La competitiveness of the Italian production system also depends on the capacity of the companies to evolve and adapt to an economic context that is increasingly oriented towards technology and the sustainability. More external managerial skills, openness to capital, investments in digitalisation and ecological transition are, according to Unioncamere, the main levers for supporting growth and strengthening companies' ability to compete in international markets. This approach is especially relevant for SMEs, in a country where the productive fabric remains strongly characterized by family businesses. This is what emerged during the hearing before the Tenth Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, as part of the investigation into GDP dynamics and the country's competitiveness.
More external managers, more investments in 4.0 technologies
The issue concerns a productive fabric composed of 82% family businesses. According to Unioncamere, theopening of governance External expertise can foster modernization: in family businesses led by external managers, investments in 4.0 technologies reach 38%, compared to 32% in those led by a family manager. Even the replacement generational It can accelerate transformation: companies with a strong presence of workers under 30 are 10% more likely to invest in digital and 8% more likely to invest in eco-innovation.
However, there remains a structural limitation.access to funding sources other than bank credit. In fact, 72,1% of Italian SMEs rely on bank loans, in addition to family capital, while instruments such as venture capital, private equity, bonds, and crowdfunding still have a marginal impact.
Yet, companies that are more open to external capital and alternative finance show a greater propensity for innovation: they are 18% more likely to invest in strategic technologies such as Big Data, Cloud, IoT, and artificial intelligence than the rest of the manufacturing industry.
Sustainability and innovation look to foreign markets
La sustainability meanwhile it confirms itself as a lever of competitiveness, also in terms of growth and internationalizationIn 2026, 42% of High-ESG companies expect revenue to increase, compared to 21% of others, while 25% expect employment to grow, compared to 10%.
The link with international openness is equally evident: High-ESG companies represent 25% of those active only in the domestic market, 41% of those with some international relations, and 61% of companies fully integrated into global value chains.
Green and digital are also increasingly going hand in hand. In the two-year period 2024-2025, 32% of the companies most attentive to environmental efficiency were already using theartificial intelligence to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
To support this transformation, Unioncamere proposes encouraging business aggregations, open capital, and the entry of managers into SMEs, along with automatic and simplified incentives. A particularly significant measure concerns bureaucracy: nearly 65% of companies cite it as a hindrance to their business.
