Continuing with the calendar of activities programmed in the Cycle of Open Innovation 2021, we have celebrated the Day of Innovation Projects by Som-Inn Port members, on the 9th of November, in streaming, with the aim of inspiring the ecosystem as well as demonstrating the entrepreneurial and innovative attitude of its members.
The projects presented were the following:
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SEA Agri-Food Delivery System to facilitate the collection of goods. Speaker: Pedro Bernal, from the Port of Tarragona.
Pedro Bernal explained that SEA is a system that makes it easier for buyers and transporters to collect goods from the agri-food terminals that the APT makes available to the different agents involved in the process. The need to create this system arose from the detection of the long waiting times for lorries, causing congestion problems within the Port.
The system works as follows: The buyer requests a volume at the terminal for a specific date and the terminal indicates the availability of the goods. The carrier receives the order and the location, chooses the available time slot and indicates the truck that will pick it up. The terminal assigns the pick-up points and the pick-up time of the goods. Finally, the driver picks up the load at the indicated pick-up point, day and time.
The results of the implementation of this project have been very successful. Waiting times for trucks within the Port have been reduced by an average of 50 minutes. The biggest challenge in the implementation of this system has been for the operators to get used to using it, as they were used to the traditional system. With a view to 2022, the objective is to achieve an integration of all the terminals of the Port.
Pedro Bernal thanked all the parties involved in the implementation of this new system for their involvement.
Pedro Bernal, Head of the Commercial and Business Development Division of the APT
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HUB Phygital. Speaker: Laia Garriga, from EURECAT
Next, Laia Garriga from Eurecat presented the Phygital HUB project: a new last mile distribution model. Phygital HUB is an initiative to improve the economic competitiveness of the food, consumer goods, transport and logistics sectors; through the implementation of the digital supply chain and decarbonised goods. The project involves multiple actors from the entire logistics value chain, both public and private, and where 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and IoT play a key role.
The aim of the project is to ensure that all the logistics of consumer goods entering a city are carried out in an orderly manner. Thanks to this new logistics order, the aim is to improve the competitiveness of companies by 50%-70%, create jobs and reduce the cost of externalities by 15%-30%.
The main axes of the project are:
- Definition of the governance model of the Phygital Hub, adapted to current legislation and development needs.
- Development of a Digital HUB that controls all the processes involved in the supply chain.
- Development of a physical multimodal HUB to enable optimised and decarbonised transport of goods to the city centre.
This project has great challenges ahead, not only technological, such as how to connect physical hubs outside cities with hubs located within neighbourhoods, but also how to improve collaboration between all parties involved.
Laia Garriga, Head of Rail, Logistics and Mobility Business Development at EURECAT Technology Centre of Catalonia
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Tarragona Social Lab. Speaker David Gateu, from Tarragona Impulsa.
David Gateu from Tarragona Impulsa presented the Tarragona Social Lab, a project with the aim of creating a platform to channel the creativity and collective intelligence of citizens towards the solution of common challenges. Its aim is to generate a multi-actor space where solutions can be co-created and tested. Its mission is to bring innovation to the city in order to increase Tarragona’s wealth by incorporating an innovative network to create new development opportunities that allow spot region’s talent.
The project is at a very early stage. In its the presentation, they detected a special interest in learning about innovation, so one of its main objectives is to facilitate the transfer of innovative knowledge.
The idea of the project is to form a driving group to promote synergies so that new projects can be generated or support can be found among the participants. The driving group will be composed of public, private and knowledge institutions and citizens will also play a key role.
David Gateu, AODL of Tarragona City Council
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Green hydrogen as an energy carrier and in chemistry. Speaker: Ricard Garcia , from EURECAT/URV.
Finally, Ricard Garcia from EURECAT/URV presented the green hydrogen project as an energy vector and in chemistry. Project included in the framework of the strategic initiative Vall de l’Hidrogen de Catalunya of the country that works to consolidate an integrated ecosystem around the hydrogen value chain. The presentation outlined the main technological challenges to be addressed in the production, distribution and development of new uses of hydrogen. Likewise, the initiatives promoted by the project to facilitate the integration of hydrogen and renewable energies in the energy system or the development of hydrolines/hydrogen generators for the distribution of green hydrogen, among others.
The use of hydrogen, produced from renewable energy and water, is expected to become widespread as a raw material and heat source in industries such as the chemical industry, for mobility, for residential use and as a fuel. Europe expects 25% of energy to come from clean hydrogen by 2050. The Rovira i Virgili University (URV), the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) and the EURECAT Technology Centre make up the alliance of knowledge, science and technology that are the core of research and innovation in the Catalonia Hydrogen Valley, an initiative in which the Port of Tarragona participates.
Ricard Garcia, from EURECAT / URV
Attendees were able to ask questions to the speakers about these interesting and innovative projects.
Some participants of the conference
Many thanks to the speakers for inspiring us with their innovative projects and to all who attended the conference. We will meet again in the next activity.
Som-Inn!
Department of Studies and Innovation
10th November 2021
