Robotics is one of the strategic levers for global industry, with a global market that is expected to double in value by 2030, reaching 200 billionItaly is Europe's second-largest robot producer with a 25% share. We also rank second in terms of installations and sixth globally in terms of exports, which will amount to $3 billion in 2024. Piedmont is at the centre of this scenario, hosting 28,6% of robotics companies and concentrating the largest share of turnover (48,7%) and employees (64,3%).
These are some of the main data from the report Robotics: Italy and Turin's strategic positioning of the Turin Industrial Union, which was presented during the event Industrial Intelligence: Turin Leads the Way in RoboticsThe afternoon of work was the occasion to launch a real action plan aimed at stakeholders and companies, for transform the competitive advantage inherited from the automotive industry in robotics into a built, aware and defensible advantage over timeThe plan aims to contribute to the definition of sectoral priorities and the validation of legislative proposals, supporting the launch of a dynamic network of heterogeneous actors, including SMEs, universities, research centers, businesses, startups, public institutions, and investors, who interact to foster the development, adoption, and scalability of robotic solutions.
Marco Gay: "Turin is Europe's third-largest city for investment."
Turin is the third-largest city in Europe, after Frankfurt and Munich, for investments in robotics. This means that a manufacturing system exists here that is capable of leading a trend that is set to grow further in the coming years. Turin has all the characteristics to lead this transformation: a great manufacturing tradition, companies capable of producing high-value machinery and services, a strong research ecosystem, the Polytechnic, and the University. We must be able to look to what's next. As the Turin Industrial Union, our goal is to combine these strengths. The city doesn't have a single vocation: we must bring together the various areas of excellence and build a common vision. Robotics is one of the crucial challenges we can play,” he stated. Marco Gay, president of the Turin Industrial Union.
The Turin Industrial Union's action plan
The action plan is structured around two priority areas: research and development; human capital trainingOn this last point, the path is promising: by 2028, 60% of member companies active in advanced robotics will have implemented at least one upskilling program for their technical staff, supported by the funds and tools made available. To accelerate research and development, the report advances several legislative proposals that complement existing tools such as tax credits, hyper-depreciation, and the Sabatini Law. Among these, the Turin Industrialists' Union relaunches what was proposed during the discussion of the 2026 Budget Law: the adoption of a "new" ACE (Aid to Economic Growth), exempting a portion of profits from taxation at a functional and increasing rate compared to profits allocated to investments consistent with the 4.0 or 5.0 paradigms. Furthermore, the proposal calls for the introduction of a mechanism for converting the R&D tax credit into direct cash (cash refund) for innovative startups and SMEs with insufficient tax capacity, with rigorous ex-post audits and the possibility of pre-certification of the project by a recognized body chosen from within the robust knowledge system comprising Turin universities, Industry 4.0 competence centers, and training programs in enabling technologies such as collaborative robotics, AMR, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence applied to manufacturing.
As with the public sector, the greater the commitment of the private sector, the higher the probability for Europe and Italy to secure an industrial future in robotics, in a sector in which over 55 billion dollars were invested globally in robotics startups between 2021 and 2025 through venture capitalAlternative finance, venture capital instruments, and operating leasing will allow the most promising startups to be lost to foreign ecosystems that are better capitalized and offer more generous incentives, while also enhancing the Turin and Piedmont supply chains, where industrial robot manufacturers are already among the few in Europe capable of competing on an international scale in mass production. Added to this is a a complex supply chain of system integrators and suppliers of specialized components, and a growing number of companies —including international companies—that have established robotics and advanced automation operations there. Specializations range from industrial robotics to cobots, from AMRs to aerospace and defense robotics, building on a foundation of expertise rooted in precision mechanics and electronics.
