Nearly 7 out of 10 entrepreneurs expect to grow within 2 years.

Encouraging signs for the industry as it looks ahead to the upcoming grounding of the Transition 5.0 Plan, which will enable companies to develop new investments in innovation and sustainability.

The focus on sustainability is also expanding as more companies are integrating ESG criteria into their strategy, and select suppliers according to their environmental impact (+5%).

MECSPE returns to Bologna from March 5–7, 2025, to support businesses as they make the shift to a digital and ecological economy.

Milan, July 10, 2024 – The year 2024 opens with encouraging signs for manufacturing, showing a clear desire for growth and innovation, thanks in part to NRRP measures. The MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry for Q1 2024[1] highlights several positive aspects for entrepreneurs in the sector: 84 percent of them, in fact, say they are moderately or very satisfied with their company’s performance. The order book figure is growing, albeit moderately, and is adequate for as many as two-thirds of entrepreneurs, while turnover remains stable in the short term. Furthermore, even though there are still worries about 2024 due to issues including growing raw material costs, international conflicts, and difficulty finding human resources, 76% of respondents said they are more confident in their target market.

Against this backdrop, companies are looking to the future with renewed optimism: 67 percent of them expect growth in the next two years, a significant increase from the 60 percent recorded in the last survey at the end of 2023. Businesses are undoubtedly anticipating the launch of the Transition 5.0 Plan, which will enable them to allocate additional funds for the ecological and digital transformation.

Innovation and sustainability, along with training, will also be the focus of the 23rd edition of MECSPE, the leading trade fair for the manufacturing industry, organized by Senaf, which will be held in Bologna, Italy, March 5–7, 2025, with a renewed program designed to better assist entrepreneurs in the digital and ecological transition of the industry. The fair, which for more than two decades has been a point of reference for innovations in the sector, returns to enliven the halls of BolognaFiere and offer the sector an opportunity for discussion and in-depth analysis of these issues, exploring the countless opportunities offered by Industry 5.0.

Investment and incentives for industry: awaiting approval of the Transition 5.0 Plan

Increased productivity (59 percent), increased monitoring and control of the production facility (54 percent), and improved technological equipment (46 percent) and working conditions (33 percent). These are the main benefits pointed out by those who have taken advantage of government 4.0 incentives in the past and who, precisely because of this, are looking closely at the new measures of the 5.0 Plan envisaged by MIMIT, which will allocate funds up to €6.3 billion for the digital and energy transition of Italian companies.

According to the Observatory’s findings, currently, 26 percent of entrepreneurs plan to apply for incentives, with a particular focus on investments in capital goods, both tangible and intangible, for the reduction of energy consumption (61 percent), with a view to decreasing their environmental impact for more sustainable processes.

However, despite the fact that more than one-third (36 percent) of entrepreneurs view the Plan’s proposals positively, there still remains a feeling of uncertainty about the new measures, and about 40 percent of respondents don’t take a position on them. Precisely in order to dispel any doubts and shed light on the topic, the next edition of MECSPE will give ample space to the subject through dedicated initiatives and institutional guests, in the hope that more and more entrepreneurs will understand the benefits derived from these investments.

Sustainability: attention also along the entire supply chain

The ecological transition is one of the pillars of Plan 5.0 and an imperative for the development and competitiveness of the industry. Although only 42 percent of companies currently consider themselves to be fairly or very sustainable, there is an increased awareness of ESG criteria: as many as 6 out of 10 companies have already integrated/are integrating them into their business strategy or plan to do so in the near future. An increase in attention to sustainability is measured on the criteria for selecting suppliers: while in Q1 2023, only 16 percent of entrepreneurs considered this relevant when selecting their partners, in the same period in 2024, the figure increases to 24 percent , demonstrating a gradually growing awareness that will increasingly find its way into the ecological transition.

Digitization and AI

Digital growth in manufacturing continues: as many as 7 out of 10 companies say they have had medium to high digital growth in recent years, another aspect on which MECSPE will shine a spotlight to support companies in accelerating the digitization process, which is crucial for the business fabric. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, without any doubt, one of the innovations that arouse the most interest among entrepreneurs and, according to the Observatory, is no longer scary: 63 percent of entrepreneurs are confident of the positive impact this technology will have on the industry, an increase compared to the same period last year (59 percent). In fact, the number of those who are already using or will soon introduce AI in industrial processes is growing (32 percent), while one-third of companies are inquiring about it.

The next edition of MECSPE will be held March 5–7, 2025, in conjunction with METEF.

Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2024

66,906 trade professional visitors, 92,000 square meters of exhibition space, 2,000 companies, 2,000 square meters of MECSPE LAB, – Spazio Innovazione, along with 18 special initiatives and 72 conferences.

MECSPE Exhibitions

Machines and Tools – Machine tools, Equipment, Tools and Design Software; Machines, Materials and Sheet Metal Working – Bending, Stamping, Cutting, Assembly, Welding, Materials and Software; Digital Factory – Industrial Informatics, IoT, Industrial Sensing, Cloud-manufacturing, Automatic Identification Technologies, Applications, Devices, Instrumentation and Intelligent Components for Process Interpretation and Interconnection; Logistics – Packaging, Handling, Material handling, Lean manufacturing, Warehouse management software, Supply chain management, Safety systems, PPE, Outsourcing; Mechanical Subcontracting – Precision mechanical processing, Metal carpentry, Mechanical construction, Fasteners, Foundries, Small parts, Wire processing, Contract industrial processing, Micromachining; Electronic subcontracting – Cem (contract electronics manufacturer), Wiring harnesses, Ems (electronics manufacturing service), PCB (printed circuit board manufacturers), Engineering and design offices; Eurostampi – Plastics, rubber and composites – Plastics, rubber and composites processing, Machines and plants, Auxiliary equipment, Innovative materials, Moulding, Extrusion, Packaging, Blowing, Moulds, Models, Standardized components for molds, Design, Simulation and design software, Micromachining; Additive Manufacturing – 3D printing, Rapid prototyping, Rapid Manufacturing, Systems and services for reverse engineering, Additive technology, Materials, Services, Hardware: 3D printers and scanners, accessories, Simulation and design software; Treatments and Finishes – Surface Treatment Plants, Furnaces, Electroplating, Chemical and Electronic Processes, Washing, Metallization, Enamelling, Galvanizing, Products and accessories for treatments, Heat Treatments, Painting; Non-Ferrous Materials and Alloys – Processing of non-ferrous materials (Aluminum, Titanium, Magnesium, Light Alloys), Die Castings, Foundries, Contract Industrial Processing, Technologies, Design, Engineering; Automation and Robotics – Automation and Robotics, Assembly, Mounting and Handling; Control and Quality – Certification and quality control, Metrology, Measuring instruments, Laboratory testing, Calibration, Analytical equipment, Vision; Power Drive – Mechanical power transmission devices, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Mechatronics, Motion control, Maintenance, Compressed air.

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[1] MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry conducted by GRS Research and Strategy on a sample of 1257 Italian manufacturing companies with CAWI methodology during June 2024.