On October 22, 2025, the AI OPERATIONS FORUM was held in Milan, a strategic event that brought together the Italian industry on the topics of sustainability and digitalization. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the results of the research "What’s Next in Operations? Benchmarking Study“.
As testament to the importance of the topics discussed, Il Sole 24 Ore dedicated an in-depth article to the research presented, highlighting the gap between Italian excellence in sustainability and the delay in the digital transition.
The Italian industry is efficient and growing, but it shows a worrying flaw in its readiness to use digital technologies. The research, based on a sample of over 100 companies, paints a picture of two speeds. Italian companies demonstrate strong maturity in sustainability, whose index has reached an excellent 89%. Conversely, digitalization is the component that is lagging behind, standing at 48 % and representing the greatest potential for development.
CEO Michele Bonfiglioli reiterated that the adoption of AI and innovative technologies is an indispensable lever for competitiveness and resilience, and that a similar gap is no longer acceptable. 53% of the executives admit a low level of digitalization in their organization.
The article in Il Sole 24 Ore highlights the link between digital lag and the lack of integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI): 55% of the companies have not yet implemented AI, only 3% are using it in a consolidated way, and Generative AI is integrated only in 9% of the processes.
The main barriers to adopting digital technology are not costs but the lack of internal expertise, the quality of data, and the integration with existing systems. The main bottleneck is practical implementation: achieving significant benefits requires significant investment in training, time, and technological infrastructure.
The full article offers a comprehensive analysis of investment strategies, data on the most widespread technologies (ERP, CRM, MES) and the implications for corporate competitiveness. Read the full article in Il Sole24Ore of October 23, 2025.
ai translated