodates seven companies and that BASF provides different services to these as well as to other nearby companies. The German firm currently occupies 112 hectares in Tarragona, of which 20 are available for new investment.

BASF’s site services manager took advantage of the opportunity to announce the début of its new inter-modal terminal, which will provide rail service between Tarragona and the rest of Europe. The new system will have a capacity of eight trains per day and will operate 24 hours a day. The new station is the result of a joint venture between BASF and five companies in the logistics sector.

 At its headquarters in Tarragona today, the chemical cluster of the Mediterranean received a delegation from the Spanish Chemical Business Federation, known as FEIQUE, and from Invest in Spain, a national organisation that works to attract foreign investments to Spain. The three parties met for the purpose of creating synergies in policies for attracting investment, the primary mission of the Tarragona chemical cluster.

First of all, the general director of FEIQUE, Juan Antonio Lebat, gave an x-ray view of the chemical sector in Spain, in which he highlighted data showing an increase in job creation in 2014, its consolidation as the sector contributing the most to the country’s GDP and the fact that the chemical sector grew more than any other sector during the economic crisis.

After the general overview of the petrochemical sector in Spain, it was the cluster’s turn to share. The general director of ChemMed presented, as he had in Cologne the week before, the potential that makes Tarragona a benchmark chemical hub in southern Europe, stressing the importance of existing infrastructure and joint services.

Finally, the executive director of Invest in Spain, José Carlos Cabrera, presented the organisation’s investment attraction project, its mission and its action plan.

All three institutions agreed to seek lines of collaboration on order to position Tarragona as the ideal location for international investment in the chemistry industry, work that will materialise through future actions with companies and markets that they have, up to now, been working on separately.

This week the Mediterranean chemical cluster ChemMed Tarragona resumes its international activities with two presentations: one in France and one in Germany. As the end of its first year in operation draws to a close, representatives of the ChemMed Tarragona cluster continue to work to export Tarragona’s chemical industry brand and to seek new investment in the region.

The first delegation will be led by the president of ChemMed Tarragona and the chairman of Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT), Jesús Loma-Ossorio. The president will present the model of the Tarragona chemical cluster on Thursday in Lyon, where a seminar on industrial innovation will be held under the aegis of the Chemical Valley 2030 project. With this project, Lyon is pursuing a comprehensive model that encompasses industry, knowledge, and territory. ChemMed Tarragona was chosen to give the presentation in order to advance this objective, as the project sought a case that exemplifies these qualities – qualities that the largest chemical hub in southern Europe, located in Tarragona, is now exporting to the rest of world.

On the same Thursday, another delegation will present the cluster in Frankfurt, Germany. In this case, ChemMed will take part in Euroforum 2015, joining forces with BASF. For this reason, the presentation will be led by Teresa Pallarès, general director of ChemMed Tarragona, and Antoni Torà, site services manager at BASF Española in Tarragona.

Euroforum is a German discussion forum that, this year, will address operations, management and new business models. This year’s conference will also be open to the world, and ChemMed Tarragona will figure among the different models of business organisation presented there, as proposed by BASF Española.

Yesterday, as part of the Port of Tarragona’s international strategy, a meeting was held with companies from the petrochemical and logistics sectors and the Islamic Republic of Iran in co-operation with the PIMEC employers’ association and the Tehran Chamber of Commerce.

A delegation of Iranian businesspeople, members of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, visited the Port of Tarragona facilities yesterday and learned about the services and infrastructure offered by the Port of Tarragona and southern Europe’s Mediterranean chemical cluster, ChemMed Tarragona. At the event, entrepreneurs from Tarragona’s port business community held a networking session with the Iranian delegation to establish trade relations between the two countries.

The general director of the Port of Tarragona, Francesc Sánchez, and the director of corporate development, Joan Basora, accompanied by members of the port’s sales and marketing team, welcomed the delegation of Iranian businessmen yesterday morning and held a working meeting which examined the strengths and opportunities offered by the Port of Tarragona for international trade. Afterwards, Teresa Pallarès, accompanied by the general director of ChemMed Tarragona, unveiled her vision for projecting Tarragona and the region’s competitiveness in the international arena. ChemMed Tarragona aims to attract and generate new investment and projects related to the cluster while strengthening its network of infrastructure, production facilities, port facilities, auxiliary industries, research centres, and professional education and training.

The delegation of Iranian businesspeople had the opportunity to tour the port’s facilities firsthand. To conclude the meeting, a networking session was held with businesspeople from Tarragona’s port community.

This networking meeting allowed Tarragona to establish business relations with the Iranian market, which is growing steadily. This Middle-Eastern country is currently the sixth largest oil producer in the world and is opening its doors to international trade.