During its general assembly on 12 October, FederlegnoArredo‘s EdilegnoArredo organised a round table that brought together entrepreneurs from the building finishes sector to explore the theme of corporate identity and the supply chain as vehicles for better communicating Italian “know-how”. The meeting was attended by Francesco Zurlo, dean of the School of Design at the Milan Polytechnic; Demetrio Apolloni, Da Consulting; Daniele Lago, ceo and head of design at Lago; and Gilda Bojardi, editor of Interni.
The initiative is the result of the vision of the entire EdilegnoArredo President’s Council, starting with President Andrea Bazzichetto, to expand the association’s horizon beyond the confines of the building finishes sector, opening up to collaboration with leading figures in the world of design.
“The finishing sector is experiencing a moment of profound change, in a market that is increasingly oriented towards sustainability, both socially and environmentally, and open to the opportunities of foreign markets, particularly in the high-end segment,” explains EdilegnoArredo president Andrea Bazzichetto. “In this crucial context, the event offers the opportunity to draw on the knowledge and experience of design experts, contributing to the growth of our system. Traditionally, the finishing industry has placed more emphasis on the product itself rather than the buyer experience. However, the time has come to take a new perspective, focusing not only on identity, but also on the personality, both at product and business level, of companies and the supply chain. Today, more than ever, it is essential to tell the story of our sector and join forces to successfully navigate this period of change, starting with the search for the most authentic and profound production identity”.
THE FINISHING SECTOR
The trend in production turnover of the building finishes system shows a growth in value of 19.1 per cent in 2022, also thanks to the considerable increase in interventions facilitated by tax bonuses, for a total value of just over Euro 4.7 billion, as highlighted by the final data of the FederlegnoArredo Study Centre. The trend is driven by +19.5 per cent over 2021 in Italian sales and +15.1 per cent in exports. Exports will amount to a total of Euro 392 million in 2022. France remains the first foreign market (54 million euro) stable at -0.3 per cent, followed by Switzerland (39 million), which grew by 21.7 per cent over 2022. Exports to the United States, the leading non-EU country, also performed well (36 million, +41.3 per cent). In the period from January to June 2023, according to the Monitor survey prepared by the FederlegnoArredo Study Centre on a representative sample of companies, companies declared total sales of 207.8 million euro.
