Ready Set Go! Indeed, when dealing with commercial activities abroad, it is better to say “Ready, steady, go!”. Italian companies with a turnover strongly characterized by export activities (taking as reference data those of the 2021 financial statements), can apply as 2023 export champions and win the right to bear the prestigious seal, a symbol of growth and promotion of made in Italy. The winners will also be given ample visibility in the media of the 24 Ore Group, online and on newsstands.
The announcement
The initiative of the Sole 24 Ore and the international research company Statista, in its second edition, includes a research and ranking of Italian companies that, in the various industrial sectors, stand out for their international activity. It is possible to participate in Campioni dell’export 2023 by registering by 23 September 2022 on the Statista website (www.statista.com/page/campioni-export). You can also download the questionnaire and send it (at this link: https://survey.statista-research.com/262716?lang=it). An email address has also been activated for information: [email protected]. Statista and Il Sole 24 Ore will invite almost 10 thousand Italian companies to participate in the tender, pre-selected on the basis of the analysis of its extensive databases. But any company in possession of the requisites can apply, without an invitation and without paying any fee. Italian companies with the 2021 turnover most strongly characterized by export activities, as a percentage of turnover, will be included in the ranking.
Who can participate
Participation in the initiative is free and transparent, like the other rankings that Il Sole 24 Ore and Statista have successfully created for years. Only companies with their registered office in Italy, with the requisites of integrity, which have no legal disputes or reputational damage can advance the candidacy. More specifically, to participate, companies must have a turnover of at least 1.5 million euros in 2021, have (as mentioned) their registered office in Italy, have been founded in 2019 or before this year, must have a hub production in Italy, produce and export physical products, have integrity requirements (and therefore not be in any of the conditions referred to in art. 80 of Legislative Decree 50/2016). The data will be verified and processed by a research team coordinated by Statista, based in Germany.
Why apply
«It is certainly a great success to be able to enter the ranking and therefore be recognized among the export champions in Italy – underlines Marco Paciocco, Team leader Italy of Statista’s research -. Furthermore, all participants who have declared their turnover data, regardless of their inclusion in the final ranking, will have the opportunity to receive, as a thank you for participating, a 2-week test account to the complete Statista database, with over 18 thousand sources and research “. Statista enjoys a great reputation among companies, especially for the Fastest growing companies ranking, published in Europe with the partnership of the Financial Times and in Italy with that of Il Sole 24 Ore (with the name of Leader of growth). Therefore, applying for these rankings is a unique opportunity to put your company in an international showcase, look for investors, wear a title that can be spent on corporate communication, convince new buyers to try their products.
The balance of the first edition
A large percentage of the companies included in the Export Champions ranking last year issued press releases and inserted the prestigious logo on the site and in its corporate communication. In the 2022 ranking, the average export rate value (calculated as the proportion of turnover from export activities on the total 2020 turnover) was about 70% and the last company in the ranking had a rate of 31.2%, exporting almost a third of its production. The international markets towards which the 2022 Export Champions operate the most are Germany, the United States, France. The awarded companies have their operational base mainly in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont, followed by Lazio, Puglia and Campania. “In general, the 2022 ranking reflected the trend in the world of exports from Italy: the production of machinery, therefore in general the engineering and industrial products sector, prevails among the sectors of activity; obviously there is no shortage of companies linked to the artisan excellence of our country: design, clothing, textiles “, explains Marco Paciocco. In first place is Ascot International, a Sicilian company unknown to the general public, which generates 99.34 % of its turnover (around twenty million). It produces generators and energy systems powered by diesel and natural gas or LPG as well as hybrid photovoltaic-diesel systems, built according to customer specifications. Bring made in Italy to the largest infrastructure projects, especially telecommunications, at an international level with innovative solutions. He works for Vodafone and other major telecommunications operators, from Africa to the Gulf countries. It is an SME from Gela (Caltanissetta), led by Michele Greca, who took the reins from his father Luigi. Founded in 1986, it exports to over 60 countries and prides itself on having all its production rigorously made in Italy. Among the leading companies in food exports, Rustichella d’Abruzzo, a very high quality pasta factory dedicated to foreign customers, and the Villa Massa di Sorrento limoncello, very present in particular in the United States, stand out. Among the other champions of growth there are some well-known names such as the mechanical company Pedrollo, Italcer (famous for the La Rondine ceramic brand), Texa, leader of suppliers for car repair shops, Arvedi Tubes, Eural Gnutti, Procos, Absolute Yachts, Italpizza . The central role of exports in the recovery Exports play a key role in the Italian economy, generating at least a quarter of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (half, according to some analyzes).