Catalina Grimalt Falcó

The Port of Barcelona is a pioneer in applying technology solutions in its various areas (commercial, logistics and citizens). The aim is to generate efficient services that provide competitiveness to the sector and value for its customers while ensuring that logistics and port activity grow sustainably. Barcelona, Spain's top port and one of the first in Europe to promote an initiative of this kind, is now also getting involved in developing and financing tools to respond to the demands and needs for modernisation and competitiveness of the local logistics sector.

Port Challenge Barcelona has been launched in collaboration with the Founder Institute Barcelona and involves the participation of Barcelona Tech City, Barcelona Activa, the Chamber of Commerce, the Catalan Government's CatalunyaEmprèn initiative and ESADE and IESE's business angels networks.

Catalina, what will logistics look like in 20 years?

Drones, Hyperloop, Amazon, these are three terms that immediately come to Catalina Grimalt’s mind when she muses on the future of the harbor. CIO Grimalt can imagine using drones for surveillance or transport. Shipping company owners, drug dealers and the police share her thoughts on the use of drones. The air space above the harbor could become very crowded.

Hyperloop is not yet ready to be deployed, but could upset existing logistic models. The shuttles, which inventor Elan Musk plans to shoot through reduced-pressure tubes, could take the place of transport by road or rail. For the second largest cruise harbor (Miami is the largest) this could be a larger challenge. What Musk is demonstrating in California at the moment is less than a Transrapid test track, but Grimalt wants to keep an eye on this technical development.

And finally Amazon: For the first time in history a retailer has amassed so much power that it shapes overall logistics. Amazon’s ambitions are more threatening for logistic companies than Google is for car manufacturers. Self-driving cars might become an interesting side business for Google, but logistics belongs to Amazon’s core business. Catalina Grimalt follows developments regarding “Same Day Delivery” with great interest. She is not only “Directora Sistemes d’Informatico“ of the Port de Barcelona, she is also Chairwoman of the “Consell de CIOs de Catalunya”. This regional council is looking forward to our visit.