'Quality car pipeline, but without volumes it does not last'

Turin expects industrial production data to be recessionary in the second quarter of the year, after the -0.2% recorded in the first quarter by Unioncamere Piemonte, due to the slowdown in production volumes at Stellantis in Mirafiori and the declines in trade and agriculture, which is reflected in engine production within the Iveco Group. In this context, the debate between those in favour and those against a possible investment by Asian groups in the auto sector "is useless and harmful," says Federico Bellono, secretary of the CGIL in Turin since last May, after leading the Fiom metalworkers. "In the world of industry, as well as in the trade union world, there is great concern. The year 2025 is a difficult year above all for the gradual exhaustion of social shock absorbers and this can only have an impact on employment,' adds Bellono.

There have been contacts and visits by Chinese players to the area in recent weeks, followed by visits to former industrial areas. It is difficult to predict whether and how there will be a follow-up. "I think that Stellantis can and must make investments in Turin, but that does not mean that someone else may arrive, although it does not help that politics are divided on this possibility. The real risk is that neither of them invests'.

Supporting Turin's industry at this stage, adds Bellono, 'is the fact that Turin has the highest concentration of the war industry in Italy, an anti-cyclical sector, destined to absorb public investment, as is also partly the case for the space sector. As for the automotive industry, Turin boasts a supply chain of excellence. 'It has to be said, however, that if there is no final manufacturer, the supply chain does not last, as some crises are proving'. One example is SFC Solutions in Ciriè, an industry active in the plastic and chemical moulding sector, with over 300 employees. 'In this matter, the willingness to invest or not of a multinational company weighs heavily,' Bellono explains, 'and the risk for our supply chains is that without the manufacturer's volumes, investment and production will move, whether to Eastern Europe or North Africa. The second aspect is the uncertainties surrounding the transition to electric power in the automotive sector. "The point is that that transition is coming anyway; just trying to gain time can be counterproductive for the companies themselves," points out Federico Bellono. We need commitment and support for the market and for the industry, emphasises Bellono, who adds: "You cannot protect the supply chain if you do not pose the problem of a final producer in Turin who will also make investments in production, and you cannot even defend it if you ask for the transition to be extended, because this is a short-lived action that increases the industry's delay in these technologies linked to the electrics".