President of Federmeccanica in the years in which Enrico Letta and Matteo Renzi took turns at the helm of Palazzo Chigi, not without turbulence (plus a remnant of Paolo Gentiloni before the advent of the yellow-greens), today on the moves and political stability of a prime minister of the right Fabio Storchi He says: "Giorgia Meloni? Let her work, so we can then evaluate her work." With Maurizio Landini at the helm of Fiom – the same strong Emilian roots but, in their roles, one counterpart of the other – and together with Fim and Uilm he managed to sign the renewal of the national employment contract for metalworkers: it was November 2016, in the United States Donald Trump he had just triumphed over Hillary Clinton.
Entrepreneur, supporter of typical Italian cuisine (he owns the historic Villa Manfredini in Reggiolo which for years, before the 2012 earthquake, hosted the inn The Rigoletto) but, above all, pioneer of mechatronics (President Sergio Mattarella awarded him a Knighthood), on the state of health of the Italian industry Storchi underlines: “Encouraging signs come from exports, which are performing well despite the weakness of internal demand for two of the main outlet markets for Italy, namely Germany and France”. And on the destinies offormer Ilva: “The government should identify as soon as possible a group of entrepreneurs, possibly Italian, willing to revive its fortunes”.
Storichi, according to Bank of Italy we are in a phase of cyclical slowdown: Italy is growing "sluggishly" and an increase in GDP of less than 1 percent is expected this year. Furthermore, Europe is in a phase of chronic weakness. What moods do you perceive?
“The end of 2023 was weak for orders and the situation at the beginning of the year remains difficult, precisely due to the decrease in orders and the high cost of money. For now, the forecasts advise caution."
Bank interest rates are still high and discourage investment. Gloomy forecast?
“We hope that rates will begin to fall in the spring, after expectations for a decline already at the beginning of the year were proven wrong. Some forecasts give a first possible cut as early as March, but it is more likely that it will arrive in June, if not even in the second half of the year. The Fed should initiate the rate reduction."
China and Germany find themselves twins in the crisis (with China recording the weakest growth in thirty years in 2023). In the USA, where the presidential elections in November will hold sway, a soft landing is expected for 2024. What repercussions does all this have on our businesses?
“The Italian industry faces this situation having demonstrated resilience in the face of the significant decline in world trade and the effects of inflation at its peak, remaining competitive due to the continuous innovation of processes, products and also markets. Maintaining the performance level of recent years will certainly not be easy, because the international scenario is seeing an increase in conflicts and wars which also affect territories such as the nearby Middle East. Precisely in this quadrant, the attacks on ships in the Red Sea have caused transportation costs to skyrocket, more than doubling in just a few days."
Precisely. How do you get out of it?
“The Italian industry has the resources to overcome this contingency too. Some encouraging signs come from exports, which are performing well despite the weakness of domestic demand in two of Italy's main outlet markets, Germany and France".
The Bonomi era ends and in 2024 Confindustria is looking for a strong man. Among the candidates, three vice presidents and two new entries. What, and who, do you think Confindustria needs today?
“My role – I am in the arbitration – prevents me from responding on the merits but I hope and am sure that Confindustria will be able to express a presidency that is up to the situation”.
Immigration, Germany has signed an agreement with Kenya to manage staff shortages and make use of migratory flows. What do you think, can it be a model to follow in Italy too?
"Certainly. For some time we have underlined the need to open up to controlled immigration aimed at the needs of the national economy, recalling the example of Germany: in Emilia Romagna, for example, the emergency linked to the lack of manpower is evident. If solutions are not found, the tourism sector as well as various other activities such as tomato harvesting are at risk. We need to find a point of convergence between people's need to migrate and our economy's need for workers. Ensuring a scheduled flow of people corresponding to the needs of the different production sectors also means guaranteeing regularity and traceability of working relationships, thus removing oxygen from irregularity phenomena".
Ex Ilva, what solution would be desirable? Is the path of extraordinary administration with the administration of the company the right one?
“The government's decision to request admission of the company to the extraordinary administration procedure signifies the desire to save the Acciaierie d'Italia plants and to move towards a divorce from ArcelorMittal. Certainly, steel production is a strategic asset for the country, it is a commodity that cannot be done without and today Italy already imports 6 million tonnes a year. Every government action aimed at saving the Italian steel industry can only be viewed positively. The hope is that the government will identify as soon as possible an entrepreneur and/or a group of entrepreneurs, possibly Italian, willing to revive the fortunes of the former Ilva".
Some time ago she defined Berlusconi “a genius – in entrepreneurship as in politics – and a great charmer. A man who sometimes exceeded the limits, crashing." What would he say about Giorgia Meloni?
“Giorgia Meloni has built her leadership over the course of a now long political career, training in opposition and government positions, until she was the first woman to head the Italian executive. The numbers that brought her to that role objectively express a potential stability of the legislature, stability necessary to introduce the long-awaited reforms in our country".
Then?
“Let's let her work, so we can then evaluate her work”.
As president of Ucid Reggio Emilia (Christian Union of business leaders), today you call yourself a "missionary" of the civil economy: what does that mean? What are the values of the civil economy?
“It is a market economy that does not disdain profit but makes it fair, based on values such as fraternity, reciprocity and solidarity. A dimension of the New Economy where the Entrepreneur, in addition to pursuing profit, an indicator of corporate solidity and stability, has a social responsibility towards the growth and development of the community in which he operates, as well as respect for the environment and safeguarding creation. A New Economy in which the market is thought of as a place of mutual advantage, society as a place of human flourishing, which has as its aim the promotion of public happiness".
As the father of mechatronics, how do you look atArtificial intelligence?
“It is important to have the knowledge to use it well and to the best of its potential. In the industrial sector it will be able to improve the quality of work, giving the opportunity to be more productive and creative. There will have to be a collective commitment so that the benefits of this technological development reach everyone, and are not available only to a few or leave part of the workers and the community behind. As experts and operators agree, it is time to establish the rules to govern this new technology, to avoid its distorted use and ensure that AI is directed towards the common good".
But is Emilia-Romagna still the locomotive of Italian capitalism?
“It is certainly one of the locomotives and I hope it will be so in the coming years too”.
