Together with the digital transition, a sensitivity towards issues related to sustainability is emerging in the manufacturing industry, which no longer only concerns large companies, but also SMEs. To date, the level of knowledge of ESG criteria, for example, rises to 46% of the sample (+10 pp vs. II quad. ’22), while more than a third of entrepreneurs (35%) consider their company to be fairly or very green . The measurement of the carbon footprint to evaluate the environmental impact is also starting to be an element considered by managers, so much so that almost two out of ten companies regularly conduct analyzes of CO2 emissions or adopt measures to neutralize them.
The main critical issue is once again linked to the procurement of human resources, a gap that requires consequent choices. On the one hand (the main one) training internal staff (58%); on the other, turning externally by making agreements with ITS, IFTS and universities (21%) to involve young people or hiring new already trained staff (17%).
In addition to human resources, companies need economic resources to grow, and incentives play an important role. According to the MECSPE Observatory, Industry 4.0 state incentives have been used by 54% of companies, although for many they are important for innovation but not sufficient. Looking at the incentives that companies will request in the coming months, the most popular are the capital goods tax credit for digital transformation and the training 4.0 credit.
Themes that will also be at the center of the two next Mecspe trade fairs, in Bari (23-25 November) and Bologna (6-8 March 2024).
«This observatory – explains Maruska Sabato, Project manager of Mecspe – was born more than ten years ago to tell the evolution of companies on some strategic themes such as innovation, sustainability and training. Today’s photography is certainly different than that of a few years ago and tells us about an industry that is not only innovative but also more human, attentive to the environment and people. Mecspe, with its events that alternate between Bari and Bologna, has the task of enhancing all these aspects, guiding entrepreneurs on a path that embraces technologies, virtuous practices, demonstrations and networking moments”.