European Union is focusing on growth and job to recover 350 million investments and 4 millions of jobs, lost because of the crisis. The global financial crisis underlined the importance of industry and real economy, in which manufacturing plays a crucial role. So European Commission is rethinking its agenda and urging Member States to recognize the central importance of industry for creating jobs, growth and competitiveness. Public institutions, experts in Economics and private entrepreneurs met in Milan at Manufacturing Renaissance conference to discuss the new challenges of European industry in a global contest.
Ambassador and designed commissioner for Industry and Enterpreneurship of European Commission Ferdinando Nelli Feroci pointed out the key actions of the new industrial strategy of European Union: “We are working on regulation to support competitiveness, credit access and training programs”. Regarding finance, COSME is the EU program for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) running from 2014 to 2020 with a planned budget of €2.3bn.
Manufacturing is very important voice in economy: 18% of European exports comes from manufacturing and 80% of European innovation and research comes from manufacturing. Manufacturing brings also high quality jobs and keeps strong the industrial part in GDP. Daniel Calleja Crespo, director general of Enterprise and Industry Directorate General, states: “European Commission proposes a strategy of re-industrialization in order to come out of the crisis and allocate €100 bn to improve productivity. Innovation has to be the key: making technological innovation to see manufacturing innovation is a priority area”. There is a link to be developed between technology and manufacturing: “The digital revolution has to be connected with traditional manufacturing, increasing investments in ICT” he said.
European Commission members seems to be agree also with the importance of human factor. Insittutiona and firms have to focus on education and training, rethinking the way people learn and work. “European Union will support programs that offer companies skilled workers in advanced manufacturing and will promote external education to facilitate the process from school to work” said Nelli Feroci.
Another key factor of manufacturing recovery is promoting partnership among European institutions and international organizations. In this contest the alliance signed by Italy and USA aims at relaunch an innovative, sustainable and inclusive manufacturing industry. Aster, the Consortium for Innovation and Technology Transfer in Emilia-Romagna, and Manufacturing Renaissance, independent no-profit organization in Chicago committed to an American manufacturing renaissance, have just signed a partnership, named “Global Manufacturing Renaissance Alliance”, to relaunch at global level a “sustainable” economic-industrial development. The “Global Manufacturing Renaissance Alliance” aims to promote socially inclusive, sustainable production models that encompass the internationalization of applied research and development, innovation and the competitiveness of enterprises on the basis of highly skilled workforce. The partnership also aims to boost the potential of SMEs, helping them to equip themselves with everything needed to efficiently compete in the market. It is needed an industrial revolution, taking advantage of all the factors that can lead to the success of this process: technological innovation, digitization, training of human capital and research of new tools for financing.