Made in Italy tomorrow

Living Nature - Ph. Saverio Lombardi Vallauri

A conversation with Anna Roscio, Intesa Sanpaolo Business Executive Director Sales & Marketing, about the challenges and opportunities for the international development of the supply chain

The uniqueness of Made in Italy has always been a distinctive, strategic and competitive factor for companies. But how, in an increasingly globalized market, will this asset continue to be an advantage for the development of the design industry? During the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024, on Thursday 18 April at 4.30 p.m., as part of the cultural program “Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives” curated by Annalisa Rosso and hosted in Pavilion 14, the subject will be discussed at the Round Table entitled “The furniture industry, excellence of Made in Italy: strategic investments and competitive advantages for the international development of the supply chain”. The panel, curated by Intesa Sanpaolo, after presenting an overview of the situation in which the sector operates, will host the voices of companies and startups, and then provide ideas and resources to support the competitive advantages and international development of the supply chain.

salonemilano, anna roscio — Anna Roscio, Executive Director Sales & Marketing Imprese di Intesa Sanpaolo

Salone del Mobile enhances the value of Made in Italy and is an international showcase. How important is this factor for those who support its value, such as Intesa Sanpaolo?

The Salone is the supreme moment in the design and furniture sector, and Intesa Sanpaolo is confirmed for the eighth year as an institutional partner of the event. This is a crucial sector for the country's economy, to which we present solutions devoted to its specifics, with the aim of supporting the supply chain to improve its attractiveness. We have been collaborating with Federlegno Arredo for some time, and together we have launched various information sources for SMEs, with a view to spreading an increasing awareness of all the strands of the sustainable transition.

Intesa Sanpaolo will be present at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024 with a Round Table entitled “The furniture industry, excellence of Made in Italy: strategic investments and competitive advantages for the international development of the supply chain”.  What are the main instruments to support the international development of the furniture-design supply chain?

Again this year we will be present with our event to offer professionals a view of the coming challenges facing Made in Italy. These range from technological and digital repositioning to geographical and generational repositioning, in a medium-long term logic. During the talk, to be held on Thursday 18 April at 4.30 p.m. at the Arena Drafting Futures in Pavilion 14, in addition to an overview of the situation in which the sector is acting, we will engage in a dialogue with companies, designers and start-ups. The topics will cover innovation and tradition, paths for growth to be shared, and ideas and resources will be provided to support the competitive advantages and international development of the furniture chain.

Made in Italy, for the furniture and design sector, is synonymous with quality, innovation and beauty.  How important are foreign markets and exports for an Italian company in today's business strategies?

The international growth of furniture and design is due both to highly trained entrepreneurs that know how to explore international and emerging markets, and the very strongly characterized production districts, with large brands aiming at access to foreign markets, especially in the logic of the whole chain, with positive effects on the entire supply chain. In the three-year period 2020-2023, Intesa Sanpaolo played a significant role in supporting import/export flows, endorsing over 45,000 corporate clients in the internationalization and export processes with around €4 billion in loans. Through our service model with over 300 dedicated specialists abroad, and a network that sees us present in 40 countries and over 140 strategic territories worldwide, we support companies in the search for new outlets for internationalization.

What are the points on which Made in Italy needs to work to be competitive today?

Sustainability, digitalization and the search for new markets are the three strategic drivers for companies looking to the future, and they underpin our new investment program “Your Future is our Company”. With €120 billion of credit and solutions that assess existing incentives and the system of government guarantees and the PNRR as opportunities, we are committed to combining resources for investing and tax breaks, helping companies to reap these benefits. We want to support the recovery of investments as we believe that today there are extremely favorable conditions for our competitive positioning at the national and international level.

In an increasingly globalized world, should Made in Italy evolve or maintain and consolidate its uniqueness?

Made in Italy is based on a strong local and craft tradition, manufacturing districts and good specializations, developed on a unique system in the international scene, that of supply chains. However, this uniqueness must be supported with growth paths that leverage innovation and sustainability, otherwise we will lose competitiveness. As Intesa Sanpaolo, we are convinced that the PNRR and Transition 5.0 offer strong incentives to win this game. Our role is to consolidate the important international recovery of the Italian economy as a result of the policies and measures such as Industria 4.0. After the phases of the uncertain economic situation caused by rising inflation and interest rates, today could well be the right time to tackle the recovery and invest for the future of Made in Italy.

To what extent does sustainability represent an added value and a drive to be included in a brand's identity today?

It has been proven that those who invest in sustainability and technology achieve better results in terms of revenue growth and profitability and create jobs. The green and energy transformation, with a consequent reduction in environmental impacts, therefore have to become increasingly strategic elements within the design and furniture supply chain, making it a driving force for the spread of eco-sustainability, technology and digitalization and assuming an increasingly decisive role for the success of businesses and the impact they have on the local economy. In the last three years, we have disbursed almost €10 billion in loans to Italian SMEs for investments in sustainability.