From 29 to 31 March 2016, a business mission dedicated to the machine tool and advanced manufacturing sector took place in Chicago, organised by Confindustria in collaboration with UCIMU-Sistemi per Produrre and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE).

Confindustria Lombardia supported Confindustria in engaging companies from the AFIL and AEROSPACE clusters.

The initiative was attended by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the Undersecretary for Constitutional Reforms and Parliamentary Relations, Ivan Scalfarotto.

The Italian delegation consisted of 40 companies, 2 technological clusters (national and Lombardy-based), 3 universities (LUISS, Politecnico di Milano, and the University of Turin), and the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, representing the business, academic, and scientific communities heavily committed to research and innovation.

The programme opened with a breakfast briefing for the Italian delegation, which Prime Minister Renzi attended to offer his greetings. This was followed by a seminar dedicated to mutual familiarisation between technological clusters in Italy and the United States, organised in collaboration with our Education and Innovation Area. This meeting provided an opportunity for the Italian and Lombardy clusters to illustrate the actions initiated at national and European levels regarding the "smart factory" and to compare them with those pursued by the Americans through presentations by the EDA (US Economic Development Administration, part of the US Department of Commerce) and Cook County (a Chicago-area county with 5.2 million inhabitants). In conclusion, an interesting opportunity emerged for both parties to lay the foundations for future collaborations on projects of common interest in Europe and North America.

Subsequently, the delegation visited the DMDII-Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute to learn about the activities of one of the first and most important centres of the NNMI (National Network for Manufacturing Innovation) project, launched by the Obama administration to revitalise the American manufacturing sector. The centre was inaugurated at the end of 2014, and thanks to an agreement with the Italian Trade Agency, Italian companies with US subsidiaries can participate in joint research projects. A productive networking lunch was also held there with 60 representatives from American organisations present at the institute or currently involved in collaborations.

The main event of the mission's programme, however, was the forum organised by UCIMU and ICE Chicago: “I³=Impact.Innovate.Integrate. Italian and US Discussion on Manufacturing trends”, held at the University of Chicago's Booth School. In addition to high-level institutional speeches, the event featured Marc Allen, President of Boeing International, and Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA. At the forum, which was structured with individual presentations and roundtable sessions, the Italian machine tool, robotics, and automation manufacturing industry was invited to demonstrate its ability to meet the needs of American demand, with particular reference to the aerospace and automotive sectors, before an audience consisting primarily of US user companies, institutions, and stakeholders.

The following day, a visit took place at the FORD Motor Company automotive assembly plant (40 minutes from Chicago), which has long applied Lean Production, structured primarily around just-in-time manufacturing.