The 2025 Benchmarking Study, conducted by Bonfiglioli on a significant sample of over 100 companies representing 22 industrial sectors—with 85% of participants holding C-level positions—outlines the new competitive landscape of "Made in Italy" industry.
Italian industry remains solid and responsible, with high levels of environmental maturity and an Operational Excellence index of 71%. However, a growing lag in the digitization of processes is emerging, which today represents the main strategic lever for regaining competitiveness.
In an increasingly complex landscape, characterized by high demand volatility and a structural skills shortage, the key to ensuring sustainable growth and resilience lies in adopting more agile organizational models. In these models, data, expertise, and strategic vision become essential competitive assets.
Understanding ”where we stand" and "what it takes to compete" is therefore a fundamental strategic step for companies that want to shape the future of Italian manufacturing.
The Permanent Observatory provides an up-to-date overview of the maturity level of Italian companies across five key impact areas: Operational Excellence, Supply Chain, Digital Transformation, Sustainability, and Human Resources & Competence Development. The analysis is organized into four levels of operational maturity: static, reactive, preventive, and proactive.
Italian companies demonstrate a solid operational maturity index of 71%.
The most significant finding stems from the presence of a formalized Operational Excellence strategy in 62% of companies, with a predominantly medium- to long-term time horizon: 71% of strategic plans cover at least 3 years.
Strategic priorities confirm a paradigm shift:
There is a clear transition from a cost-driven paradigm to an approach focused on value, differentiation, and customer experience.
An analysis of operational mindsets, however, reveals a crucial element: most companies are at a reactive or proactive stage, while the preventive approach—the most strategic one for anticipating the market—remains relatively uncommon. The presence of ”structured" but still "low-tech" companies (26%) demonstrates that process maturity does not always translate into the ability to digitally scale performance.
The Italian supply chain has a maturity level of 67%: a decent performance that nevertheless shows ample room for improvement, especially in terms of digitization and end-to-end integration.
The 46% of the sample falls into the ”Fragile Supply Chain“ category, characterized by predominantly manual processes, ad hoc planning, and low levels of digitization. The 30% operates with a ”disconnected supply chain," a sign of an incomplete transition: processes show improvements, but information flows do not circulate smoothly enough between the various links in the chain. Only the 14% can be defined as "intelligent," and just the 7% falls into the category of digital leaders.
The main gaps emerge across three strategic fronts:
The message is unequivocal: even a carefully designed supply chain loses its effectiveness without adequate digital support. Resilience alone is no longer enough. Predictive capabilities must be developed.
The Benchmarking Study highlights that the average Digitalization Score for Italian companies stands at 48%: the lowest value among all areas analyzed and, at the same time, the strategic lever with the greatest potential for improvement.
An analysis of perceptions regarding the level of digitalization reveals a highly polarized Italian industrial sector:
Even more significant is the finding that only 4% of the sample can currently be defined as a Smart Factory.
42% have a multi-year roadmap (3–5 years) integrated into their strategic plan, while 49% are still in the exploratory phase.
Here, too, a key factor emerges: critical mass.
Companies with revenue exceeding 250 M€ show the best results, while SMEs—though aware of the need to digitize—struggle to move from ad-hoc initiatives to coherent and structured roadmaps.
Another important finding emerges from the analysis: 38% of companies have not yet implemented cybersecurity policies, while only 23% have structured and well-established policies.
In an increasingly interconnected industrial ecosystem, where IoT-enabled factories are the norm, this gap constitutes a significant strategic vulnerability.
Only 34% of the sample have launched AI and GenAI projects, while just 3% use them in a structured and established manner.
The identified application priorities are:
The main obstacles to adoption remain data quality and availability, poorly integrated information systems, and cultural resistance to change.
Analysis by revenue bracket reveals a direct correlation between company size and level of digital maturity:
Digital transformation, therefore, is a matter of critical mass and strategic governance.
Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence, its adoption in the Italian manufacturing sector is still in its infancy. The analysis reveals that the most widespread applications are concentrated in specific areas:
However, a significant gap emerges between the technology’s potential and its actual implementation, with most companies still in the experimental phase rather than in structured adoption.
With a Sustainability Maturity Level of 89%, sustainability emerges as a strategic pillar of Italian industry, confirmed by investments that are now structural:
Distribution of investments in sustainability:
Adoption of formal certification systems:
Companies in the sample show a high rate of adoption of sustainability certifications:
Only 7% of the companies surveyed have no certifications.
An opportunity yet to be seized: the social dimension remains limited, with 5% of the sample certified as B Corps.
Sustainability as a strategic lever:
No longer a cost, but an investment to:
The average level of HR maturity stands at 58%: a rising figure, but still far from a fully mature and strategic model.
Investments in training: signs of change
88% of companies currently invest less than 5% of revenue in training. However, a positive trend is emerging: 34% of the sample expect an increase in training budgets over the next year, confirming a growing awareness of the strategic value of human capital.
Companies" training priorities:
The strategic gap: a lack of knowledge governance
The real critical issue lies in knowledge management: over 76% of companies still do not have a structured internal academy or a formalized model for skills transfer.
This gap represents a significant competitive risk in a context where retaining know-how and the speed of upskilling are key differentiators for corporate competitiveness.
The 2025 Benchmarking Study paints a clear picture: Italian industry can rely on a solid operational culture and a concrete commitment to sustainability. However, these assets may not be enough. To remain competitive, it is necessary to accelerate the strategic integration of Operations, Digital Transformation, and People Development.
The future of manufacturing is based on an essential strategic balance:
Stable Processes + Smart Technologies + Widespread Skills.
Only companies capable of simultaneously investing in operational excellence, digital intelligence, and skills development will be able to successfully drive the evolution of "Made in Italy" manufacturing.
In an increasingly competitive and dynamic market environment, leadership will belong to those who can methodically integrate technology, skills, and strategic vision, transforming these three pillars into a sustainable competitive advantage.
ai translated