Date:
3 October 2019
Statement by Marco Bonometti, President of Confindustria Lombardia
Cernobbio, 26/09/2019 - “For years, the World Manufacturing Forum has been a key fixture for manufacturing entrepreneurs from across the globe, who gather in Cernobbio to discuss digital technologies, future scenarios, value chains, and the circular economy for the benefit of citizens and regions.”
“Here at the World Manufacturing Forum, we have laid the foundations with the regions representing the Four Motors for Europe for a major project to strengthen and modernise the supply chain and industrial development. This must be driven by cross-sectoral projects involving large and small-to-medium enterprises, research centres, and universities across Europe. Together, we will place sustainability at the heart of our efforts through technological innovation, new business models, and the circular economy. Because we believe that a sensitive issue like the circular economy is more than just a slogan or a conference topic, we must strike the right balance between environmental concerns and business operations. Only then can we truly achieve a green economy without hypocrisy.”
“We must invest in human capital training for the 4.0 era, focusing on the skills that businesses need and which are currently often difficult to find. To address the challenges of innovation and automation, it is essential to rethink our training models by combining education, vocational training, and industry, bridging the gap between the public and private sectors.”
“The European automotive industry faces a triple challenge: responding to the global economic slowdown, keeping pace with technological innovations from the rest of the world, and meeting environmental sustainability requirements. Above all, however, it must overcome the consumer uncertainty triggered by these very challenges.”
“Concrete solutions can be proposed at various levels, including that of continental institutions, as the four major manufacturing regions need the European Union to be an ally, not an obstacle, in fierce international competition. Never has the manufacturing industry been more central to the European debate. Automotive companies cannot continue to face Eastern and Western markets while held back by regulations that, however well-intentioned, ultimately harm industry, growth, and employment.”
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