“Atelier Appliances Match It”, the international event organized by Senaf with ha factory and eldomtrade, was entirely dedicated to the world of components for household appliances and was created to promote the sharing of know-how and experiences between the Italian manufacturers and the global leader brands of the finished product. The ten sponsors (3P Engineering, CMI, Cosma Group, Elemaster, Inarca, Patelec, Sifim, Somipress, UL, Zoppas Industries) met with the main brands of the finished product industry in the prestigious MiCo location in Milan.
Ivo Nardella, President of the Tecniche Nuove Group, opened the meeting, followed by Massimo Moscati, Editorial Director of the Tecniche Nuove Appliance Division. The event began with the presentation of a research carried out by Noto Sondaggi which showed how the Italian companies – considered world-class excellences – evaluate with a certain optimism the current market situation and by a large majority (85%) declare themselves satisfied with the performance of their business. 41% of the companies have a positive perception of the current trend of the sector and even better is the sentiment towards the future: 44% expect a market growth of over 5% in the coming years and 46% expect a similar trend also for their company. Among the main “tools” to face the challenges posed by the market in the near future, 54% of the companies surveyed showed great attention to the digitalisation to be supported by acquiring more knowledge and earmarking increasing investments. Another need is to create a system to preserve the Italianness, perceived by most realities (62%) as an added value.
Also the proposal of the workshops was rich, opened by Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffé, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at SDA Bocconi School of Management, who highlighted how important the change is: “Today the whole industrial world is undergoing a profound transformation and therefore also the component sector for the appliances is confronted with changes dictated primarily by the evolution of increasingly smart and interconnected finished products, by the affirmation of servitization and production/commercial models based on economies of scale and therefore on the standardization rather than customization, as well as on a circular economic and consumption system. The challenges on the horizon are many and complex: the question that must be asked today concerns the ways that the sector of the components for the appliances, in particular the Italian one, must adopt to continue to be attractive and competitive, in a sustainable manner for the single companies”.
Besides, Giulio Salvadori, Director at the Internet of Things Observatory of the Polimi School of Management, spoke about the IoT. He highlighted the strong interest of the consumers for the smart products, but this was not followed by a correct communication by the players who haven’t given adequate space to the potentialities related to the home automation.
The next day the speeches were dedicated to the circular economy and design. One of the speaker was Francesco Zurlo, Vice-Dean of the Design Faculty of Milan Polytechnics, who spoke about the sustainability, a trend that involves various aspects at the design level: for example the products must be more easily disassembled and, if possible, made with a single material.
