The MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry for Q1 2025 conducted by Senaf returns an overview of a sector in transition: solid in strategic vision, more careful about growth, and looking for real tools to address upcoming challenges.
Great reliance on AI
40% of companies have launched Artificial Intelligence projects, but only one in four applies them on an ongoing basis.
Artificial Intelligence, green transition and new skills: Italian manufacturing faces the challenges of the future. One in five companies has already used the 5.0 incentives, and over 45% plan to activate them within the year.
The year 2025 opens with encouraging signs for Italian manufacturing, which confirms a clear willingness to innovate, especially in the fields of digitalization, sustainability and skills strengthening.
In the first four months of 2025[1], 64 percent of companies report an increase in sales over the same period in the previous year, a figure that reflects a still favorable but less dynamic market growth environment. Employment also remains stable. The industry shows signs of resilience, but a cautious attitude about growth forecast prevails.
Ambitions for growth now appear more cautious than in the past, owing to a still uncertain economic scenario and pressure on costs and exports. In this environment, many companies are postponing or scaling back their expansion plans, moving toward more flexible financial models other than equity.
Transition 5.0: adoption stuck at 20 percent, but demand for clarity and funds grows
Despite widespread interest, as of early 2025 only one in five manufacturing companies has actually activated the Transition 5.0 Plan incentives, a share that has remained constant since 2024.
Among these companies, 20 percent considered the measures suitable or useful for their needs, while the remaining part did not take advantage of them because they were not suitable for their context, signaling untapped potential.
On the level of perceptions, one in two companies still express a positive opinion about the measures, although many companies highlight the need for increased funding. The inclination to invest remains alive: 46 percent of companies that have not yet done so plan to apply for incentives in 2025.
Artificial Intelligence: 7 out of 10 companies see it as an opportunity
Interest in Artificial Intelligence is growing, and the data confirms this: 73 percent of entrepreneurs express confidence in its positive impact on industry. AI is, in fact, increasingly perceived as an accelerator of innovation and a tool capable of simplifying and speeding up production processes.
40% of enterprises have already started applications in areas such as process supervision, customer service, planning or quality control, although only one in four has so far managed to integrate it continuously.
Overall, digitization is entering a more developed phase, with increasing investment in areas such as cybersecurity (33 percent), collaborative robotics (21 percent), and IoT and cloud technologies.
Sustainability increasingly integrated into business strategy
Compared with the same period last year, the number of companies that consider themselves as “green” increases by a few percentage points to 47 percent.
Among the most implemented tangible actions by companies are the adoption of energy-efficient LED systems and investment in renewable energy installations. Reuse of production waste is also on the rise, a clear sign of an increased focus on the circular economy.
Some more complex actions, such as reducing emissions and adopting green materials, are declining, held back by cost and lack of targeted incentives. But the striking figure is the strategic vision: more than 60 percent of companies have already integrated or intend to integrate ESG criteria into their governance.
Human capital: growing training and alliances with ITS
Companies are increasingly aware of the key role of skills in supporting innovation. Only 10 percent consider their workforce to be fully prepared to meet current challenges, while 42 percent rate it as adequate, while acknowledging wide room for improvement.
To bridge this gap, the most popular response is in-house training, adopted by 57 percent of companies, followed by agreements with ITS and universities (26 percent), confirming a growing commitment to continuing education and strengthening the link between schools and companies.
These issues will be the focus of MECSPE Bari, the next event to explore tangible solutions on human capital, waiting for the next edition of MECSPE Bologna where long-term strategies will be consolidated.
«The MECSPE 2025 Observatory depicts a manufacturing sector in the midst of transformation, determined to innovate even in an environment that requires more selective and strategic choices» Maruska Sabato, MECSPE project manager, says.
«Companies are showing a real interest in tools such as 5.0 incentives, but more clarity and operational accompaniment are needed to fully grasp their potential. At the same time, the focus on Artificial Intelligence and sustainable transition is growing, as well as the realization that skills are an essential asset to move forward. The next edition of MECSPE in Bari will be a concrete opportunity to turn these trends into actions: from applied technologies to help desks to shared training paths, we want to offer companies the tools to build a more digital, resilient and competitive industry.»
Meeting at MECSPE Bari 2025 and in Bologna 2026
From Nov. 27-29, 2025, the Fiera del Levante will host the third edition of MECSPE Bari, the leading exhibition for manufacturing innovation in Central and Southern Italy.
The program includes: 20.000 m² of exhibition space, 9 thematic halls, live demos and the Training Square 5.0, created with the ITS Academy Cuccovillo Foundation.
The opening event will host the full presentation of the results of the MECSPE National Observatory. Following this, the journey will continue in Bologna from March 4-6, 2026, with the national edition of MECSPE, a strategic meeting point for the whole Italian and European manufacturing supply chain.
The figures of MECSPE BARI 2023
15.000 professional trade visitors, 20,000 sq m of exhibition area, 511 companies attending, more than 150 conferences and workshops, 11 special initiatives, 3 halls, and the Exhibition Core “Transizione energetica e industria 4.0: sostenibilità nell’industria manifatturiera” (Transition and Industry 4.0: Sustainability in the Manufacturing Industry”).
Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2025
100.000 square meters of exhibition space, 66,573 professional visitors, more than 2,100 companies attending, more than 120 conferences, 13 trade shows, 17 special initiatives and 2,000 square meters of MECSPE LAB – Innovation Space.
[1] MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry conducted by GRS Research and Strategy on a sample of 664 Italian manufacturing companies through CAWI methodology during June 2025 and ordered by sector and size class according to ISTAT parameters.
