Manufacturing: renewed confidence

According to the MECSPE Research Centre, there are encouraging signals from industry, thanks particularly to the boost from the Transition 5.0 Plan approved in January 2024, and inserted into the NRRP framework.
 

Data relating to the first quarter of 2024 gathered by the Mecspe Research Centre – set up by the event of the same name for the 2025 edition – show that 84% of entrepreneurs in the sector declare to be satisfied with the trend of their business thanks to a growth, albeit limited, in the order portfolio, and with a turnover which remains stable in the short-term. 76% of those interviewed express improved confidence in the reference market, despite there being no shortage of concerns for the current year, with reference, in particular, to the difficulties in recruiting personnel, international conflicts and the increase in the costs of raw materials.

Confidence in the ecological and digital transition. It’s a scenario that allows companies a certain amount of optimism. 67% expect growth in the next two years (the figure was 60% in the 2023 survey) thanks also to the hoped-for Transition 5.0 Plan and consequent digital and ecological investments. According to entrepreneurs, in fact, the expected advantages are growth in productivity for 59%, improved plant monitoring and control for 54%, improvement in technological instrumentation for 46% and work conditions for 33%. There are benefits deriving from the 4.0 state incentives and, therefore, also expected for 6.3 billion euros envisaged in the 5.0 Plan for the digital and energy transition for Italian enterprises, to which 26% of those entrepreneurs interviewed intend to make use of when there is the call for applications. Although more than a third (36%) of entrepreneurs have a positive opinion of the Plan’s proposals, there remains a feeling of uncertainty regarding the new measures.

Sustainability: a supply chain issue. The ecological transition is one of the pillars of the 5.0 Plan, besides a driver for the development and competitiveness of the sector. Although only 42% of companies consider themselves to be sufficiently sustainable, awareness of the criteria linked to ESG is growing and as many as 6 companies out of 10 have already integrated or are in the process of integrating them into the business strategy. Greater attention towards sustainability is measured looking at the choice of suppliers: while in the first quarter of 2023 only 16% of entrepreneurs considered the theme relevant in selection, in the same period in 2024 the figure has increased to 24%, showing that awareness is growing.

AI protagonist. The growth of digital in manufacturing is constant, with 7 companies out of 10 actives in medium-high digitalization paths. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a central element, increasingly familiar for over 63% of entrepreneurs (in 2023 the percentage was 59%), who declare themselves to be confident of its positive impact on the industry. The percentage of users or companies planning to introduce AI into industrial processes stands at 32%, while others are gathering information.