Horizon Wood, investing in technology and human capital to grow the sector

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Having exhausted the long wave of building bonuses, the timber sector has experienced a complex 2024 and a 2025 in slight recovery. But for the year that is about to begin, the watchword is 'resilience', also thanks to the last part of the investments in the construction sector linked to the NRP. Shifting our gaze to the medium and long-term future, however, the prospects are better, thanks in particular to the green push. This is what emerged from the debate that took place in the fifth edition of "Orizzonte Legno", the annual event organised by the Unione Industriali Torino product group with the contribution of Banco Azzoaglio, Conlegno, Plack, Rilegno and Scm, which this year is entitled "Wood as a protagonist of the economy of the future".

"There is no doubt that there are signs of growth in our market, especially in certain sectors, but the basis of this growth is attributable to the actions of the companies, not just the sector. Those who have been far-sighted and therefore believed in development through targeted investments, with a strong push towards technology, are beginning to see the fruits of their labour. And it will also see them in the next few years," explains Davide Benedetto, President of the Wood Association, who emphasises the importance of the "push towards green", which inevitably "foresees and will foresee in the future the use of wood as a construction and finishing material". "Wood in itself constitutes a key raw material for this development, especially with the application of new technologies. It has characteristics that guarantee quality both at the energy level, at the seismic level, and at the durability level that other materials are unlikely to have," says Benedetto, highlighting how "it will be important to take advantage of this green push and the new standards that are moving in this direction".

In this context, companies in the sector must work on certain precise aspects in order to remain competitive: "I believe there are two very important focuses, in addition to good governance that must study them and put them into practice. The first concerns investment in technologically advanced production lines, i.e. new, increasingly technological machinery that reduces errors and can make companies competitive not only locally, but nationally and globally," the president emphasises. The second point concerns human capital: "people are the real engine of the company. We need qualified, motivated and trained personnel. We need personnel who are continuously trained to work on growth-relevant factors. If you consider human resources as the foundation of a company, you can really enhance them,' Benedetto explains. Today in Italy, from this point of view, 'there is great vitality', but there is still a lot of work to be done if one considers, in particular, the size of our companies. "A large company, if it has the will and the vision, can devote resources, time and growth projects in this direction. Smaller companies struggle a bit more because they have to find resources and time to devote and sometimes fall behind,' the president confesses. The Italian entrepreneurial fabric is mostly made up of small and medium-sized companies, so 'it will take a little longer, but something is moving and our task is precisely to help them in this formation and understanding of evolution,' says Benedetto.

And in the context of a continuous quest for innovation, artificial intelligence represents a key point, also for the wood industry. "The direct application of AI is not so pressing in our sector for the time being, but there is no doubt that it can affect many areas. Anything that fundamentally self-generates and improves processes with a elaboration and projection towards the future can be applied to forms of warehouse management, which are very important for us, to transport management, and to order management,' Davide Benedetto explains punctually, emphasising, however, the importance of proper training to 'make entrepreneurs understand the potential of this tool'.

Training therefore remains a fundamental pillar for the Woodworking Association: 'with Confindustria we push for local training but also at a national level with the relevant federations that can help the entire sector,' says the president. "We do a lot to create opportunities for our sector at the tables of competence, to grow our companies, both large and small, so that they can take advantage of these regulations that we have managed to bring forward. We are trying more and more, with the institutional and national bodies, to give reading keys to the changes in the sector and to involve the companies,' continues Benedetto, who emphasises how, compared to the past, the participation of companies has increased, 'probably because the new generations are more attentive to listening and learning,' he concludes.