Click, first click. The manager of a small packaging company on the phone with the CEO of the confectionery giant: «This year you risk a Christmas without packaging of pralines. And I warn you, if you try to call another supplier it will be worse ». Click, second click. Gian Luca Rana, heir to the fresh pasta empire, standing in the courtyard of his factory in Moretta, between Turin and Cuneo: «I would like young people to come forward, here we build technicians and train people. There are at least one hundred free places and finding those who occupy them is increasingly difficult ».
The photographs of the great bounce all look alike, but each tells a different story. There is only one certainty: after the terrible months of the Covid emergency, the North West has raised its head and runs. He does it so quickly that now the priority is not to end up with zero stocks and without manpower. The numbers tell of a healthy territory. According to the latest data from Confindustria, in the first half of the year, Piedmontese companies saw their turnover increase by 26.7%, those in the Valle d’Aosta by 25.7%. Liguria is moving a little slower but still shows an increase of more than 23 percent. «Piedmont does better than the national average because it has a truly diversified fabric, from food to automotive to mechatronics: it doesn’t happen everywhere – says Marco Gay, president of the Regional Confindustria -. But there are 233,000 jobs requested by companies that cannot be found: an incredibly serious figure, also because it occurs at a time of restart where the othe goal is growth “. In the region that acts as a hare, the thrust comes from the Cuneo area. «The data has been growing for months, even above expectations – confirms the number one of industrialists Mauro Gola -. The moment is really favorable, there is a high utilization of the plants, low unemployment, exports and internal consumption are running ”.
Now the push is to get bigger, the mantra to consolidate. The new Iren led by former Anas number one Gianni Vittorio Armani, who has his heart (and strong partners) between Turin, Genoa and Emilia, has just scored a double blow within a week. First it was awarded the tender carried out by the Municipality of Grugliasco for the sale of 51% of the shares of Nove Spa, a company that provides the district heating service in the municipality of the Turin hinterland. Then he took over Bosch Energy and Building Solutions Italy Srl, a company active in the energy efficiency sector. A blitz, explains the CEO, to gain “greater relevance in the energy efficiency market which is one of the pillars of the NRP”. Nutkao, the pocket multinational of Canove di Govone, branches in North Carolina and Ghana, also made a decisive move. Nutella’s rival, one of the international leaders in the spreads sector, has got her hands on the Belgian Boerinneke, specialized in the production of spreads and chocolate. Almost at the same time, it added Antichi Sapori dell’Etna to its portfolio, raising its turnover bar to over 250 million euros. In agri-food, things change quickly. The historic Galup, a very long tradition in panettone, has surprisingly bought the Streglio from Domori. «An acquisition made with the desire to maintain a historic and important brand in the Piedmont area» says the president Giovanni Bernocco.
It’s not over. The Turin Industrial Holding (Hind) has recently acquired the majority of Gab, a Tuscan company from Calenzano specializing in the development, industrialization and production of leather bags and accessories for the major Italian and French high fashion brands. And it is no coincidence that the large law firms specialized in M&A – starting with Pavia and Ansaldo – are heading to the North West. Yet, even in the euphoria, there are those who ask to stay with their feet on the ground. “What just ended was the summer of the large-scale relaunch of services, therefore of tourism which in Liguria is now an asset on a par with industry – Giovanni Mondini, vice president of Erg, already at the helm of the Ligurian Confindustria, warned a few days ago. . Things are going well, there is liquidity and it does not seem to me that after the end of the blockade, there have been layoffs as many feared. This is not to say that they are all roses, but the reality is encouraging ». Yes, the work remains an unknown. “The recovery is there – reasons the general secretary of CISL Piemonte, Alessio Ferraris – but the new employees are inan overwhelming majority on a fixed-term basis, while the places lost during the pandemic are above all for an indefinite period ». Solutions? Alliances “of purpose with the Region to enter into the merits of the management of the NRP”, a treasure that is worth eighteen billion. The other huge question mark concerns consumption. In the banks there are 631.849 billion euros between deposits and postal savings. “The pace of purchases is slowing down” warn from Confcommercio. Autumn fairs and end-of-year shopping will be a test case. To go beyond the rebound, after businesses, it’s up to families.