Today is our last day in Spain. We spent the morning traveling across Madrid to get from Valencia to Barcelona. My classmates and I had to sprint to our 2nd train to make it in time but we did it and made it back safe and sound. This trip is the first trip where I’ve ridden trains. The views were gorgeous and the ride reels quite smooth. Once we arrived at the hotel, we put up our things and headed to the classroom to talk about the trip and upcoming assignment due dates. Everyone got to voice their thoughts, comments, and concerns. We then have 2 hours of free time to prepare for dinner. Our last group dinner was absolutely perfect. Not only was the food amazing but so was the company and environment. I am sad this trip has come to an end but I am so grateful for all the supply chain experience I’ve gained throughout this time. I am also grateful for my new study abroad family. We all got along great, and stayed together the duration of the trip. I am looking forward to seeing them around campus and potentially doing another study abroad in the near future.

The logistics of Day 12 were absolutely amazing. We had our visit to a logistics warehouse in the morning with lunch following right after then free time. For breakfast, I ate toast and fruit in the hotel lobby. We then loaded up in Taxis an headed to Raminatrans. Once we arrived, we were greeted by security to show identification and put on yellow safety vests. We then met our guide who has been working with the company for several years. Once we entered the warehouse, it became so important to remain cautious of your surroundings. Fork lifts were coming left and right at high speeds with heavy objects. It was quite interesting seeing how the factory organizes and stores product by category. The mopeds, washers, and tvs were on one side of the building while the fruit, juices, foods, etc are held on another side. All products go through the same process of being lifted, weighed, and loaded into the truck. One interesting thing I learned during the visit was that in Spain, only 42 tons worth of cargo maximum is allowed per truck container. America allows way heavier loads than that to be transported at a time. It makes me wonder how that effect their overall delivery efficiency and speed. Another interesting thing I learned about was the three levels of customer clearance. There’s green=cleared, yellow=flagged, and red=flagged; open container and check that the merchandise inside corresponds with the packing list. After the visit, our tour guide gave us his business card and backpacks. We then headed to lunch and then had free time. I used my free time to explore l’oceongraphic (a local aquarium) in Valencia. It was nice comparing the aquariums in the US to the one in Spain. I had an amazing experience with the staff and animals. After the aquarium, I went shopping and grabbed dinner with some class mates. Day 12 has been my favorite thus far.

*Today we took a chartered bus to go tour the port of  Valencia. The port was huge and I’m walkable so we rode the bus all around. Our guide did a short presentation before our tour and these are the notes I collected:

-28 Port Authorities

• Their subsidiaries

1. Sagunto
2. Gandia
3. Valencia

-Capacity of 4,000 cars

• Has about 30-60 quay cranes right now
• 1563: El Grau
• The Spanish Port System

-About 12-14 container comes in per day

-Turn around time: 24-48 hours

-Each port has its own program

• The Vessel Evolution

-Moving about 24,000 containers now, in 1950s it was only about 500-800

-Top 10 ports are located in China

-Top port in EU: Rotterdam (NL) in 2007, 2021, and 2022

-Top Spanish container port in 2021 was Valencia

• Intermodality

-Valencia is a shareholder of the dry ports

-60% of the containers in the Madrid area are operated through the Port of Valencia

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*after the visit we headed to lunch than the 7 of us headed to the airport for our weekend trip to I Ibiza.

We started off the day with breakfast at the hotel.

*After breakfast, we took public transportation to get to the

Port of València (valenciaport)

Here are a few notes I took during the lecture:

*46 spanish ports

*28 port authorities

*Some port authorities manage multiple ports

*98% of machinery is electric, 2% hydrogen

*75% of port traffic is container

*Valencia port is #27 in top world container port chart

*#1 Spanish container port

*Madrid is the dry port of Valencia

*More than 500 partners and 309+ projects completed

*Opentop is Valènciaport’s official innovation hub

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*After the lecture we went to lunch in the city. It was wonderful eating paella in the place it originated. It was served in a huge pan for us to all share and was so fulfilling.

*After lunch we had free time so I wondered around, got coffee, then headed back to the hotel to get some rest

*The day began bright and early

*We rushed to the train station and went through an extensive process to get on our train to Madrid.

*Upon arrival, we went through an additional security checkpoint and then caught another train from Madrid to Valencia.

*After settling into our hotel, we took local transit to our tour of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. The tour was nice! We got to see a lot of modernly designed buildings by the famous architect that put Valencia on the map and up’d their tourist levels. Which brings more money to the community.

*After the tour, we all met up for dinner at a local Italian spot in the middle of the city. Locals played music and children ran and played. It was such a beautiful environment and it gave a great cultural experience for the first day here. 

Day 6

*We started off the day by taking both a bus and underground train to get to the Port de Barcelona for our lecture and tour.

*In the lecture we discussed differentiating the offer of logistics specialization services. There’s warehousing then product services, distribution services, and aftermarket services.

*We also discussed the ports strategic axis plans that their objectives. One example is environmental sustainability(energy transition). The objectives include developing a new energy model, pollution deduction, and increasing inter-modality.

*After the lecture, we got on a nice boat to view and discuss the different aspects of the port. I saw several containers being loaded and unloaded. It was nice to see another port so I have something to compare to Charlestons!

*Then we all grabbed lunch together near the hotel, complements of the college. This included 5 appetizers, and entree of our selection, and a dessert of our selection.

*We then navigated our way to a logistics company named OPerinter.

*A partner of the company gave a wonderful lecture, educating us about what they do. I learned that:

*OPerinter was founded in 1983

*is a global logistics company

*Range of services offered are : maritime transport (door to door service for all loads),

Project cargo(extensive knowledge of large transport, service e-commerce,

*And they have 23 national offices

*After the lecture, the company provided us with sandwiches for an early dinner.

*My roommate and I then headed to the hotel to complete our daily assignments.

*Day three was brief but a nice experience 

*My classmates and I got a great workout in as we hiked steep hills to get to the famous Parc Güell. The architecture and marble in the park were gorgeous. It was a very wonderful breathtaking experience!

*After that I ventured off into the city.

*It was nice seeing local artists sing and dance in the streets and on the subways.

*I ended the night with dinner at a nice hidden restaurant with 4 of my peers. 

*Upon arriving back at the hotel, I prepared for a good night’s rest. Writing down plenty of plans for tomorrow.

*I awoke at 7am and headed downstairs for breakfast at the hotel. The staff was very welcoming and patient with my Spanish attempts.

*After sitting out on the balcony, I noticed how compact the housing across from us was. Barcelona really optimizes space in terms of apartments and condo structures. It kind of reminds me of the housing setup in Charleston(only slightly)

*After about 30 minutes of searching for the company we’re touring, we finally persevered!

*My Study abroad group arrived at a local Catalonian logistics company named “Estoko”

*Upon being here, I talked briefly with several logistics companies.

*Estoko is a very flexible/disposable warehouse supplier with 400+ active warehouses in Spain’s mainland

*The company’s owner was kind enough to talk with us about possible company expansion to other European countries and the efforts being made to help “green logistics”. The company prides itself on reducing CO2 emissions and avoiding unnecessary new logistics infrastructures.

*We later had lunch as a group which was great. 

*After lunch we explored the biggest market in Barcelona. This market was full of both locals and tourists.

*Lastly, we went to La Sagrada Família. The sacred church has been being built since the 1800s. Such a beautiful eye-opening experience as our guide Margo explained the religious meanings behind each sculpture!