Catalonia Sponsored by ACI - Catalonia Investment Agency
Why Us
The strategic location of Catalonia makes it the ideal launching pad for gaining entry into markets
In addition to its business ventures, the strategic location of Catalonia makes it the ideal launching pad for gaining entry into Europe, as well as the Latin American, North African and Middle Eastern markets. In the Euro zone, we have a consumer market of 309 million people with a GNP of 7,980,344million euros; all of this only 2 hours' flying time from Barcelona.
The Catalan economy is very much internationalised: Catalonia boasts 36% of the Spanish exporting companies and one-fifth of Catalan industrial companies export regularly. Looking at exports as a whole, 75% are exported to European Union markets, while more than 60% of imports come from countries within the European Union. Access to worldwide markets from Catalonia is also guaranteed, partly due to the extensive and high-quality transport infrastructure.
More than 3,000 foreign companies operate in Catalonia
Catalonia plays a leading role in attracting foreign investment to Spain and Europe. According to Cushman & Wakefield's 2006 annual survey, Barcelona overtakes Brussels to take fourth place in ranking of 33 top European cities. Barcelona comes after London, Paris and Frankfurt. Last year Barcelona overtook Amsterdam to take 5th position in the overall ranking, and it was the first time that the top five had changed since Cushman & Wakefield had first carried out the survey in 1990, when Barcelona was in 11th position.
The most important consideration for European managers, with regard to Barcelona was the effort it has been making to improve as well as the quality of life enjoyed by its professionals, two rankings where the Catalan capital was rated first in Europe. Value for money of office space, public transport, the political and tax climate, the availability of office space and good access to markets, suppliers and customers are some of the other factors that were highly rated. Barcelona comes top in terms of doing the most to improve itself as a business location. .
These remarkable figures are supported by the results of Ernst&Young's European Investment Monitor 2005. According to this renowned consultancy firm, Catalonia ranks fourth among the European top-performing regions.
The 3,000 plus foreign companies operating in Catalonia (out of 5.550 in Spain) come from a variety of countries, as shown in the following graph:
Foreign companies operating in Catalonia by country
40% of these companies have been operating in the region for more than 10 years, which shows that foreign companies enjoy a high level of stability, satisfaction and return on investment in Catalonia. In fact, Catalonia is home to 60% of all American companies based in Spain, 62% of French companies, 61% of German companies, 47% of UK companies, 54% of Italian and Belgian companies, and 70% of all Japanese companies.
Some examples of foreign companies established in Catalonia
| Cars / Railway | Metallurgy | Electrics / Electronics |
|---|---|---|
| Magna Donnelly Hohe España, SA Frape-Behr, SA Siemens VDO Automotive, SA Volkswagen Audi España, SA Renault Vehiculos Industriales España, SA Pirelli Neumàticos, SA Delphi Diesel Systems, SL TRW Automotive España, SA Montesa Honda, SA Denso Barcelona, SA Yamaha Motor España, SA Showa Europe, SA Nissan Motor Ibérica, SA Intier Automotive España, SA Alstom Power, SA Siemens | Alcan Aluminio España, SA Thyssen Iberica, SA York Refrigeration, SL Faiveley Española, SA Acieroid, SA Alcoa CSI España, SA Reftrans, SA Kitz Corporation of Europe, SA Foster Wheeler Iberia, SA Volpack, SA | Draka Cables General Cable Schneider Electric España Hitachi Air Conditioning Sharp Electrónica Sony España Frigicoll, SA Hazemeyer Española, SA GE Power Controls Iberica, SA Terasaki España, SA |
| Chemicals | Pharmaceuticals | Food |
| Solvay Quimica, SL BASF Española, SA Beiersdorf, SA ICI Paints de España, SA Dow Chemical Iberica, SA Procter&Gamble España, SA Carburos Metálicos, SA Azko Nobel, SA Hebron, SA Kao Corporation Lanxes, SL | Novartis Bayer Hispania Boehringer Ingelheim Merck Farma y Química Pierre Fabre Ibérica Laboratorios Menarini Pfizer Zambon Sanofi-Aventis Henkel Iberica | Nestlé España, SA Unilever España, SA Sara Lee Bakery Danone, SA Bimbo, SA Pepsico España Kellog's España Seminis Vegetable |
| Logistics | Shared Service Centers | ICT |
| ADP GSI España Disalfarm IKEA ICI Paints de España, SA Logisfashion Frans Maas Logística Venture Logistics Aus Logistic Center ABX Logistics España Lidl | Agilent Technologies, SL Avis Sara Lee Euroservices Bayer Citigroup Hewlett Packard Computer Associates CEI Network WL Gore and Associates Accenture Colt Telecom | IBM Microsoft Sun Microsystems T-Systems Eltec Colt España Auna Operadores GFT Iberia Solutions Comunitel Global |
