Spanish automotive suppliers having the sustainable digital transformation in the sector

Digitalization is part of the Spanish automotive suppliers’ DNA. The sector invests every year more than 4% of the billing (€1,458 million in 2019) in R&D&I. It places Spain as a country of reference worldwide.

COVID-19 pandemic just accelerated the digital transformation process, already led by Spanish companies. Great benefits are obtained in sustainability by implementing digitalization at factories and production lines. This is how today; Spanish automotive suppliers lead the sustainable and digital transformation process and walk together to a sustainable industry 4.0

The member companies of Autoparts from Spain platform work every day in this double transition. Their practices and use cases on how the application of digitalization contributes to achieve goals related to energetic efficiency, waste reduction and “0 accidents” place them as sustainable and digital leaders.

At Gestamp, for instance, they have developed a project to improve energetic efficiency by taking advantage of opportunities provided by new technologies to reduce their emissions.

At the other hand, Fersa Group participates in two new European projects for the smart industry. This company is into an exhaustive digitalization process. In the last four years, they have developed five new manufacturing lines at the group’s productive plants where IoT technologies and high levels of automation have been incorporated.

Lizarte, leaders in the re-fabrication of automotive spare parts in Spain, invests in technology helping them to increase their resource efficiency and sustainable development.

Another example on how the Spanish automotive suppliers are working to meet with this double transition is Grupo Antolin which is immersed in the integration process of people and industry 4.0. This allows them to connect people with technology.

Finally, the company Icer Brakes recently has reinforced their environmental commitment and their backing to renewable energy and resources in the production process by the installation of a self-supply photovoltaic facility that will avoid emitting 600 tons of CO2 every year.

With all this in mind, Spanish automotive suppliers have elaborated a guide of good practices to keep working towards a sustainable industry 4.0.

Guidelines for a digital and sustainable transformation of Spanish automotive suppliers:

1.    Invest in staff training, specially those risk groups to ensure their employability. 

2.    Define clear measurable objectives and have real-time information.

3.    Set up active listening mechanisms with employees, clients, society, regulators and other agents.

4.    Promote the mixing with other players to achieve sustainable technological solutions. Establish alliances with third-parties. 

5.    Value the return on investment having in mind its economic, social and environmental impact.

6.    Promote initiatives which are scalable and replicable to other productive processes, company processes or other companies in the value chain under the principle of corporate solidarity.

7.    Share and interchange good practices. Promote sectoral and inter-sectoral collaboration.

8.    Anticipate the integration of technological competencies required for an efficient development of technology.

9.    Digitalize existing factory routines to make them more efficient. Digitization as a tool for continuous improvement of processes.

10.  Dare to change.

11.  Address the 4.0 industry with business vision without colliding with the general interest and create awareness about its benefits to other related stakeholders.

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