The president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, took advantage of the presence of the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, at an event of this employers' association in Rubí to call for a law aimed at preventing obstacles that hinder the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This law to promote business growth should serve to encourage SMEs to gain size, productivity, and competitiveness. Hereu, who in the same event advocated for increasing the weight of local industry and trade, argued that public policies should be directed towards business growth, strengthening the size, productivity, and competitiveness of the SME fabric to face global challenges.

The Catalan paper group Miquel y Costas presented this Thursday its new investment plan worth 130 million euros until 2029. Specifically, as the industrial company has detailed, over the next three years it will allocate up to 47 million euros to technological improvements in the production process. The group also plans to allocate 33 million to infrastructure, 30 million to sustainability, and 20 million to automation and digitization of processes. Among all the planned investments, the opening of two biomass plants in Catalonia stands out.

“More industry, but, above all, of better quality”: Salvador Illa and the country's main economic agents have sealed this Monday the new National Pact for Industry. The roadmap until 2030 foresees an investment of almost 4,500 million euros in 190 actions comprised in five major areas, such as innovation or employment. During his speech, the President of the Generalitat emphasized that the agreement "is not a sectoral pact" but a "national and future pact". The text has been agreed with the two main employers' associations in the territory, Foment del Treball and Pimec, and the two majority trade unions, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and UGT. The objective: that by 2030 industry represents 25% of Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP), the macroeconomic indicator that measures the monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a territory.

The last year at the defense company Indra, whose main shareholder is the State, with 28% of the share capital, has been marked by changes in leadership and a failed operation – the possible merger of Indra with the company Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E Group)–. Regarding all this, and more, were the questions posed this Tuesday in the National Security Commission of Congress to two officials who have been involved in both controversies: Belén Gualda, president of the State Industrial Participations Company (SEPI, the investment arm of the Spanish government), and the director of the Office of Economic Affairs and G20 of the Spanish government, Manuel de la Rocha.

The Basque group Aernnova has sold one of the two company branches of Serra Soldadura at auction, the Barcelona industrial company it has owned since 2008 and for which it has filed for voluntary liquidation. According to the works councils of Serra Soldadura, the sale will only serve to safeguard 10 of the 190 jobs the company has.

Pronovias begins a new phase with the fund Cap Capital as owner, which is the one that has been chosen in the selection process by the commercial court number 9 of Barcelona. The British fund was the last to enter the bidding for the company founded by the Palatchi family, which was immersed in insolvency proceedings.

Europe suffers from a technological lag. This seems indisputable. But when did it miss the boat? In reality, not so long ago. In the mid-20th century, it was still at the forefront, and in certain sectors, it maintained advantageous positions almost until the dawn of the 21st century. Then it collapsed.

Around 150 workers have been evacuated due to the large-scale fire that is burning this Friday the factory owned by Montesa Honda in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda (Vallès Occidental), both from this company and from nearby factories, according to the Local Police of the municipality.

China being the world's factory is starting to become a problem for the rest. Especially now that what they produce is essential, and with superior technology to ours; the times when the country did reverse engineering are long gone. Trump complained, and now the European Commission also does, which has set out to reduce a growing trade deficit between the Union and the Asian giant.

The European pharmaceutical sector is losing competitiveness compared to the US and China. This was warned by the president of AstraZeneca in Spain, Laura Colón, during a round table within the framework of the Annual Meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, in Barcelona. This situation, influenced by issues such as excessive regulation and bureaucracy, is combined with the lengthening of life expectancy which, in large part, is due to new drugs. "We must ensure that governments realize the value of drugs and that they are not just a cost," she warned.

The Minister of Industry and Tourism of the Spanish government, Jordi Hereu, boasted about the capacity of Spanish industry. In his speech at the 41st Meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, Hereu celebrated that the state's productive sector "holds its ground", and survives the multiple geopolitical threats that surround it.

The company Guala Closures—specializing in the manufacture of bottle caps— has notified its staff of its intention to file for a collective redundancy procedure (ERO) at its plant located in Olèrdola (Alt Penedès). According to union sources, the company plans to lay off 82 of the 87 employees working at the center.

The Catalan multinational Fluidra reinforces its digitalization strategy with the purchase of Datapool, a platform developed by the French company Ecotropy that allows reducing operational costs linked to the use and maintenance of swimming pools.

Pere Mier (Figueres, 1952), a prominent figure in the technology world, with origins in the family business Mier Comunicacions and former president of employers' associations Ametic and Proespacio, among other roles, has been president for a few days of Open Cosmos, the company founded by a Majorcan, Rafel Jordà, and two Catalans, Aleix Megías and Jordi Barrera, and dedicated to the design, production, and operation of satellites. Mier explains from the company's headquarters in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona that his role will consist of consolidating a group that is "among the fastest growing in Europe," based on "the democratization of access to space" to make it easier and cheaper. He adds that he will also play a role in the development of the defense and security industry within the Old Continent's objective of gaining strategic autonomy, because "space technologies are dual by definition."

Manufacturing is a source of quality employment, that is to say, of good salaries. It is therefore tempting to contemplate an attractive future for the Catalan economy as a smoke-free version of Català-Roca's photographs of a Poble Nou full of factories. I believe, however, that this will not be the case and that the combined forces of technological changes and internal and external competition will consolidate the historical trend towards a loss of manufacturing's weight in quality employment.

The Spanish Minister of Digital Transformation, Óscar LópezSpanish Minister of Digital Transformation, Óscar LópezIn his speech at the event, López called for "empowering Europe" to earn a place in "the industrial revolution that is changing the shape of the world." Although the leadership of these transitions is far from the 27 – the United States and China are benchmarks – the minister has championed a Spanish innovative fabric that "shines in disruptive technologies." In this regard, he highlighted the role of the Catalan technological institute, both in research and in the technological transfer of these new capabilities. The ICFO, he recalled, has already generated fourteen spin-off companies that are active in the market, and "projects like PIXEurope help to ensure that this trend continues."

As Pedro Sánchez announced at the end of last year, the Spanish government has set the goal that, by 2035, no more combustion vehicles will be sold. To achieve this, the head of the executive presented the Auto Spain 2030 Plan, also called the Auto+ plan, which, through 25 measures comprised in five pillars, aims to boost innovation in the automotive industry in Spanish territory. This Thursday, at an event held at Casa Seat in Barcelona, the sector presented the opportunities that the plan can create in Catalonia. "We have a historic opportunity to lead the new era of mobility," assured the CEO of Seat and Cupra, Markus Haupt.

It was planned that this Wednesday morning the future of the historic Barcelona industrial company Serra Soldadura would reach a turning point. After Aernnova – owner of the company since 2008 – filed for voluntary liquidation bankruptcy to dissolve Serra Soldadura, this Wednesday the auction of the two companies that form it was scheduled. However, as union sources explain to ARA, the auction has been declared void after no potential buyer has come forward. "We didn't expect this," explain CGT sources, which holds the union majority in the company.

The Nobel laureate in economics Paul Krugman very well described the importance of an economic variable that is fundamental, although it may be unknown to most citizens. "Productivity is not everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything," he said. The fact is that growing is one thing, and progressing or prospering is another. Or, more simply, volume or quantity is one thing – gross domestic product (GDP) is increasing and in Catalonia it has already exceeded 300 billion euros – and quality is another, that is, how this pie is distributed among all those who live in a given economy.