Strategic Community “Machinery”
The Machinery sector is a globally recognised manufacturing excellence of Lombardy. The region hosts over 30% of Italy’s mechanical companies and is the leading Italian region in machinery exports, with the mechatronics sector exceeding 84 billion Euros in 2023. Mechatronics accounts for 41% of Lombardy’s manufacturing local units and over half of sector exports, with Milan, Brescia, and Bergamo as the main industrial hubs1.
To enhance these excellences and strengthen the competitiveness of the value chain, in July 2024 AFIL established the Strategic Community “Machinery”, starting from the Lombardy value chain of advanced and sustainable machinery and production systems, presented within the Expression of Interest for Value Chains of Lombardy Region. The initiative is carried out with the support of Cosberg S.r.l., Ficep S.p.A., Politecnico di Milano, and the University of Bergamo.
KEY TOPICS OF THE STRATEGIC COMMUNITY
At the core of the Strategic Community’s vision lies the transition towards new business models based on servitization, specifically the pay-per-use model, which redefines the relationship between capital goods manufacturers and end users. Instead of purchasing production systems, customers use them under a pay-per-use or rental model, through an equipment platform managed by the capital goods manufacturer, with the support of a third-party financial operator. This approach generates significant benefits for both parties: the user can access production capacity without upfront investment, reduce obsolescence risks, and flexibly adapt production capacity to market needs; the supplier, in turn, expands its potential market (including SMEs and start-ups), increases customer loyalty, optimises maintenance, and gains continuous control over machine usage data.
The pay-per-use model is closely linked to the modularity of capital goods and to remanufacturing, which enable the manufacturer to reconfigure, refurbish, and reintroduce end-of-life machines and subassemblies into the production cycle, significantly extending their useful life and reducing environmental impact. The capital goods manufacturer thus becomes the centre of a circular ecosystem: it holds complete product knowledge, manages the entire lifecycle (from production to remanufacturing and material recovery), and minimises environmental risks thanks to its in-depth understanding of system composition.
The priority intervention lines of the Strategic Community also include advanced product and process configuration through digital twins and Artificial Intelligence, interaction between operators and production systems through human-machine interface technologies and collaborative robotics, supply chain digitalisation for product and process traceability, and energy certification of plants to support the green transition. From an industrial policy perspective, the Strategic Community supports the introduction of tax incentives for the purchase of remanufactured capital goods and for companies investing in demanufacturing and remanufacturing technologies.
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE STRATEGIC COMMUNITY
The Strategic Community operates through a structured action plan, with meetings and thematic vertical events in which participants collaborate by pooling knowledge and resources to develop new innovation strategies. The Strategic Community promotes the adoption of sustainable business models, the supply chain digitalisation, and the participation in regional, national, and European funding calls. Thanks to the adopted ecosystem approach (which integrates manufacturers, component suppliers, mechatronics, software, sensor technology, and industrial services), the Strategic Community aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the Lombardy value chain and consolidate its role as a European benchmark.
THE LOMBARDY REGION VALUE CHAINS
The Strategic Community “Machinery” obtained recognition for its proposal within the Expression of Interest for Value Chains promoted by Lombardy Region. The project “Lombardy value chain of advanced and sustainable machinery and production systems”, supported by AFIL together with Cosberg S.p.A., Ficep S.p.A., Politecnico di Milano, and the University of Bergamo, was approved and recognised by Lombardy Region through Directorate General for Economic Development Decree No. 11688 of 2nd August 2023. The proposal focuses on sustainability and green transition, digitalisation and new business models for resilient production, and strengthening the value chain through next-generation machinery.
CONTACTS
Eda Ipek – eda.ipek@afil.it
Carlo Mondani – carlo.mondani@afil.it