Industrial system
A highly specialised industrial system
Cutting across all the region’s production chains, the Emilia-Romagna mechanics industry develops process and product innovations that are essential for specific industrial fields. Strongly linked to the craft tradition, this is evident in local production vocations and the presence of some leading historical companies.
From Piacenza to Rimini, from food processing to automotive design and manufacturing, there are plenty of world-class examples of excellence in the region: food processing machinery in Parma; agricultural machines, automotive design and manufacturing, oil hydraulics and electro-medical equipment from Modena to Bologna; ceramic machinery in Sassuolo and Imola; food storage and cold-chain systems in Romagna and ship building in Ravenna and the other maritime provinces.
Research laboratories in the High-tech regional network are organised as part of the mechanics and materials thematic platform and specialized in strategic technological areas: design, prototyping and testing, processing and nano fabrication, development and characterization of new materials, surface treatments, fluid dynamics; noise and vibration; automation: control and
diagnostics, actuators; sensors.
For more information visit https://www.retealtatecnologia.it/en
The construction industry has been a key feature of the economy of Emilia-Romagna for decades; indeed, regional companies in this sector have become international leaders in product quality and design innovation and are at the cutting-edge of research into materials and production technologies. The Italian ceramics industry is concentrated in the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia – in particular in the municipality of Sassuolo – and boasts an annual production of over 600 million square metres, equal to approximately 13% of total world production and 43.3% of total EU production.
Motor industry
In the region that manufactures some of the most beautiful cars in the world, entrepreneurial spirit goes hand-in-hand with mechanics and the myth of speed.
For decades, the automotive industry has been one of the most important industrial sectors of the production system of Emilia-Romagna, both because of the success some of its products have had around the world and for its manufacturing importance on a national and international level. Brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Ducati are just the cream of a production chain that includes a huge number of brands, trade names and past successes that this area has achieved thanks to an ongoing commitment to creativity and the search for absolute perfection.
This is all thanks to the region’s long-standing experience in the field of engines and the skills and know-how present throughout the territory, capable of combining innovation and tradition.
Production chains in Emilia-Romagna include those sectors that, technologically-speaking, are particularly closely linked to the production of motor engines and constant research into new technological solutions.
In 2016, automotive industry exports from Emilia-Romagna amounted to 5.9 billion euro, equal to 10.7% of the region’s total manufacturing exports.
Regional exports amount to 15.9% of the Italian total: a very high figure that proves regional products are competitive on foreign markets and that specialisation in the motor industry is particularly strong.
The automotive district in Emilia-Romagna is based around a series of famous Original Equipment Manufacturers (Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, CNH, Lamborghini, Dallara, Pagani, Ducati, Toro Rosso),
capable of billing over 10 billion euro a year and 200 companies with a combined turnover of 2 billion euro and more than 13,000 employees.
The agrifood system
Sustainable agriculture: the food chain approach
The Region of Emilia-Romagna facilitates network agreements between economic operators in the food chain through production planning, fair payment terms, the dissemination of good practices and integrated or sustainable agriculture.
Examples of the food value chain approach:
- 100% of processed tomatoes from northern Italy is subject to an agreement that all production is integrated and a small amount is organic;
- 2/3 of Emilia-Romagna potatoes are subject to an agreement establishing the application of all sustainable IP standards;
- 1/3 of Emilia-Romagna durum wheat should apply, based on the agreement, all sustainable IP standards.
Sustainable agriculture: producers' organization (PO)
A significant part of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme focuses on the funding of integrated projects in the food value chain (filière approach).
- 21 POs in 2016, with a turnover of € 500 million;
- 13 vegetable products, turnover of € 227 million and 23,000 farms;
- 8 animal products, turnover of € 152 million and 721 farms;
- 5 IP (processed tomato, pork, pears, eggs) working in several regions.
For more information: Agricolture and food
Art and Craftmanship
The fashion production chain, divided into textiles-clothing, footwear and accessories, is based on the presence of a large number of very small companies either working for third parties or on niche productions, characterised by technical and manual skills of the highest quality.
At the same time, there are also some very well-known companies, belonging to world-famous designers, that have their own creation and design centres in Emilia-Romagna, as well as their production plants.
The Carpi district is the symbol of this sector; specialising in knitwear and clothing in general, it is the industry’s leading centre in Italy with 17,908 employees. Meanwhile, the cutting-edge of the footwear industry is based in Romagna, in particular in the San Mauro Pascoli area in the province of Forlì-Cesena, where companies employ around 4,488 workers.
The ability of some top companies to grow and export has, over time, led to the establishment of a wide range of local ancillary companies and the example they have set has increasingly been copied by new, dynamic small companies, resulting in exponential growth and local specialisation.
Trade fair system
The Emilia-Romagna trade fair system is a highly-attractive global hub for those who want to do business. It offers an extraordinary business platform, one of the most modern and advanced in Europe, with an impressive number of visitors and square metres of available exhibition space, hosting events of global importance for international exhibitors and operators.
The Emilia-Romagna trade fair system is an excellent business model, with a multiplier effect on exchange, development and opportunities at international level. Its calendar of trade fairs spans from the automotive to the building sector, from the biomedical to the food industry, from mechanical engineering to leisure and tourism and is packed with top global events that look beyond the present and even anticipate future scenarios.
The regional trade fair system of Emilia-Romagna is a single system divided according to sector, on the basis of a model spread over the territory that centres on the 3 main exhibition centres (out of a total of 9) of Bologna, Rimini and Parma.
The Emilia-Romagna trade fair system is one of the most international in Italy in terms of exhibitors and visitors and even organises events overseas (e.g. in China, United States, Japan and Russia).
- See more on Bologna Fiere, Rimini Fiera, Fiere di Parma