The Telefónica Chair ‘Blue Economy and Smart Ports’ at the University of Cádiz, in collaboration with the Algeciras Bay Chamber of Commerce, has held a new edition of its Ágora conference under the title ‘Industry 4.0: talent, territory and competitiveness’. Digital transformation is reshaping production models and regional competitiveness, placing innovation, talent and collaboration between institutions and companies at the heart of the response to the challenges of the new economy.
In this context, the event brought together representatives from academia, business and public administrations to reflect on the factors that are transforming industry and to analyse how digitalisation is redefining the competitiveness of production and regional systems.
The opening session, held the 5th of November in the auditorium of the Algeciras Bay Chamber of Commerce, was attended by María de la Luz Martín, Vice-Rector of the Algeciras Bay Campus; Laura García, Training and Employment Officer at the Chamber of Commerce; Cristina Lirio, Deputy to the Southern Regional Management of Telefónica Spain; and José Carlos Palomares, Director of the Telefónica Chair at the University of Cádiz. The speakers stressed the importance of strengthening collaboration between universities, businesses and public administrations to create synergies, share experiences and help build a more innovative and resilient industrial model, closely connected to the needs of the region.
The conference was structured around three themes: driving industry from the municipal level, innovation as a lever for business competitiveness, and the need to develop and retain talent to meet the challenges of an increasingly digital and global industry. To discuss the territory as a strategic element that brings together capabilities, infrastructure and institutional collaboration to support sustainable development, the panel featured Álvaro Márquez, Councillor for EMALGESA, Economic Development and Employment, Training and Industry at Algeciras City Council; Miguel Fermín Alconchel, Mayor of Los Barrios; and Sebastián Hidalgo, Deputy Mayor of La Línea de la Concepción.
In the second panel, “Innovating to compete: the future of industry”, Jesús Medina, Head of the Technology Development Area (ADT) at APBA and Chair of the Port of Algeciras Bay Innovation Committee, moderated the discussion with Javier Carro, Head of Digital Transformation at the Acerinox plant in Los Barrios; Eduardo Massó, Industry, IoT and Big Data Expert at Telefónica Spain; and Federico Moles, Digital Development Technician at the Moeve San Roque Energy Park. The panellists explained how innovation and digital transformation are organised in large international companies: how projects and initiatives are prioritised and how the work of their local teams fits into corporate strategy. They also shared success stories from their organisations with particularly positive results. Finally, they discussed change management, which they see as essential for innovation and digitalisation to take root in the organisational culture and have a real impact on the region’s industrial competitiveness.
The final theme, talent, was addressed by Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Director of the Higher Technical School of Engineering of Algeciras, and Mercedes León, Managing Director of the Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce and President of the Social Council of the University of Seville, who described it as the key lever for meeting the challenges of the new industry.
In addition, attendees learned about some of the most innovative initiatives driven by Telefónica through a live connection with LaCabina, its innovation centre, which showcases the potential of digital technologies to transform companies and organisations.
Leave a Reply