• 27 companies, clusters and knowledge centers will participate in the 5 approved projects, of which 11 are member companies of the Packaging Cluster
• A budget of more than 1.2 million euros has been allocated for the digital transformation of SMEs, with aid approved by the Ministry of Industry of €947,569
• Catalonia has generated a total of 89 new projects of the 261 approved, and these will receive an amount of 15 million euros in public funding

A few days ago, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism published the provisional resolution of the second call for aid in 2022 in support of Agrupaciones Empresariales Innovadoras, where the Packaging Cluster has managed to get all the projects presented (five in total) approved. A few months ago, in the first call of the year, another 4 initiatives were awarded for the generation of innovation in small and medium-sized industrial companies: Duomo 1.0, Enotech 4.0, ATEX&Qplant and Traceable Pack.

Through the Next Generation Funds that the European Commission has made available to administrations for economic recovery after the pandemic, 261 new projects have been subsidized at the national level with an allocation of nearly 50 million euros. In this sense, Catalonia is positioned as one of the great powers in the management of AEI projects, with 30% of the total subsidy distributed. The Catalan clusters have launched 89 projects with aid of €14,930,268 for digital and sustainable transformation projects in SMEs.

Among the 5 approved initiatives, four have been led by the Packaging Cluster and one by the Clúster de Materials Avançats de Catalunya. In total, 27 agents have been involved from various sectors that cut across those of packaging, with 11 associated companies: TAI Smart Factory, Dribia, Gerosa Group, IFLEX, Molmasa, Bertia, Industrias Plásticas Triana, KUKA, Tepsis, VM Systems and Rotimpres. Description of the projects presented:

DDM. Data-Driven Maintenance: digitization of the production process for data-driven maintenance management

DDM (Data-Driven Maintenance) is the second part of the ATEX&QPlant project, which will end in December this year, in which the digitalization of the Gerosa group is sought in its different stages. On the one hand, data from the Rieusset production plant (a Gerosa Group company) is being digitized using different software technologies, hardware and new printed sensors that will help in the correct management of production performance and better control of ink treatment, safe way. This initiative will scale this digitization to another group company, Cellografica Gerosa, and will study the implementation of data processing with artificial intelligence algorithms - created by Dribia and validated by the TAI Smart Factory integrated pilot - to understand, predict and optimize the business processes and thus make decisions based on data (historical and real-time).

• Participate: TAI Smart Factory, Dribia, Gerosa Group and the Packaging Cluster
• Total budget: €180,201
• Grant: €100,051

Layertech: industrial research project on lacquer separation for the recovery of multilayer packaging and monitoring of its application

LAYERTECH is an inter-cluster strategic project, promoted by the AEI Packaging Cluster and AEI Food+I, and inter-territorial, where companies from Aragon, Catalonia and the Ebro Valley collaborate with the idea of carrying out industrial research to improve packaging recovery multilayer. 

The LAYERTECH project has two main objectives: on the one hand, to investigate a solution that allows the separation of the different layers of a multilayer material in an effective way, thus allowing its recycling, and a second objective that consists of investigating the monitoring of the application of this lacquer, controlling that they are applied with a constant thickness on the film, thus guaranteeing the barrier property, applying the necessary amount and without excesses. 

This solution will be able to improve the recyclability of the most widely used type of packaging in the food sector while research is being carried out on the technology of applying lacquer, one of the most complicated parts to separate in a multi-material.

• Participates: Food+i, IFLEX, Moses, Tecnopackaging and the Packaging Cluster.
• Budget: €176,720
• Grant: €137,424

PETInject: automation and sustainability in packaging production

With PETInject, industrial research will be carried out to develop a novel integrated process for the production of high-performance recyclable PET packaging, through the investigation and development of new advanced molding, digitization and automation technologies. This project seeks to investigate a new industrial technology that allows the manufacture of wide-mouth PET containers/jars, much lighter in weight than plastic material, with better recyclability and the possibility of a transparent presentation that allows the product content to be seen.

At the same time, KUKA Iberia and VM Systems will be in charge of digitizing the robotic handling process for PET packaging, connecting the virtual environment with the physical one, through the simulation of robotic processes.

This technological solution will favor the industrial sector in its transition towards a more circular and sustainable economy, and at the same time, improve the energy efficiency, digitization, flexibility and quality of current systems.

• Participate: Molmasa, Industrias Plásticas Triana, KUKA, Tepsis, Business Analytics Partners, VM Systems and Packaging Cluster
• Budget: €382,076
• Subsidy: €295,698

Bowser: project to optimize the manufacturing configuration

A total of three SMEs and two AEIs participate and collaborate in the BOWSER project, with the aim of minimizing the use of raw materials, maximizing quality and globally optimizing the products and services of the three participating SMEs.

The BOWSER project will use artificial intelligence to be able to acquire new knowledge that is capable of defining an optimal configuration of the production parameters, in this case, of plastic. This industrial research project aims to predict the gauge of the finished product, analyze which process parameters affect them and, finally, determine which is the best manufacturing configuration.

• Participates: Spanish Center for Plastics, Dribia, Saplex, TAI Smart Factory and the Packaging Cluster
• Budget: €234,224
• Subsidy: €185,978

Smart Battery Case: functionalization of materials for electromobility

Smart Battery Case is committed to developing new digitized, technologically advanced and more efficient battery boxes with the use of new materials for electric and hybrid vehicles, specifically for naval transport. The investigation will focus on:

• The development of a battery enclosure with composite materials, lightweight, resistant to the marine environment and with radiotransparency properties to facilitate wireless communication.
• The development of a system of electronic devices and sensors integrated in the battery box with additive technology to guarantee real-time management and control of the system from other devices.
• The thermal study of the battery box for the correct management of heat in order to increase the performance of the battery, reduce consumption, extend the useful life, charge cycles and reduce possible breakdowns.

The ultimate goal of the project is to promote the digital and energy transition towards electromobility through research into advanced materials with industrial applicability, their manufacturing processes and associated technologies.

• Participate: Cluster Materials Avançats, Compoxi, Cooling Photonics, Rotimpres, Solar Box and the Packaging Cluster
• Budget: €287,527
• Grant: €228,418