Entrepreneurs prioritize growth and cybersecurity, but human resource shortages persist.
The future? Creating a bridge between business and new generations.

The second edition of MECSPE Bari, the benchmark event for the manufacturing industry in central and southern Italy, opened today.

Bari, Nov. 23, 2023 – Data on manufacturing in 2023 show a multi-speed industry, with sectors related to the digital and energy transition—such as automotive, electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering—solid and more able to respond to difficult times than any other. The manufacturing sector confirms itself to be vital for the country, with a turnover at current prices that will exceed 1,170 billion at the end of the year and almost 451,500 active companies. 400 thousand hires are expected in the Nov.’23-Jan.’24 quarter (+6.4 percent compared to a year ago). Although the growth rate is slower and there are some difficulties to overcome, as many as seven out of 10 entrepreneurs consider their order book to be in line with the company goals, the turnover at the end of 2023 will remain stable or grow for nearly two-thirds of the sample, and most companies look to the future with a growth path over the next two years (70 percent).
In addition, investments are growing toward an increasingly sustainable and innovative industry model, youth-friendly and people-centered. Upcoming challenges? Along with digitization and sustainability, the ability to attract the younger generation will be one of the issues that the industrial system will have to address in the short term, in addition to the need to “network” to make companies more competitive internationally.

These are some of the insights that emerged during the opening event of MECSPE Bari, the flagship exhibition for the manufacturing industry organized by Senaf and scheduled until Nov. 25 at the Nuova Fiera del Levante with as many as 500 companies exhibiting. After the presentation of the MECSPE Observatory by Angelo Giuliana, General Manager of MediTech Competence Center, speakers included Gianna Elisa Berlingerio, Director of the Department of Economic Development of the Apulia Region; Antonio Decaro, Mayor of the Municipality of Bari; Manlio Guadagnuolo, Special Commissioner of the Government for the Adriatic Interregional SEZ Apulia-Molise; Daniela Vinci, Vice President of Federmeccanica with responsibility for the Promotion of Mechanics/Mechatronics in Southern Italy; Cesare De Palma, President of the Mechanics Section of Confindustria Bari-BAT; Mariangela Turchiarulo, Delegate of the Rector for the Placement Service and Institutional Communication of the Politecnico of Bari; Lucia Scattarelli, President of the ITS Foundation A. Cuccovillo; Gaetano Frulli, President of the Nuova Fiera del Levante; and Ivo Nardella, President of Senaf – Gruppo Tecniche Nuove.

What do entrepreneurs fear? According to the MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry in Q2 2023, as many as 53 percent of companies cited difficulty in finding human resources as the biggest obstacle. This element is also a major factor of concern for the future along with inflation, interest rates, and energy costs, although it is less scary than last quarter. It is precisely these fears that make entrepreneurs somewhat less satisfied and confident than in the past (33 percent are), but it is not a total rejection since the share of the totally “disgruntled” remains small (16 percent).

Growth, development, future. It is along these lines that MECSPE is moving to enhance the excellence of the manufacturing industry, starting precisely with the sectors driven by the digital and energy transition. In fact, this year’s core exhibition, titled “Energy Transition and Sustainability in the Manufacturing Industry”, will be the main area of the show to get up to speed on the challenges facing the entire manufacturing industry.

Where do businesses stand on the digitalization and sustainability front? There has been great progress on these issues in recent years, but there is still room for improvement. On the sustainability front, in fact, the level of awareness of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues is also growing among SMEs, reaching 46 percent of respondents (10 percentage points higher than in the same period last year), but to date only nearly four out of ten companies consider their business to be totally sustainable, 46 percent on average and 15 percent not at all. Again, this is not a complete rejection, but an “invitation” to do more.

Alongside the sustainable soul of enterprises, the level of digitization has also improved in recent years: Seven out of 10 entrepreneurs say they have experienced medium to high digital growth, and cybersecurity and collaborative robotics are two of the innovative technologies or processes they intend to introduce. Indeed, the issue of security is high on the agenda of entrepreneurs, as more than three in 10 businesses have experienced at least one cyber attack.

To accelerate the digital transformation journey, however, skilled resources and, above all, training are needed. On this, for half of the entrepreneurs, the skills of current staff are totally in line with the needs of the company. Many companies have already taken steps to ensure a quality skill set and have done so—or will do so—through refresher courses for existing staff (56 percent), by seeking out already trained resources (17 percent), and by targeting young people by entering into agreements with ITS, IFTS, and universities (21 percent). Higher Technical Institutes, such as ITS A. Cuccovillo in Bari, are in fact an important tool for companies to draw from and a unique bridge to bring young people closer to industry.

It is precisely in this path of continuous evolution that companies need reference points such as MECSPE, which for more than 20 years has been showing entrepreneurs solutions to improve production processes, the Competence Centers established by MISE, including MediTech, or the Digital Innovation Hubs, created to support companies on their path to digital transformation. And the results are beginning to show, although to date more awareness is needed about the many real benefits that Competence centers and DIHs can bring to businesses and the industry in general (48 percent are not aware of them).

The figures of MECSPE BARI 2023

20,000 sq m of exhibition area, 507 companies attending, more than 105 conferences and workshops, 11 special initiatives, 3 halls, and the Exhibition Core Energy “Transition and Industry 4.0: Sustainability in the Manufacturing Industry.” 16,243 professional visitors participated in the last edition (2019).

Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2023

59.845 visitors operating in the trade sector (+52 percent compared to 2022), 92.000 sq m of exhibition space, 2.034 participating companies, 2.000 sq m of the Exhibition Core “Energy Transition and Mobility of the Future”, 20 special initiatives.

For more information visit www.mecspebari.it

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