Regional, national, and international context

Manufacturing industry is a key pillar for developed economies. In Europe it represents the first non-financial sector for added value and number of employees. In particular, Lombardy is the first manufacturing region in Italy in terms of turnover, added value, and the third in Europe by number of employees, preceded by Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, for a total of 100,000 businesses with around 1 million employees and a 250 billion euro turnover, with an added value of 60 billion euro.

With the goal of improving and coordinating manufacturing activities in terms of innovation, research, and technology transfer, Lombardy has seen the birth of AFIL, an association between companies, research center, and public entities. A recent AFIL document has stated that “efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness of the manufacturing system depends largely on the ability to operate innovative and technologically advanced processes and to take advantage of them in the design, manufacture and assembly of products and their components”, pointing out that “the research priorities in this area will be directed to the improvement of the potential of innovative industrial processes and their improvement in a wide range of applications”, highlighting AM as one of the priority themes.

Furthermore, at international level Lombardy is part of the “Vanguard Initiative New Growth through Smart Specialization”, a strategic project that among other goals “aims at the construction of a network of industry-led demonstrators across Europe to enhance the uptake of solutions provided by 3Dprinting technologies in international value-chains”.

UniPV is partner of both AFIL and Vanguard Initiative. Prof. Ferdinando Auricchio is member of the “Additive Manufacturing” Thematic Group Steering Committee within the Lombardy Association for Intelligent Industry.