According to MECSPE Observatory, the percentage of entrepreneurs informed about the NRP (57%) and those who have benefited from the Skills Fund (41%) is growing.

The Italian economy is going on growing, as Istat data of the third 2022-quarter confirm, as they register +0.5% of the GDP.
Positive trend also for 66% of Italian manufacturing enterprises and suitable order portfolio for seven companies out of ten.
Manufacturing confirms to be the driving engine of the Country, even if in recent months the political instability and energy price rises have cast a veil of uncertainty on the Italian economic situation, putting industry and SME to hard test.
This emerges from MECSPE Observatory by Senaf about the 2022 II [1]-four-month period, which has investigated for years the manufacturing’s trend in Italy and its digital transition according to a vision 4.0.

Transition 4.0 Bonus: Main uses
Precisely concerning this, MISE communicates that the total of Transition bonuses 4.0 financed by NRRP amounts to 2.2 billion Euros, given to companies to pursue the target of the digital transformation, through the tax credit tool for the purchase of capital goods and the staff’s training.
According to MECSPE Observatory, the percentage of entrepreneurs informed about the NRRP (57%) and of those who have benefitted from the Competence Fund is growing (41%).
The main use destinations of investments in digital address cybersecurity (41%), collaborative robotics (25%), additive manufacturing (25%) and cloud computing (23%).
These and other central aspects for manufacturing enterprises’ digital development will be the issue of demonstrations, simulations and debate with the chain protagonists, during the next edition of MECSPE, the most important exhibition in Italy dedicated to manufacturing and technological innovation organized by Senaf, scheduled from 29th to 31st March 2023 at BolognaFiere.
The health state of manufacturing confirms to be good also for the second four-month period, then, but not protected against external risks. MECSPE Observatory reveals in fact that the cost rise of raw materials and energy has exerted a medium-high impact on productivity for 94% of enterprises.
A situation that has affected their confidence in general – dropped from 57% to 34% in one year – and in the sector (37%).
Therefore, it is not surprising that the rises of energy costs are the most serious concern for manufacturing entrepreneurs (49%), followed by the fear for the Russia-Ukraine war (18%), by the price rise and by the difficult provisioning of raw materials (10%) and finally by the political instability and by inflation (both by 5%).

mecspe observatory

The resilience of manufacturing companies

Despite the difficulties that hit all manufacturing fields in the Country, manufacturing enterprises are resilient and the general overview shows a sound industry that is going to grow: eight enterprises out of ten intend to undertake an expansion course in terms of sizes, production and internationalization.
The turnover of the second four-month period is stable, it grows by 53% versus the same period of last year and the forecasts for the yearend are positive for almost six companies out of ten.
Export is rising as well, and especially compared to the first four months, the number of enterprises that generate over 70% of their turnover abroad is rising (from 7% to 13% of the sample), prevailingly in EU countries, especially towards Germany and France, important manufacturing territories with which Italy is linked by a sound supply chain.
«An exhibition like MECSPE is a fundamental pole to favour innovative solutions for the sector and the dialogue among entrepreneurs, most of them still oriented to the growth and achieving good turnover results – comments Maruska Sabato, Project Manager of MECSPE – The energy crisis must not menace the great strides in innovation, training and sustainability that enterprises have made in recent years and to which they go on being committed, despite difficulties. In the countless education and information times of MECSPE the issue will be this one, too, with the target of offering food for thought and solutions.»

The role of the MECSPE exhibition

Therefore, the 21st edition of MECSPE will be the ideal place for the dialogue among industry players and to define possible solutions and new assets of the sector.
There will be many special initiatives scheduled, like networking conventions and events, to allow companies’ meeting and to outline the state-of-the-art towards new productivity goals, with focuses dedicated to sustainability, education and innovation, also due to the boost of NRRP funds.
The observatory reveals in fact that four out of ten sampled companies deem they are sustainable, and in particular, from the first to the second four-month period, the share of those that have chosen the way of renewables for the production of electric and thermal energy in their plants is rising (from 34% to 42%).

mecspe observatory

Investments in staff training

Positive figures also for training: over seven entrepreneurs out of ten have already trained, or are planning to engage, staff with suitable skills for performing the 4.0 transformation, and about 62% have partnerships with Universities and ITS in progress.
Moreover, contemporaneously with MECSPE METEF will be held, the international exhibition dedicated to the aluminium chain, a central field for the sustainable industrial production.
Finally, in 2023 MECSPE will double the meeting and it will be held also in Bari from 23rd to 25th November with “Focus Mediterraneo” at Nuova Fiera del Levante, an edition dedicated to the development of technologies 4.0 and a proposal increasingly focused on manufacturing processes’ sustainability and innovation.

[1] Methodological note: MECSPE Observatory was carried out by GRS Research and Strategy on a sample of 759 Italian companies operating in the Italian manufacturing industry, using CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) method.