Today begins the thirty-seventh edition of cersaie 2019 (https://www.cersaie.it), the International Ceramic Exhibition for Architecture and Furnishing, which will take place in Bologna Fiere until 27 September. On the very day of the inauguration, at the European auditorium of the Palazzo dei Congressi in Bologna, the conference will be held “Ceramics: healthy environments, between sustainable growth and trade wars”, which will see on stage alongside the president of Bologna, Gianpiero Calzolari, also the Minister of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli, the president of the Emilia Romagna Region Stefano Bonaccini, the president of Confindustria Vincenzo boccia, the editorialist of Repubblica Federico Rampini and the president of Confindustria Ceramica Giovanni Savorani. Will moderate the meeting the journalist Maria Latella. The commitment of the Italian ceramic industry to sustainability has led national productions to reach more advanced levels of the best available techniques (Best avaialble technique – BAT) also recognized internationally. Fundamental in this direction are the investments, that in a perspective of Industry 4.0 have been of beyond 2 billion euros in the last 4 years, and have allowed – with the consequent technological innovation – to make products available to customers around the world more and more performing and able to ensure a better health of the environment, superior to alternative materials. The results achieved have been recognized by the regional control authorities with which, in accordance with their roles, a close collaboration on the territory continues, which is a central element of Made in Italy.
Italian ceramics: lights and shadows
Italian ceramics holds the world leadership of exports in value with 85% of sales made abroad, with a turnover that exceeds 4 billion euros and that represents more than 1% of national exports. The ability of the Italian companies to compete on the international markets allows an employment of more than 25,000 direct employees and as many in the induced ones concentrated above all in the Emilia-Romagna district. The companies of the sector that participate in Cersaie in a context of increasing competitiveness of the international markets, with recessive shadows on the economies of many important Countries, require the institutions to provide reliable answers to the challenges facing them.
The demands of the section to the institutions
This has certainly not happened in the matter of infrastructures with delays in the realization of the necessary connections road, railway and harbour, and it is by now indispensable to start the yards. Even the cost of energy of Italian ceramic companies with their vocation to export can no longer bear undue and increasing charges not aligned with those of international competitors. Trade wars between the world’s biggest players create inevitable uncertainties on the markets and create a proliferation of tariff and non-tariff barriers, on which a strong European position is needed.