Symrise launched its first global Data & AI Hub in Barcelona, Spain, on September 8, marking a milestone in the company's digitalization strategy. The hub is designed to develop data-driven solutions for Symrise's customer markets, including pet food, food, beverages, nutrition, fragrances, and personal and household care.
Twenty-five postgraduates joined a 12-month program that combines structured learning with hands-on experience to build the company's in-house data and AI capabilities.
Symrise selected Barcelona for its talent pool, academic institutions, and technology ecosystem. The city's connectivity and existing Symrise presence made it suitable for the initiative. The hub will design prototypes and develop scalable solutions for customers in competitive markets.
The facility will create digital solutions to help customers respond to consumer trends, optimize product development, and ensure supply chain resilience. The hub focuses on six business areas: finance, research and development, procurement, supply chain, consumer insights and sustainability.
"The #BCN Hub will become an inhouse center for innovation, collaboration and transformation at Symrise," says Eliza Millet, chief digital & information officer. "It will allow us to accelerate product development, strengthen strategic business planning and boost operational efficiency."
The program accepts graduates from computer science, physics and bioinformatics. Participants receive structured training with real-world projects and mentoring from digital transformation and analytics experts.
The company said the hub collaborates with Barcelona's innovation ecosystem, including partnerships with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Microsoft. Symrise plans community events and meetups within the technology sector.
The facility uses Symrise's existing technology platforms: the Atl@s Lakehouse built on Databricks for analytics, UiPath for process automation, and Mendix for application development. The combination enables prototyping and scaling of solutions across the value chain.
"Digitalization goes beyond advancing projects," said Nick Russel, chief transformation officer. "It opens new ways to approach challenges creatively and deliver value to our customers."
