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Engineering companies have gained a presence in the city, as a result of changes in labor and safety regulations, which have forced them to relocate. The REDESSA facilities have become a strategic point when looking for a new location, thanks to the good communications they offer, especially in the business centers of the Tecnoparc Technology and Innovation Park (REDESSA Tecno and REDESSA Cepid).
Currently, there are around twenty engineering departments installed at REDESSA, which total around 200 workers and are dedicated to various areas of activity, such as chemistry, infrastructures, projects and installations, processes or infrastructures, among others.
The councilor for Economic Promotion, Innovation and Knowledge of Reus City Council and CEO of REDESSA, Josep Baiges, explained that
"At REDESSA, we work with an attitude of actively listening to the companies in our centers, with the desire to accompany them in their business projects. We have detected that in the case of engineering, they all have common challenges, especially in the area of talent and network creation and require spaces for collaboration to grow and be more competitive."
The new Engineering Cluster was born with the desire to give voice and tools to a sector that, according to Idescat data from 2024, represents 289 companies and almost 3,997 workers throughout the region. In addition, currently, the two official associations with a presence in the region: the College of Industrial Engineers and the College of Industrial Technical Engineers currently have a total of 1,700 members. For its part, the Rovira i Virgili University has 3,396 students in the different engineering courses it offers. Of these, 2,547 are undergraduate students, 601 are master's students, and the rest are doctoral students.
As explained by the rector of the Rovira i Virgili University, Josep Pallarès,
"Getting involved in an initiative like this is part of our DNA. Our uniqueness as a university is the symbiosis with the territory, and that is why our obligation is to be present there, because by going together we make the sums become multiplications."
Among the objectives shared by the companies, institutions and entities promoting the project, the following stand out:
- Connecting, strengthening and dynamizing the engineering sector in Southern Catalonia
- Make visible and increase the competitiveness of the Cluster's companies
- Facilitate strategic alliances and collaborative projects
- Promote the generation, recruitment and retention of talent, with a special focus on female STEM vocations and among adolescents.
- Promote innovation and knowledge transfer between universities and companies
- Participate in solutions to major local and global challenges in areas such as energy transition, decarbonization, industry 4.0, mobility, sustainability, security, circular economy, etc.
- Attract investments
During the presentation of the new cluster, the vice-dean of the College of Industrial Technical Engineers, Josep Ma Pàmies, explained that
"The Engineering Cluster is a necessary project. The territory has 4 nuclear power plants, three of them in operation, and the largest chemical industrial park in southern Europe. In addition, we have a large network of companies, all of which has enormous potential."
The Engineering Cluster will focus on promoting the following services:
- Launching initiatives for the creation, recruitment and retention of talent in different areas
- External projection through the creation of your own brand
- Identification and promotion of collaborative projects
- Boost innovation among companies
- Access to grants and subsidies
- Networking meetings to connect, share best practices and generate synergies between members of the CLUSTER.
- Organization of knowledge transfer and co-creation activities between universities, research centers and companies
- Organization of conferences on topics of interest to the group.
In the coming weeks, the three working groups of the cluster will be formed, focused on talent, brand and projects; at the same time, the first networking day between members of the Engineering Cluster will be convened.
The Engineering Cluster currently has the membership of the companies Etecnic, Habilis Outsourcing, Generation RFiD, Enernou, PGI Engineering & Consulting, Dynatec, Igewind, Atoms and Delmuns Llombart; of three official associations (College of Industrial Engineers, College of Industrial Technical Engineers and Official College of Technical Engineering in Computer Science) and has the support of the Rovira i Virgili University, the Reus Chamber of Commerce and Pimec, and the impetus of the Reus City Council, through the municipal company REDESSA.
Engineering companies interested in having more information about the cluster can consult the website: www.redessa.cat/cluster-enginyeries.
Source: REDESSA
