Italian mechatronics ripe for the 5.0 transition

Even in times when orders for our manufacturing industry are shrinking, the mechatronics sector continues to send out good signals. One, for example, comes from Parma, where between 28 and 30 May the Sps Italia trade fair, which is somewhat of a showcase for the sector, was stormed by thousands of visitors. Those who wandered through the pavilions were able to make a comparison with a similar event in Germany, where there was a much more resigned air, due to the not brilliant economic situation of the 'locomotive of Europe'.

It is also emblematic that some important German groups, usually accustomed to looking down on us, openly declared during the Parma event that they are betting heavily on Italy for the near future. Our companies are indeed very good customers for developers of sensors, encoders, measurement and automation systems, but also actuators, controllers, devices and software to manage production and quality. These elements are necessary to create mechatronic products for the most technological industrial sectors, from automotive to aerospace, from agricultural machinery to packaging, from logistics and intralogistics to special machinery. The Italian ability to invent ingenious and innovative solutions is highly appreciated by the global market and generates a growing business even in times of reflection for other sectors.

And here we connect to another good sign of the health of our mechatronics industry. This is provided to us by the latest edition of the analysis conducted annually by the Antares economic research centre, a research facility linked to the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna. The director, Lorenzo Ciapetti, points out that the growth rate of Italian mechatronics exports in 2023 was 8%, which is an excellent performance, in line with the European average and higher than that of Germany.

According to the Antares analysis of joint-stock companies, the entire sector in Italy totals more than 32,700 companies, growing by 2.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Realities that employ 940 thousand people and generate 350 billion in turnover, even 16% more than in 2022. If we then consider all players in the supply chain, including first, second and third tier suppliers, craftsmen, partnerships and workshops, we arrive at the astonishing number of 50,593 companies that can rightly be defined as mechatronic.

Each year, from this huge pool, the companies considered most innovative are selected by a pool of experts from the Mechatronics Group of Unindustria Reggio Emilia and Nòva-Il Sole 24 Ore, as part of the Italian Mechatronics Award, which reaches its 18th edition in 2024. Davide Bezzecchi, Head of Research and Innovation at Unindustria Reggio Emilia, explains how the award "was created not only to highlight Italian companies that had already embarked on the road to mechatronics, but also to stimulate all those active in mechanics to introduce some intelligence and electronics into their products. Over time, the initiative has grown, has also valorised start-ups in the sector and collaboration with universities for research, right up to this year's edition, which focuses on the 5.0 transition. Mechatronics, like the rest of industry, must in fact be sustainable, people-centred and resilient, i.e. capable of operating even in times of crisis and complex international relations.