Iñaki Calvo (GIRA Cantabria Mobility Solutions): "We see possibilities for a new multidisciplinary mobility ecosystem"

Iñaki Calvo, with a long professional career in the automotive sector, linked to the Bosch Group, has been at the head of the Cantabrian automotive cluster since 2021. That is why AutoRevista wanted to talk to him to find out about the current situation and recent projects promoted by the GIRA cluster to promote the common interests of the companies in this autonomous community.

AutoRevista: What is your assessment of the results of the last strategic plan, the one that has been carried out over the last few years?

Iñaki Calvo. - Our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan had a good impact on the sector: it brought about an increase in collaboration between partners while also having a positive impact on the innovation that was being developed in the companies in the cluster. However, shortly after its entry into force, the pandemic appeared; the conflict in Ukraine and a whole series of imponderables that made us decide to draw up another plan before finishing the one we had in force, as the real situation was far from what we could have imagined before the pandemic.

AR.- What are the keys to the new strategic plan that you have developed and which runs until 2025?

I.C.- We have been working on the Strategic Plan during the second half of 2022 and we presented it publicly in March 2023. The main objective is to promote cooperation between the different agents of the sustainable mobility ecosystem in Cantabria in order to obtain a higher level of competitiveness of the whole, acting as interlocutor and coordinator in front of third parties, for the general defence of the interests of our partners.

Our plan is organised around six strategic lines: positioning and image of the sector (to promote a new image of the automotive sector in the region of Cantabria oriented towards sustainability and new technologies); mobility solutions Cantabria (transformation of GIRA into a cluster that encompasses the whole mobility ecosystem in Cantabria); increase in competitiveness (to reinforce the added value of the services/products offered by the associates, with special attention to SMEs, and their commitment to sustainability. Sharing knowledge inside and outside the cluster); retaining and improving talent (improving the training of the agents of the sector in order to get more prepared workers. Offer attractive job opportunities in order to retain talent in the region of Cantabria); innovation ecosystem (promote the implementation of innovative actions among cluster partners. Commitment to R&D&I projects from the earliest stages until they are launched on the market); excellent cluster (achieving excellence in GIRA's activity and turning the cluster into a digital and efficient entity).

Within each of the strategic lines, GIRA develops actions aimed at strengthening the innovative potential and competitiveness of member companies. Among them, we highlight those related to increasing the competitiveness of the associates, which involve the cluster promoting collaborative projects prioritising four areas of impact: digitisation, sustainability, mobility and cybersecurity.

AR.- What are the dynamics of cooperation, cohesion and synergy that are currently taking place between the companies in the cluster?

I.C.- The cluster companies are currently working in four commissions: Human Resources, Industry 4.0, Circular Economy and Mobility. In all of them, needs and shortcomings are identified in each area, and studies are carried out and/or pilot projects are proposed. There are also frequent presentations of Best Practices, especially related to Industry 4.0 and sustainability.

AR.- Do you see the possibility of increasing the number of cluster members on the horizon?

I.C.- Since its inception, GIRA has managed to position itself as a key player in the sector in the region of Cantabria thanks, in part, to the continuous incorporation of new members who bring great value to the cluster. 

GIRA currently has 34 members, with a percentage of SMEs of over 40%. GIRA's members represent 95% of the automotive sector in Cantabria, a percentage that coincides both in terms of employment and turnover.

However, we do see possibilities for expansion, as new competitors are coming into play in the cluster's evolution towards a new multidisciplinary mobility ecosystem, and connectivity, digitalisation and automation are playing an increasingly important role. Thus, GIRA now seeks to integrate all these new players in the new sustainable mobility.

AR.- What will be the focus for the future extension of the cluster to the concept of new mobility solutions?

I.C.- In addition to expanding the cluster to include new players in the mobility ecosystem, we are aware that our current partners are in the midst of a transformation process, facing new challenges and transforming their product lines and even their products to adapt to the automotive of the future.

Within GIRA's Mobility Committee, we are developing projects in this area, such as the use of UAS for inspection or goods transport, AIVs, employee mobility plans, charging points, Digital Twin and last mile vehicles.

For the development of these projects, among others, we need to incorporate new companies that provide the necessary know-how and complement our current partners. The approach is therefore project-based.

AR.- What recruitment and loyalty actions are you planning to carry out in Cantabria?

I.C.- As I mentioned in the previous point, we work through projects. Through them we manage to increase the positioning of the cluster as a benchmark for new mobility; expand new market niches, boost the cluster's relations with other agents in the Cantabrian ecosystem to identify and achieve the greatest possible number of synergies; identify real opportunities for improvement and collaboration between members and other agents of interest (such as other sectoral clusters), and increase the competitiveness of members by improving products and processes.

In addition to this, we also organise conferences to disseminate best practices among members with a greater impact; promote the identification of opportunities for collaboration among members and promote the development of R&D&I projects.

AR.- What benefits do you consider the cooperation frameworks with other automotive clusters and even with clusters in other specialities to have?

I.C.- We clusters like to say that by joining forces we multiply results. It is absolutely true, collaborating with other clusters increases capacity and reduces costs to achieve the same result. GIRA has a very good relationship with the other automotive clusters in Spain and within Cantabria we also have regular meetings of regional clusters.

AR.-  Please tell me about the keys to Safegu@rd, one of your most recent projects.

I.C.- SAFEGU@RD is a project that GIRA submitted to the AEI 2023 call for proposals. It is a research project that seeks to address the challenge of the lack of standards in industrial cybersecurity by conducting applied research involving actors from the entire value chain of the automotive sector. To this end, a case study is being carried out in companies belonging to this value chain, with the aim of diagnosing their current state of cybersecurity and identifying potential vulnerabilities in production systems and processes, enabling the establishment of manual policies and a master plan to improve cybersecurity in industrial companies and reduce the risks associated with possible cyber-attacks.

In addition to the diagnosis of potential sources of vulnerabilities, the project also envisages the development of a series of manuals and best practice policies, which will serve as a guide to improve cybersecurity in the entities under study (industrial and automotive). These manuals and policies will be drawn up on the basis of the recommendations made in the diagnosis and will aim to establish a series of measures and procedures to protect systems and data from possible cyber-attacks.

A master plan will also be designed to serve as a roadmap for the implementation of all the measures and procedures investigated. This master plan will be based on the recommendations of the vulnerability diagnosis and the identified good practices, and will be designed with the aim of ensuring the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed measures.

Finally, in a later phase of the project, some of the measures outlined in the master plan will be implemented. In this way, it will be possible to address the challenges identified and improve cybersecurity in the entities under study, reducing the risks associated with possible cyber-attacks and guaranteeing the protection of the systems and data of industrial companies, thanks to the research carried out.

For this case study, expert entities in cybersecurity will be involved, which will accompany the companies in the diagnostic process and in the identification of possible risks. 

In this way, it is hoped to have a complete vision of the cybersecurity situation in the automotive sector, which will enable the identification of best practices and the establishment of a framework of reference in industrial cybersecurity that will serve as a guide for other companies in the sector. The case study involves not only companies, but also other relevant actors in the automotive value chain, such as suppliers and customers, in order to analyse the interaction between them and their impact on information security and data privacy.

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Interview published in AutoRevista 2.386