SPS Italia, spotlight on smart and sustainable industries
From artificial intelligence to the most brilliant start-ups, passing through cybersecurity, an analysis of big data and the importance of bridging the gender gap in the world of industrial technologies. These are just some of the main themes of SPS Italia, the trade fair that focuses on automation and digitalisation for an intelligent and sustainable industry, scheduled to take place in Parma from 13 to 15 May 2025.
The event, a point of reference for discovering enabling technologies for the factory and for discussion and exchange regarding the green and digital transformation of the manufacturing industry, returns this year confirming, according to forecasts, the numbers of the previous edition: around 800 exhibitors, distributed in 6 pavilions, are expected.
In more detail, pavilions 3, 5 and 6 will host the products and solutions of leading suppliers of components and systems for industrial automation, robotics, mechatronics, digital&software, smart manufacturing and Industry 5.0 technologies. Pavilions 4, 7 and 8, instead, will be dedicated to the Digital District, a dynamic exhibition itinerary with working demos and examples of Industrial IT & AI, Start-Up and Education examples. Here industrial software suppliers and major digital operators will be presenting their most technologically advanced solutions. Visitors will be able to meet leading companies specialised in software and systems for industry, cybersecurity, condition monitoring, big data analysis, blockchains, artificial intelligence, IIoT, industrial cloud systems and augmented reality.
Worth underlining is the central importance of the “Focus AI” space: the right place for exploring the potential of artificial intelligence in the industrial sector.
Continuous evolution
The new edition of SPS Italia – explains the CEO of Messe Frankfurt Italia, Donald Wich - presents many new features, which express the transformations in progress today. We are noticing the arrival of numerous new companies that will go towards extending the technological offer of the event, which has been a reference point for manufacturing innovation for thirteen years”.
Andrea Bianchi, chairman of ANIE Automazione, also focuses his attention on the future: “After a year which was decidedly under par, in 2025 the automation sector needs to exploit the momentum of expected growth, continue to handle multiple and unexpected demands and metabolise rapid changes in perspective. This year’s edition of SPS coincides with a complex international scenario and, on the domestic front, the repeatedly delayed departure of Transition Plan 5.0, both strong deterrents against investments and the setting-up of new projects. We hope, therefore, that the vivacity of our enterprises, also present at the Parma trade fair, and the technological dynamism that is enlivening the sector, can be a driving force of the market this year”.
SPS Italia On Tour
SPS Italia will be laying the groundwork in the remaining months before the event, aiming for visibility in the territory with the SPS Italia On Tour 2025 initiative. There are three stages of this journey through the world of innovation: Pescara, Treviso and Salerno. A technological and application focus is planned for each leg of the tour, defined in collaboration with the territory according to manufacturing needs and areas of excellence. At Pescara (20 February - Aurum, Sala D’Annunzio) the theme is “Piattaforme aperte, integrate e scalabili per una manifattura future-proof sicura, resiliente e flessibile” (Open, integrated and scalable platforms for a safe, future-proof. resilient and flexible manufacturing). At Treviso (11 March - Treviso-Belluno Chamber of Commerce) the theme is “Le tecnologie abilitanti per la fabbrica 5.0 intelligente e sostenibile” (Enabling technologies for the 5.0 intelligent and sustainable factory). Salerno, finally, will host on 9 April (at Zaha Hadid Maritime Station) an in-depth analysis of “Le condizioni per lo sviluppo della fabbrica umano-centrica” (Conditions for the development of the human-centred factory). The workshops will be an opportunity also for the national networks of technical high schools: the seminars are open to all students through LIMs, with the possibility of interacting directly with Industry operators.
Focus on training
SPS Italia has always dedicated attention and numerous initiatives to the training area, acting as an authentic bridge between school and industry. Starting from April 2025, Education on Tour will seek to facilitate dialogue between SPS Italia exhibitors and the academic world, the dissemination of professional opportunities in an industrial context for the new generations and matchmaking between technology suppliers and youngsters. The first event is on 2 April at the University of Siena.
Worth mentioning, finally, is the Position Paper, a project promoted by SPS Italia in collaboration with the trade fair’s Scientific Committee, composed of over 180 members from the manufacturing and academic worlds, who will provide Italian companies with useful guidelines for orienting themselves in the panorama of innovative technologies; the SPS Italia Up Challenge, dedicated to start-ups and innovative SMEs to develop and enhance creative and feasible ideas in a technological and applicative context; SHE SPS Italia is a community that collects and disseminates different stories of female mentorship in the field of industrial automation, highlighting opportunities linked to technologies and emerging professional figures.
All relevant information is available on the www.spsitalia.it website.
