Antonio Affinita’s Speech at Confindustria Roadshow: “Italy for businesses, helping SME’s reach foreign markets”

Here is Antonio Affinita’s speech on southern export growth: a significant increase of 8.6% in 2017

One of the legs of the roadshow “Italia per le imprese, con le PMI verso i mercati esteri” (Italy for businesses, helping SME’s reach foreign markets) took place yesterday in Benevento.

The Roadshow is promoted and supported by the Ministry of Economic Development, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Ice-Agenzia together with Confindustria Benevento, the local partner of the initiative.

The venture aims to support companies that want to open to foreign markets and find new business opportunities. This leg took place in Benevento, where companies like SAPA are registering significant increases in their exports.

An opportunity that southern businesses have decided to take: “130 companies, based in Campania, Calabria and Puglia, already subscribed to the Roadshow” said Filippo Liverini, President of Confindustria Benevento.

April 12th has been just the tip of the iceberg. Another day of training will follow it, and it will take place at Confindustria Benevento before the summer, and free training for the 15 most deserving companies. Ice will develop such training as a separate custom project for each business.

Here are the opening words of the event by Antonio Affinita, Vice President of Confindustria Benevento and CEO of SAPA.

Antonio Affinita’s speech at Benevento Roadshow, sponsored by Confindustria

“The Roadshow represents a real opportunity to find businesses that want to grow, opening to foreign markets, and need support and consultancy services.

Looking at last year’s Q3, the exports of southern companies have registered an 8,6% growth in 2017, more substantial than what recorded by businesses based in the centre-north (+7,2%). Above all, this growth interests exports to BRICS and the Med area. Campania’s economic recovery has gone ahead in 2017, affecting manufacturing and services, especially those connected with tourism.

In 2017 the district of Benevento has registered – according to ICE data – a positive export increase trend of 2,4%. The increase is significant for some of the industries, such as metal products (+24,4) and pharmaceuticals (+87,6%), while the food industry, which is the largest export-wise, is stable”.

The research made for this leg of the Roadshow shows that the entrepreneurial fabric of the territory is mostly made of companies with less than 10 million in annual revenues. Only a small percentage of companies has between 10 and 30 million in yearly revenues.

Local companies need more help in order to sell their products abroad and overcome the obstacles posed by competition. This can only be achieved by internationalising.

Here is why events like the Roadshow exist. They are helping hundreds of companies to position abroad with the support of Confindustria profitably. It is a challenge that businesses looking to grow cannot miss.

SAPA accepted the challenge to export and work abroad, as shown with clients like Skoda Seat, and lately Porsche.

Another step forward is the participation in automotive’s “tradeshow of the future” IZB, that will take place in Germany from October 16 to 18, 2018. Companies specialised in car components will challenge themselves with innovation, introducing new technologies that will be in the cars of the future.

SAPA has decided to present the One-Shot® process, the “secret ingredient” that transforms car components in Superior Auto Parts Always, following the brave specialisation that the company has decided to undertake.

This event excites me a great deal, and if you are an engineer with a passion for innovation and research, you know what I mean.

Events like the Roadshow are there to help Italian companies with excellent products to emerge abroad.

Nowadays the world is ever more globalised, and Italian businesses cannot afford to stay behind.

Giovanni Affinita
Chief Sales Strategist and Board Member of SAPA