Why ecosystems matter:
What the Prime Minister’s visit to DFactory means for SiOCAST
For SiOCAST, innovation has never been just about a single technology—it’s also about where that technology is built, validated, and scaled.
That is why, in November 2022, SiOCAST signed an agreement with the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) to establish itself at DFactory Barcelona, with a clear objective: scale industrial capacity and create synergies and alliances inside an Industry 4.0 environment designed for real-world manufacturing.
On September 29, 2025, DFactory hosted a high-visibility moment: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site in the context of Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW 2025)—a strong signal that advanced manufacturing ecosystems are increasingly part of the national conversation about competitiveness, industrial modernization, and the new economy.
A visit that puts advanced manufacturing in focus
According to official communications, the Prime Minister visited BNEW’s 6th edition, held at DFactory Barcelona and organized by the CZFB. During the visit, he spoke with entrepreneurs and business leaders about connected Industry 4.0 projects and engaged with BNEW awards finalists across categories including sustainability, talent, health, aviation, digital industry, and mobility.
He was accompanied by Blanca Sorigué, General Director of CZFB, and (as reported by media) Carlos Prieto, Government Delegate in Catalonia.
What the Prime Minister saw inside DFactory
DFactory companies presented a cross-section of applied Industry 4.0: robotic surgery, virtual reality, advanced manufacturing, automation of storage and production processes, advanced warehouse safety technologies, multi-material 3D printing, innovative solar systems, industrial sensors (logistics and construction), and data management and analytics.
Importantly, the visit also included a look at the DFactory expansion works, a tangible indication that this is not a static hub—it is an evolving industrial platform built to grow.
Why DFactory matters to SiOCAST:
innovation accelerates in the right environment.
Industrial innovation rarely succeeds in isolation. Bringing a manufacturing process to market demands fast learning loops, rigorous validation, partner alignment, and proximity to real production constraints.
DFactory is explicitly designed to create those conditions. CZFB describes it as an initiative to promote and develop Industry 4.0 by building an ecosystem that attracts talent, technology, and investment, and by bringing together corporates, SMEs, innovation centers, and technology labs in an open innovation setting.
For SiOCAST, this environment is not a backdrop—it is leverage.
When SiOCAST joined DFactory, CZFB explicitly framed the collaboration around two outcomes: industrial scaling and synergies/alliances with other companies in the building.
That matters because building a new manufacturing standard requires more than engineering—it requires an ecosystem that makes adoption possible.
The role SiOCAST plays in this ecosystem
SiOCAST develops an advanced manufacturing approach based on plastic injection using silicone molds—a pathway designed to broaden access to production capability and enable new kinds of agility in industrial development cycles.
Operating from DFactory allows SiOCAST to develop this capability within a context where:
industry-grade technologies coexist and converge (automation, digital tools, additive, sensors, data),
collaboration is structurally easier (shared environment, faster partner discovery, more pilots),
and institutional visibility increases the credibility and momentum of the ecosystem as a whole—benefiting the companies building inside it.
Looking ahead: scaling the “factory of the future”
CZFB has communicated that the DFactory expansion includes four new buildings, growing from 17,000 m² to 60,000 m² by the end of 2026. It also positions DFactory as the heart of District 4.0, an Industry 4.0 activity area of more than 6 million square meters.
That scale matters. Because in manufacturing, the future doesn’t arrive as a press release—it arrives as infrastructure, partnerships, talent density, and execution capacity.
The Prime Minister’s visit to DFactory during BNEW 2025 underscores the direction of travel: advanced manufacturing ecosystems are becoming strategic assets. For SiOCAST, building within DFactory—together with CZFB—remains a deliberate choice to develop innovation where it can be validated, industrialized, and scaled.
