SMEs, competitiveness at risk but quality remains high

The Pesaro furnishing district, one of the most important nationwide, especially for the production of kitchens, with over 700 operating companies and 7 thousand employees in production, components and related services, is in danger of losing competitiveness. What represented its main strength, its strong vocation for internationalisation, which in 2025 was worth half of its 700 million turnover, is marking time: the downturn is significant (-7.5% in 2025, equal to a value of 310 million), because it is affected by the geopolitical tensions that are lingering, it is accompanied by the negative cycle of the real estate market in several European countries and is fuelled by fragmentation and a general small size of companies (67% with less than ten employees). "We have to face a complex and uncertain scenario," explains Lorena Fulgini, president of the Confindustria Marche Furniture Group and CEO of ArredoClassic, the family business. "As a system of companies, we are moving in a coordinated manner, together with Federlegno and the Marche Region, to build targeted industrial policy actions capable of strengthening the sector's international competitiveness.

The moment is also delicate for the neighbouring Forlì upholstered furniture district, after years of strong expansion. A vertical supply chain that branches out across the territory (supply distances are on average 89.6 km compared to the Italian average of over 110, ed.), strong with over 300 companies and almost 4 thousand employees: the big ones can count on a dense network of small and very small, but highly specialised, subcontracting companies that operate in countries such as the USA, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Resilience and innovation are the key words, which also pass through the activities of Cosmob in Pesaro, the technology centre specialised in the wood-furnishing sector, which accompanies companies towards production standards suitable for competing in European and global markets, promoting conformity, traceability and environmental responsibility.