MECSPE 2018 designs the factory of the future

Italy of Industry 4.0 pushes the labour market, but companies struggle to find adequate staff: according to a study conducted by Confartigianato, between July and September of this year, businesses plan to recruit 117,560 staff with technology innovation-related degrees, of which 67,510 pertain to the mechanical sector but are experiencing difficulties finding specialised workers. 64% of potential recruits in the machine tool installation sector and 58% of numerical control machinery operators are “unavailable”. A gap between young people and businesses that MECSPE, the manufacturing sector 4.0 show promoted by Senaf (Parma Fairground, from 22 to 24 March, 2018), strives to close: in a context where businesses are seeking concrete and effective answers, MECSPE is a proven link between companies that have accepted the innovation challenge and the new talents ready to take risks. The event, at its 17th edition, continues its commitment in this direction, organising training sessions during the three days at Parma with companies, universities and associations, and itinerant events during the year to promote business culture in the most strategic territories which are joining the National Industry Plan 4.0. Precisely the “Digital Factory 4.0” will be one of the themes of the next edition of MECSPE: inside a single pavilion (Pav. 4) systems and innovations in digital integration will be introduced and discussed, helping design the industry of the future, a place where processes are more efficient, and where timing and costs are reduced. In order to increase the level of competitiveness of Italian companies, procedures and productions cannot be left out of the systematic use of digital platforms and the next edition of MECSPE, with its events focussing on the issues of the “fourth industrial revolution”, including collaborative robots, the internet of things and cloud manufacturing, will be the ideal opportunity to focus on the current state of affairs and the prospects of manufacturing industries in Italy. In addition to the upcoming spring show in Parma, MECSPE is organising a series of events, divided by reference industry, whereby the major players in the sector that make our country a global excellence, involving top level entrepreneurs, trade associations and institutions, can engage in a dialogue. The “MECSPE Laboratories – DIGITAL FACTORY, the Italian way for Industry 4.0” will focus on “Plastics and Automotive” (Modena, 9 October), “Aluminium, Titanium, Magnesium and General Mechanical Engineering” (Brescia, 13 November) Materials, Composites and Aerospace” (Naples, 5 February) and also represent an opportunity to accompany businesses through the process of digitisation launched by the 4.0 National Industry Plan 4.0. There will also be a concluding stage at MECSPE addressing the theme of the central role that man, with his uniqueness and prerogatives, must continue to maintain in a digitised world.