The future of aerospace in Piedmont: a conference at the Energy Center of the Polytechnic of Turin

TURIN. An ever closer collaboration between large companies and SMEs. This is the central theme of the conference-debate that was held this morning at the Energy Center of the Politecnico, and which was chosen by the A&T International Fair in Turin as the main topic of the second of the meetings leading up to the next edition of the event dedicated to innovation. , technologies, reliability and 4.0 skills, scheduled from 6 to 8 April at the Lingotto Oval. The scenario for the sector has changed. Change is underway, and Turin is not being caught unprepared. An example is demonstrated by the US private company “Axiom”, of Houston: less than ten years ago it started with 8 employees, all young graduates, engineers and researchers, and now a reality of 400 employees who are designing and building the new space station in Earth orbit, which will follow the current one which almost certainly, also given the critical international situation, will be discontinued sooner than expected, that is, in 6 or 7 years. And Thales Alenia Space participates in the program of the new private orbiting station, with the development and integration of two housing modules.
The numbers
The data is clear: aerospace represents a driving sector for the Italian economy and has assumed a central role in the investment and national and local development processes. To indicate its weight in relation to the growth indices, an example concerns the employed in the sector: recent analyzes indicate that for each new order acquired by companies operating in the aerospace sector, a need for an increase in employment of 4 new units arises. Piedmont plays a leading role with 350 SMEs, 15,000 employees, 5 billion in turnover and almost 970 million euros in exports, equal to 17% of the national total, mainly directed to the USA and Germany. Turin Chamber of Commerce, API, Unione Industriali Torino, Piedmont Aerospace District, Turin Polytechnic, CIM4.0, Region and City of Turin, this morning were all partners of an Institutional Discussion Table coordinated by A&T. The debate moderated by Fulvia Quagliotti, President of the Aerospace District of Piedmont, highlighted how the aerospace supply chain represents a particularly important element for the competitive development of our country.
“The highest rate of innovation”
“Aerospace is one of the supply chains that expresses the highest rate of innovation of our industrial system – declared Luciano Malgaroli, CEO of the A&T Fair – and also the testimonies collected today, clearly trace the path that SMEs must follow in order to maintain or acquire competitive positions. A challenge is that of digitalization and technological transformation that companies in every supply chain cannot lose in any way and to which the A&T Fair will be able to offer all the tools to better interpret and integrate the current and future 4.0 transition processes “. Andrea Romiti, CEO of APR and Fulvio Boscolo CEO of LMA, highlighted how one of the salient features of small and medium-sized companies, in general and more specifically as regards the aerospace supply chain, is represented by the ability of companies to be flexible and agile, conditions that make them strategic partners in the short as in the medium to long term. This industrial and entrepreneurial value must be preserved and encouraged also thanks to the extraordinary resources provided for by the PNRR, as highlighted by the representatives of Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space, Avio Aero, Mecaer and by the professor of the Polytechnic of Turin Marco Cantamessa, Delegate of the Rector for Evaluations Strategic and implementation of the Strategic Plan.