Logistics generates 14,300 jobs of increasing quality in Tarragona

This information is taken from the competitiveness indicators published by the sector observatory and presented by CIMALSA

This Thursday, 17 January, the conference room of the Port of Tarragona building was the venue for the presentation of the 2018 results of the Tarragona competitiveness indicator study, which is carried out every year by the Institut Cerdà on behalf of CIMALSA.

The conference was chaired by the president of the Port of Tarragona, Josep Maria Cruset, the director general of CIMALSA, Enric Ticó, and the financial director of CIMALSA, Fina Jarque. Mr Cruset emphasised the importance of the fact that, for the first time, the Logistics Observatory has collected territorialised data from the Tarragona region. He also expressed his gratitude to CIMALSA for having chosen the Port of Tarragona to present the results of the study.

The director general of CIMALSA began his intervention by referring to the fact that the economic weight of the logistics sector in the current Catalan GDP is more than 13%.

Focusing on the Tarragona region, Mr Ticó stated that in 2017 the logistics sector (transport and warehousing) in Tarragona generated almost 14,300 jobs, an increase of 5% on the previous year. He also pointed out that the jobs in today’s logistics sector are of increasingly high quality and thus bring greater wealth to the territory.

The amount of logistics warehouse space rented in 2017 increased by 9% in Tarragona and 4% in Catalonia as a whole, making Catalonia the leader in the national ranking of rented logistics warehouse space. In this respect, Mr Ticó stated that to meet the needs of the sector, CIMALSA is planning to expand by up to 39 ha in the CIM El Camp. It will also begin operations at Logis Montblanc, where work can begin this year on building the first phase, given that there are already firms enquiring as to when the 811,000 m2 planned in the two phases will be built. Other future projects will be aimed meeting the need for logistics space in the Tarragona and Ebre regions, as well as in Catalonia as a whole, always in conjunction with the mayors of the areas involved.

The Port of Tarragona handles more than a third of seaborne cargo

The study also shows that Catalan ports handle 23.8% (95,412 tons) of all the merchandise moved in Catalonia. Specifically, the Port of Tarragona handles 36% of the 95,412 tons transported by sea in Catalonia.

Enric Ticó also wished to emphasise the value of start-ups in spearheading the technological revolution in Catalonia to provide support for the economic and entrepreneurial fabric of the country.

The head of the firm, which is part of the Department of Territory and Sustainability, ended his contribution by affirming that CIMALSA is working on an overall strategic plan with diverse public and private actors to consolidate and develop logistics land in the territory.

This was the thirteenth edition of the Logistics Observatory, a study carried out by the CIMALSA public company to review the 45 most important indicators of the Catalan Logistics System and to provide an overview of the actual situation of the logistics sector in Tarragona and the rest of Catalonia.