Free Trade Zone invests 1.5 million in the improvement of the tax area and the adaptation of new services
The Consortium is launching a comprehensive plan to make the fiscal perimeter a competitive enclave that provides better service to current operators and is attractive for the arrival of new investors.
Much of the work focuses on refurbishing the facilities of the old Altadis to complete its integration into the site and promote its marketing.
The modernization of facilities such as the hydraulic, electrical network or the video surveillance system joins the renovation of the road and the modernization of signage to provide a better service to the installed companies.
New services will be generated for use by operators, such as the three electric charging points for vehicles, and the reorganization of accesses to improve traffic
The work will be carried out in phases and simultaneously in many cases during the coming months
Wednesday, March 31
The Cádiz Free Trade Zone has begun to materialize its commitment to project the 486,000 m2 of the fiscal precinct of Cádiz as a fundamental part of the change in the industrial model in the city. The Consortium has turned on the high beams and shifted into fifth gear in recent months to optimize this important space for the city which, together with the outdoor area, makes up the main productive space of the capital.
With this premise, the current management has been working for weeks on a comprehensive plan to improve the entire tax area to adapt infrastructure and modernize services from the parameters of functionality, sustainability and respect for the environment with which the Consortium already works; and with the main objective of forming an attractive and competitive enclave both to attract the arrival of new investments and to meet the needs of current operators.
The comprehensive improvement plan is based on a global initial investment that exceeds 1,500,000 euros, of which more than half is allocated to the conditioning of the old Altadis, which has obsolete facilities that have required improvements since it was incorporated into the tax precinct in 2016 to guarantee that the existing buildings can be put into use while maintaining their functionality and operability.
Likewise, the plan also includes improvements in hydraulic infrastructure (sanitation networks) and in the electrical network of the enclosure, works that are complementary and will be carried out in some cases in parallel to some of the actions derived from the collaboration protocol with the City Council, signed at the end of last October and which also included actions in these matters with Aguas de Cádiz and Eléctrica de Cádiz, both for the fiscal enclosure and for the exterior enclosure.
Specifically, in the Altadis area the Consortium is going to undertake the adaptation of the cross building, a unique facility of 2,250 m2 that arouses the interest of the economic fabric for its facilities but requires global conditioning for its commercialization. Thus, a comprehensive tune-up will be carried out that covers everything from the electricity supply and air conditioning system to fire protection measures and enclosures and façade rehabilitation, etc. The investment planned for these works amounts to 417,240 euros.
Without leaving the space of the old Altadis, another of the important items within the battery of actions in the tax area is the update of the video surveillance and control system, which the Free Trade Zone faces in its commitment to return to its origins as a space for internationalization and foreign trade. At this point, a modern surveillance and security control system is projected for the Altadis area, integrated and connected with the system implemented throughout the facility and taking advantage of the experience acquired by the new Bahía de Algeciras tax facility, whose surveillance system will be a milestone in this matter. Thus, work is being done in coordination with the Civil Guard and Customs to develop a surveillance and access control system with the aim of integrating new communication technologies into customs work.
The implementation of this new system with an initial investment of 195,000 euros and includes the installation of cameras and license plate reading, among others. It should be noted that the Consortium has already installed an exit barrier at the main control of the Civil Guard, which was not available and which facilitates the security work typical of a fiscal precinct.
Finally, one of the most important actions within the works plan for the area of the old Altadis is its total integration with the rest of the historic fiscal precinct. The Free Zone plans to create a new access to this space through the entrance and exit area through El Cano, also eliminating the current existing gap that makes permeability between both areas impossible.
This action, which has an approximate investment of 160,000 euros, will improve the connections inside the premises and will make the offer of spaces at Altadis more competitive by allowing the entry and exit of vehicles and pedestrians directly. At this point, it is also worth noting that the cleaning of an important plot of land in this area of 40,000 m2 is now being completed, now free and prepared for the installation of new companies after the dismantling and removal of the old self-supporting warehouses that were used for the automated movement of merchandise between warehouses of the old tobacco factory.
In general, both in warehouses in the Altadis area and in buildings throughout the site, actions are contemplated that include the review and repair of the roofs, the vertical enclosures, review of the system of joints and unions that ensure the watertightness of the buildings or improvements in the asphalt of the main roads such as Council of Europe Avenue.
Along these lines, other cleaning and maintenance works are also planned for the properties, such as painting and cleaning hard-to-reach areas that have deteriorated over time and require remedial work. Furthermore, the optimization of spaces will make it possible to generate new parking spaces that cover all areas of the premises and offer an added service to companies and clients.
Likewise, the Consortium wants to address a comprehensive modernization of the venue and that is why it has also included a renewal of the signage - very obsolete and outdated in some cases -, proposing a standardization of its use, collecting the corporate image and colors and placing it in strategic points and with all the information of interest that the users of the venue demand. These works will be carried out by the provincial advertising agency Vexel.
Bet on clean and committed energy
One of the most innovative actions that the Free Zone will adopt within this comprehensive plan to improve the tax area will be the installation of an electric station to recharge the batteries of electric vehicles, in addition to two other charging points to serve the entity's fleet and Civil Guard surveillance, as well as for employees.
Specifically, the electric station – exterior and pedestal type – will be for public use and will be located in the loading and unloading area in front of the Melkart building. It will have two outlets, being able to provide coverage to the installed companies, clients and their staff, who are given a service with high added value, more responsible and respectful of the environment and which will contribute to reducing environmental pollution. This measure also promotes the competitiveness of companies and the self-employed through fuel savings.
The other two charging points – with two sockets each – are aimed at covering the internal demand of the Consortium's automotive fleet and its personnel, as well as the vehicles used by the Civil Guard for surveillance. Thus, one will be installed in the rear parking lot of the Headquarters building and another in the workshops. At this point, it must be remembered that the Free Trade Zone is already renewing its fleet of vehicles within the “Plan to Promote the value chain of the automotive industry” presented this summer by the Government of Spain within the 2030 Agenda and already has 75% completely electric.
The Consortium, which foresees an investment in this action of around 30,000 euros, has already awarded this new sustainable infrastructure to the company Moneleg. The work includes all the necessary material, civil works, project and technical management, inspection by the control body and certification.
With this new sustainable facility and all the actions mentioned in the tax area improvement plan, the Cádiz Free Trade Zone continues to take firm steps towards the implementation of a self-sufficient industrial zone committed to the future of the city. The objective with which the Consortium works is none other than to combine the spirit and experience offered by its recently completed 92 years of history with quality infrastructures that increase the competitiveness of the business fabric and multiply the potential of the site as a first-rate logistics space to promote internationalization and foreign trade as spearheads of the Cádiz economy.