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MAY 26.2014 TOP 100 IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS 26 THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE www.joc.com By Peter T. Leach A HUGE AUTO plant sprawls across an area equivalent to 400 soccer fields in the mid- dle of the rolling coastal mountains near the Port of Barcelona, Spain. The SEAT plant, which serves as the headquarters of Spain's only domestic automaker, makes four automobile models, three under SEAT brand names, and the Audi Q3, which is part of a family of cars produced by Volks- wagen. The latter acquired control of the Spanish automaker in 1986. Most of the plant's production is bound for export mar- kets in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Production grew more than 10 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2014 as European demand began to recover along with the economy. The SEAT plant in Mar- torell churns out nearly 400,000 cars a year, with 82 percent of production exported. The plant's just-in-time supply chain and inter- national distribution depend on a complex logistics network of road, rail and maritime links to the Port of Barcelona, 14 miles to the east, and to the rest of Europe, as well as to its domestic Spanish market. "We have a strategic location that offers good access to European and international markets," said Mario Rubert, manager of economy, enterprise and employment for the Barcelona City Council. "We have good access to Latin American and Asian markets through the port and the airport, and by rail to the rest of Europe." The Port of Barce- lona's two automobile terminals and their access to on-dock rail give it a leg up for it s g row t h i n imports and exports to and from the rest of Europe, as well as the Spanish mar - ket. Three trains a day shuttle back and forth from the SEAT plant to the port's auto terminals. More than a third of all Spanish exports funnel through Barcelona. The Barcelona City Council is leveraging the city's links with Asia to capture more of the Asia- Riding Shotgun in Barcelona With a distribution network that spans three continents, automobile logistics takes front seat in the Spanish port city "We have a strategic location that offers good access to European and international markets." BARCELONA