With its two industrial parks near Tarragona and Barcelona, Catalonia is the first chemicals area in Southern Europe, and a base for the sector's large multinationals (BASF, Bayer, Dow Chemical, etc.).

Moreover, the area around Barcelona is home to the downstream chemical industry, especially plastics, and to the major commercial chemical distributors. The Port of Barcelona is also highly specialised in this sector.

The sheer industrial weight of the chemicals sector in Catalonia results into a very specialised logistical knowhow in this type of products, which have very complex and strict regulations, particularly when it comes to safety in storage, handling and transport. The importance of the automotive industry has also generated a specialisation in tyres logistics.

Specialised logistics operators in this sector in the Barcelona/Catalonia region have experience and expertise in very specific areas such as:

• Compliance with global security regulations (C-TPAT, TAPA, BASC, FDA, SQAS, etc).

• Handling and storage of chemicals and supply chain incident management.

• The use of management systems based on international standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001).

• Use of special containers and vehicles to ensure the integrity and security of the goods transported.

• Application of specific solutions for the classification, packing, packaging and labelling of products (according to CLP/GHS regulations).

Moreover, the combination of experience in the chemical industry and the general logistical knowhow in Barcelona/Catalonia allows chemical companies to find operators who, in addition to meeting their current requirements, can help them in the process of changing from logistics based on large volumes to one based on unitised loads, requiring more and better services.