Rising cost of energy, difficulty in finding raw materials and shortage of semiconductors. These are the major critical issues that will remain on the table of Italian manufacturing in the coming months as well. According to the latest findings of Federmeccanica, in the third quarter of 2021, however, metalworking production continued to grow and pre-Covid levels were already exceeded by 2,5%, thanks to the recovery of domestic demand and exports. Furthermore, the unknowns related to the evolution of the pandemic and the restrictions on the movement of goods and people on a global scale remain on all forecasting scenarios. Federico Visentin, national president of Federmeccanica, reviews the lights and shadows of the national manufacturing economy exclusively for FIRSTonline.
President, what worries you the most about this beginning of the year?
«There are two major concerns that have been hovering over the economic recovery for almost a year: the cost of energy and the supply of raw materials. The very positive performances of some sectors, in terms of turnover, are influenced by these two factors. Only a part of the Italian metalworking supply chain has managed to reverse these increases on the final costs, others above all, in the components sector, have not managed to do so».
In 2021, however, Italy was the industrial locomotive of Europe, also putting Germany and France behind it.
“There is no doubt that the results have been positive. However, it will be necessary to carefully analyze the margins that have been managed to maintain within the individual production chains».
What do you ask the government on the energy issue?
«If on the side of raw materials all European countries have had the same difficulties, on energy in Europe there is a competitive differential to our disadvantage. France and Germany are implementing strong energy cost control policies, as confirmed by my own suppliers. There are not many levers on which to act, we ask the government to reduce the rates within its competence as much as possible. This is needed in the very short term, in the long run it is a question of putting a hand on the general infrastructure of national energy policy».
Are you not satisfied with the provisions of the budget law?
«This gap with the other European economies will play further against our competitiveness. In the immediate future, there are no alternatives to government policies to mitigate the energy cost".
From politics, as cyclically happens when there are important institutional appointments, comes the risk of a return to phases of instability. Will it be like this in the coming months as well?
«We do not perceive this risk of instability connected to the next institutional appointments among Federmeccanica associates. The image of a reliable and solidly guided government can also be seen in the impressions we gather abroad. There is a lot of faith in the fact that this government can well manage the transfer of PNRR funds from Europe to the real economy".
Is it only President Mario Draghi who is the guarantor of the PNRR?
«No one can doubt that a large part of the trust placed in Italy to govern well the resources that are arriving is also linked to the international authority of Mario Draghi. However, many question marks still remain on the PNRR regarding spending choices. For example, 1,8 billion are foreseen for the ITS, and this is excellent news for the world of education and business. But will they be spent on building new structures or on training, orientation and technologies?».
Should the contribution to the management of the PNNR be solely from politics?
«Absolutely not, for example it is also the responsibility of Federmeccanica to make concrete proposals. In our "Compete project”, presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Federmeccanica, there are many ideas that we believe could be useful. The Draghi government has built a context framework to drop European funds, the phase of detailed choices will come in the coming months ".
What is your position on the health measures to contain the virus?
«We have always had a clear position on the adoption of the Green Pass. We are starting to have impressive percentages of absences of workers infected with Covid. Obviously we worry first about people's health but there is the risk of very serious impacts also on the operations of companies. If we do not have the courage to stop the pandemic with all possible means, we will find ourselves in the coming weeks with hundreds of factories closed".
Are you therefore in favor of a tightening of the Green Pass?
“We have seen firsthand, in factories and offices, how divisive this topic is. Tensions have also arisen between workers so strong as to compromise the organization of work. We are in favor of the measures to strengthen the Green Pass, because the number of people who come to work with the tampon is still too high".
Above all in the Northeast, there are problems of shortage of workers in several sectors, not only of technicians but also of generic figures. Should we change the policy on migratory flows?
“The issue is of strategic importance. At this precise moment, we have focused more on the revision of active policies than on migration policies. There is an important collaboration between Federmeccanica and Umana to retrain the skills of the generic workforce that is expelled from sectors in crisis. Objectively, the ability to match skills on the labor market is greater in private selection agencies, this must be taken into account. And the ecological transition will enormously increase this need for the reconversion of workers within the various production sectors".
In what sense?
«The decisions taken by the European Union in the last year and a half, in terms of environmental policies and ecological transition, are destined to upset entire sectors of the economy. Some products will leave the market and new ones will enter that require professionalism that is not yet present enough».
Will the inflation dynamic lead to a season of wage increases?
«The metalworkers' contract signed on 5 February has provided for important recognition, also enhancing professionalism. In June of each year, the HICP inflation net of imported energy from the previous year is verified, and if this were to be higher than the agreed increases, there would be an adjustment. The model in our CCNL is well structured. However, there are many analysts who consider this inflationary flare temporary. In any case, it is a phenomenon that must be monitored carefully ».
