Barcelona's Zona Franca consortium posts €40.5M profit, accelerates DFactory tech hub expansion to 60,000 m²

Financial results

The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) closed 2025 with a profit of €40.5 million, a 36.4% increase over the previous year. Revenue reached €77.7 million, up 18.6%, and net equity stood at €694.7 million. The entity, which manages six million square metres of industrial land between the port, the airport and Mercabarna, hosts over 300 companies and operates on a self-financing model without regular transfers from other administrations. The plenary session, chaired by mayor Jaume Collboni, confirmed the consortium's capacity to reinvest earnings into urban and industrial projects.

DFactory expansion timeline

The flagship DFactory Barcelona campus, currently fully occupied at 17,000 m², is being expanded to 60,000 m². The Cubo building has completed its structure and glass facade, with completion expected by the end of October. Buildings A and D are on track to finish by the end of the year, allowing the first tenants to move in at the start of 2027. The fourth building, B, still requires approval from Spain's Council of Ministers; once granted, construction will take an estimated 15 months.

Industry 4.0 ecosystem

DFactory houses 48 companies working in robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, IoT, sensors, virtual reality and cybersecurity. Together they have filed 63 international patents, a metric the consortium uses to gauge technology transfer and value creation. The site has also attracted 5,000 visits, according to director general Blanca Sorigué.

We are talking about a real ecosystem in a 17,000-square-metre building, where 48 companies have already installed, generating 63 patents and attracting 5,000 visits. Imagine how these results can scale when we talk about a district with four more buildings.

Other strategic projects

Beyond DFactory, the plenary reviewed the Torre Pública de Glòries, a mixed-use tower that will include at least 35,000 m², with 10,000 m² for protected housing, 20,000 m² for administrative offices and 5,000 m² for community facilities. The consortium also presented its 2025-2029 strategic plan, the rebranding of the SIL logistics fair to Salón de la Innovación Logística de Barcelona from 2027, and the seventh edition of the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) scheduled for 5-7 October at DFactory. Initiatives linked to Barcelona's designation as World Capital of Architecture 2026 were also discussed.

Leadership comments

Mayor Jaume Collboni stressed the importance of keeping economic activity within the city so residents can live and work in Barcelona without having to leave. He credited the consortium's team for their commitment to quality employment and economic reactivation.

We want economic activity to stay inside the city, so that citizens can live and work in Barcelona without having to leave. The new urban industry and advanced technologies make it possible, but spaces like DFactory Barcelona are essential to achieve it.

Special state delegate Pere Navarro said the expansion would attract new Industry 4.0 leaders and consolidate an ecosystem that fosters alliances, collaboration and innovation.

This expansion will allow us to incorporate new leading companies in Industry 4.0 technologies and consolidate an ecosystem that favours alliances, collaboration and innovation.