FDBusiness.com

The Packaging sector in Catalonia accounts for a turnover of 4.600 million Euros through the productivity of 550 companies employing 11,000 people.
A total of 25 companies throughout Catalonia got together today at a ceremony in Sabadell to sign the articles of incorporation that bind the Food Packaging Cluster of Catalonia.
The landmark building known as the Duran House in the city of Vallés had been the chosen site to formalize the creation of this partnership for companies with the objective of improving the competitiveness of the Catalan business. Following the signing of the charter by the Board and founding members of the Cluster the ceremony took place, attended by; the mayor of Sabadell, Manuel Bustos, the mayor of Barberà del Vallès, Ana del Frago, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Innovation of Castellar del Vallès, Joan Creus, the mayor for Economic Development, Trade and Tourism of Polinyà, Manuel Soto and the cluster manager of ACC1Ó – the agency for the competitiveness of Catalan companies -, Department of Business and Employment of the Generalitat de Catalonia, Joan Martí. More than 40 companies attended the event.
The event was opened by the mayor of Sabadell, Manuel Bustos, who recalled that the origin of this project is the work of local government: ¨it is imperative that this joint collaboration and this encounter between government and business work out. We work to serve the citizens, and citizens need you to have success in order to provide jobs.¨

This event marks the beginning of a new phase for the Food Packaging Cluster of Catalonia, in which Sabadell, Barberà del Vallès, Castellar, Polinyà, Sant Quirze del Vallès and Santa Perpetua and her surroundings began working on in 2008. Local governments have worked together with the support of the Generalitat ACC1Ó, Leitat technological center and Barcelona Insitute of Packaging (BIP) who has assumed a revitalizing role to the cluster by contributing their knowledge and network of contacts nationwide.
The manager of ACC1Ó, Joan Martí, said that ¨the cluster is a tool to increase the competitiveness of enterprises through the leadership of a group that believes in teamwork ¨. Marti added that this new cluster is part of the 22 active clusters in Catalonia, which include the participation of a thousand companies that are all supported by ACC1Ó.
The new president of the Cluster, Núria Font, has indicated that the cluster is part of a sector with a great future, leaving the door open to companies that want to incorporate into this new entity.
Today’s event also served to present the web platform www.clusterfoodpack.cat and the Clusters work plan which was compiled accordingly by the cluster manager, packaging engineer of BIP, Elena Repolles. The plans so far run up to April 2013, indicating a set of strategic activities, from international missions to Chicago and Paris under different trade fairs to encounters with other cluster operating in Catalonia to explore possible avenues for cooperation, technical conferences and preparatory work plans following the cluster.

Cluster Origen
The first step made by local government was to identify the existence of this cluster. It was found that the food industry and auxiliary thereof, plus its value, focused on a great potential in the local environment of the Valles Occidental area. By adding up the five municipalities of the project it was verified that already in 2009 this cluster integrated over a hundred companies with a turnover of over 1.600 million Euros. Since then, they have worked to bring this reality to the same types of companies throughout Catalonia, with the aim of obtaining the maximum benefit in contacting companies in different areas so that they could cooperate with each other. In this sense, the cluster has been following its natural path of being gestated and driven from the public sphere so that companies could then take over. The way to make a profound leader in this sector by companies is materialized with the creation of the association today.
Dimensions of the Food Packaging Cluster of Catalonia
Right now the Food Packaging Cluster of Catalonia is summed up between manufacturers of packaging and packaging machinery, consisting of 550 companies with 11,000 employees and a turnover of over 4,600 million Euros.
Cluster Board and founders
The Board of the Food Packaging Cluster of Catalonia consists of the following companies: ABB, Bossar Packaging, Carinsa, Chimigraf, Dow Chemical, Enplater, Mondi Group, Lantero Packaging, Silk, Menshen, Nestlé, and BIP-Leitat Rusan (Barcelona Institute of Packaging with headquarters in Leitat).

Companies that have signed on as founding members are: Aranow, Jallut, Delsys, Fruselva, E2M, Dosimaq, Iptriana, Comericla Main, Intecma, Atevalles, Asip and GHS.
For further information, please contact:
BIP
Elena Repollés
Tel. +34 93 788 23 00
erepolles@leitat.org