The first real meeting of 19 between the metalworkers' unions and Minister Urso al Minit took place on Monday 2023 June. “We recognize that the debate on the industrial policy of the sector has been taken up again – comments Massimiliano Nobis, secretary at the national Fim Cisl – and for the first time the household appliances sector among the strategic manufacturing sectors. Without significant interventions too many supply chains and jobs at risk. But what is needed is support for investments to protect the supply chain, to strengthen industrial processes, districts and that is, all the potential that is still present in the sector. It is the made in Italy of the house, of the design that must be supported. Electrolux he is doing it, he confirmed the commitments to continue ”. L'technical meeting specific on the Electrolux case which was to be held yesterday, Tuesday 20 June, in the Parlamentino hall of the Ministry, was probably postponed to the first week of July. And Haier is also summoned. The news that we had anticipated about the Ministry's intention to enforce, as happened for the Pirelli, Golden power towards theprospective purchaser of Electrolux to save not so much the Swedish big company, but manufacturing, research, i.e. the value of the Italian factories, it was picked up by the Italian and international press but it aroused the perplexities of the experts. In fact, the government's declaration of intent has remained the same, there are no in-depth studies, no opinions have been requested from competent experts and specialists. The minister again assured the sindacati that Electrolux, with whose top management it is allegedly in contact, has denied its intention to sell…
Does the Blinken-Xi Jinping meeting change anything?
Oh yes, it changes and it will change. The mini-thaw between the Usa , China, has various reasons, including the fact that China manages the gigantic supply chain as it wishes, which supplies the American industrial structure, its big consumer market and the gigantic retail chains with immense quantities of consumer goods, goods instrumental and above all strategic components. And today this supply chain has absolutely not reached pre-Covid levels, creating traffic jams, heavy shortages, record inefficiencies in logistics. Then there is the complicated matter of chip, because as we predicted, Taiwan's mega "fab" - with the clear support of the West and above all the Americans - which had to be built in these three years (since Covid) has dissolved. While China (as far as we know) is becoming almost independent. Today, the chip market has almost collapsed, putting the other – or supposed – pretender of the Swedish jewel in difficulty, the Samsung which, as world No. 1 in the TV market, is currently coming to terms with the decline in sales which in the first quarter was - globally - by 24,3 per cent, while the expected recovery in the second quarter it has not occurred and indeed the fall continues”. What does all this mean? That the US government would no longer appear to be opposed to Chinese M&A movements in Europe, not even in America. And that Samsung is probably no longer the preferred alternative to Midea.
Golden Power, the Chinese react
If a giant like Midea, and like the other Chinese, has decided to expand with important acquisitions, the affaire Kuka – the German big name in robotics acquired by Midea – teaches that they succeed. No Golden power of the German government, no opposition from politicians, banks, trade unions and the government could prevent it and today Kuka has become a pillar of the industrial (and military) expansion of Midea, ie China. atopposition from Germany a series of very confidential notices was given: “Germany is the first exporting country to China…”. As for Italy, at the moment the purchasing power of the Chinese, from tourism to food, from mechanics to the Italian fashion system and home system, is growing enormously. And the first warnings have already started discreetly.
Another very high risk sector
One of the great potentials of our country is the attraction that the entire food-related system exercises more and more and one of the pillars is constituted by production and by the ' export of cooking appliances and hoods. Smeg, Bertazzoni, the hobs and ovens Electrolux manufactured in Forlì (ex Becchi, a jewel, thanks to Electrolux investments), Indesit and Whirlpool (manufactured in Melano ex Merloni) Elica, Franke (Swiss company but all the hobs and ovens are made in Italy), Faber (Franke, all in Italy), Falmec, Fabita, Foster, Fulgor, Meneghetti (over 1 million appliances a year, a giant of subcontractors), Baraldi, Barazza, Jokodomus and others. And finally other jewels such as the Venetian Lofra acquired after closing from a foreign group and which exports absolutely everything to the USA and Verona, another kitchen manufacturer that does not sell anything in Italy.
All are strong exporters (between 70 and 90%) thanks to and in the name of Design and Italian eco-friendly innovations. And behind the cooking districts (in Emilia, Veneto, Marche) there are hundreds and hundreds of SMEs that supply components, finishes and services. Few components are needed to manufacture a fridge, to create large Italian kitchens, highly coveted in world markets and above all in the USA, built with inimitable artisanal and industrial technologies, almost a hundred components and processes are needed and no one can do it as it is done in Italy. But a tornado is changing everything: the switch from cooking to gas to that a induction where the components are very few and manufactured by a duopoly, made up of two giants, one is German and one is French. As this epochal step in cooking takes place, many SMEs in the districts have closed, are closing and will close. The companies we have mentioned still resist thanks to the adaptation to induction but when they no longer have innovative districts behind them, what will happen? Design is not enough, here a true Golden Power must invest and support the districts by making the Made in Italy because these years are particularly favorable to what is invented, designed and sold by our country.
