Double Digit Growth for Italian Automation

The automation sector in Italy registered 13.5% growth with revenues up by 11.6%, within touching distance of the 5 billion mark in value. The Observatory of Italian industrial automation, with reporting by ANIE Automazione and presented at the SPS IPC Drives Italia fair, also shows the need to keep investing in training and professional specialization.

by Giorgia Stella

The news that the industrial automation sector for process and networks is in rude health will come as no great surprise to anyone in the know. However, not everyone was expecting such positive figures as those presented at the SPS fair, figures that underline excellent overall performance which can only partly be explained by the effects of the second year of the national industry 4.0 plan. Why don’t we take a closer look at the results? Two in particular catch the eye that help to form a global picture. Bearing in mind the technology and applications that ANIE Automazione – one of 14 associations belonging to the ANIE industrial confederation, numbering over 100 members – represents, the sector grew by 13.5% with revenues up by 11.6%, bringing total turnover close to €5bn (a new record high), surefire proof of dynamic industrial performance.

Maximizing opportunity offered by the 4th industrial revolution
“Today, professional requirements are changing with great speed, with increasingly complex skill sets being requested – the ANIE Automazione president, Fabrizio Scovenna said, in presenting the Italian observatory on industrial automation. This is why an ever more culturally open and digital skill based mindset is fundamental with scientific, specialized and technical training and knowledge reinforcing soft skills. The goal will be to maximize the opportunities the 4th industrial revolution presents through the development of new digital skills”.
According to the ANIE Automazione observatory, wireless factory solutions have grown by 29.5%, followed by industrial networking at 26% then Rfid systems for data traceability at 25% growth. Looking at export markets, industrial automation technology has reached annual increase of 6.8% and at European level, the biggest export markets (Germany, France and Spain) now represent 30% of all exports. While, among Non-European markets, exports to Asia stand at 20% (12% the Far East, 6% Middle East and 2% Central Asia).

Focus on 4.0 training
The focus of the ANIE Automazione observatory this year was on 4.0 training. The fourth industrial revolution is bringing with it radical transformation, including cultural aspects, across the workplace and requires virtuous training programs able to lead to the fluidity of skills that will guarantee smooth evolution, especially among SMEs. As work is shifted around the world, the Observatory confirms, employment will grow in countries where heavy investment in digital skills has been made and will drop in those countries which have not done enough to face the transformation in production. Italy has a substantial gap to make up: only 29% of the workforce possess high level digital skills, against an EU average of 37%. This is a divide that risks widening due to the low level of training taken up in Italy, only 8.3% of the workforce compared to the EU average of 10.8%. Another critical point – highlighted by the recent OECD report, Italian “Skills Strategy”, is specifically that Italy currently ranks highest among the G7 group for well qualified people carrying out highly routine work. This means that where good skill sets exist, they are not being used in the best way.