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COMMISSIONER’S LETTER
Coping with the Certainty of
Uncertain Times
Historic labor shortages. Broken supply chains. A relentless global pandemic. Despite these challenges, Italian manufacturing companies continue to thrive.
Most of us would agree that the last two years have been difficult, and that the path forward often seems uncertain. For instance, the world may have recovered from the worst of COVID-19, but the possibility of future variants
remains. With that is a global economy—which suffered severely in the face of pandemic-related shutdowns and their ensuing disrup- tion—that has only recently shown signs of recovery.
And yet, industry moves forward, just as it always has. Manufacturing companies in Italy and elsewhere continue to develop innovative products. Machine shops make ever-more accurate parts, textile producers crank out clothing by the cargo load, construction equipment becomes more powerful, and machinery of all kinds grows smarter and more interconnected. Uncertainty aside, it’s genuinely a great time to be in manufacturing.
Automation is a big part of this greatness; it will become even more so over the coming years as manufacturers fill the skills gap with intelligent, affordable, and easily implemented systems. For example, this issue of Machines Italia features an American cabinetmaker who’s enjoying better product quality and greater throughput thanks to Italian robots; and an Italian pasta maker assures the highest-quality food possible with vision-equipped control systems.
At the same time, Italian companies are ensuring that workers don’t get left behind in this increasingly automated world. A Prato Sesia-based packaging machinery manufacturer has begun modifying its training programs and leveraging advanced technology to bring its U.S. and Italian workers up to speed on new product lines. They’re also introducing employees to novel manufacturing methods like 3D printing; in one notable instance, doing so led to the Italian company’s acquisition by its equipment provider.
This issue of Machines Italia details how Italian companies are rising up with solutions
to complex global challenges, enabling their North American partners to excel.
This last example illustrates the importance of the not-so-new technology known as additive manufacturing. Here again, Italy is a serious player. Trade organizations and educational institutions alike have embraced 3D printing and are fervently working to spread its good word. In fact, those attending the trade fair 33.BI-MU in Milan this October will be pleasantly surprised to see a new exhibition, piùAd- ditive, which is sponsored by AITA (Italian Association of Additive Technologies) and will feature dozens of global industry leaders, many of them with Italian roots.
Automation and additive manufacturing are only part of the cure for uncertain times, however. Each is an integral component of the much larger movement known as Industry 4.0, which, together with its crucial counterpart—the Industrial Internet of Things—promises to take our world in entirely new and exciting directions.
As stated earlier, it’s a great time to be in manufacturing, and who better to help lead in this most essential of industries than Italy? As you’ll read about shortly, one contributor to this magazine referred to the country as “a center of excellence for the world” and that machinery for “everything from making pantyhose to filling pill bottles” is available there. That gentleman is Bill Damian, a lifelong resident of America’s heartland and the current vice president of Italian CNC machinery manufacturer Buffoli Transfer.
The 2022 Machines Italia magazine covers all this and more. Within its pages, you will read the story of a shoemaker who became a leading machinery dealer. You’ll learn about a spacecraft that failed soon after launch (and how 3D printing can prevent that unfortunate event), why smart tractors are the best tractors, and why the words “Made in Italy” are all that matter to many equipment buyers. As for future uncertainty, forget about it. All will be well, fellow manufacturers. Benvenuti!
Sincerely,
Marco Verna
Trade Commissioner—Chicago
Volume XIV | machinesitalia.org | 1-888-italtrade
Machines Italia
magazine
Coping with the Certainty of Uncertain Times
2
Volume XIV | www.machinesitalia.org