Nestled in Italy's heartland, Emilia-Romagna's economic engine roars to the tune of a €52.3 billion manufacturing sector that is not just a collection of industries, but a tightly interwoven ecosystem of world-class clusters—from the ceramic tiles dominating 80% of the national market to the automotive and packaging machinery powerhouses driving global innovation.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Emilia-Romagna's manufacturing industry contributed €52.3 billion to the regional GDP, representing 28.4% of the total regional economy
- The mechanical engineering sector in Emilia-Romagna produced machinery worth €28.1 billion in 2023, accounting for 22% of Italy's national total
- Emilia-Romagna's food processing industry output reached €15.7 billion in turnover in 2022, with a growth of 4.2% year-over-year
- Emilia-Romagna's industrial sector employed 512,000 workers in 2022, representing 25% of regional employment
- Mechanical sector jobs in the region totaled 145,000 in 2023
- Food industry employment stood at 78,000 in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna's industrial exports reached €48.7 billion in 2022, 35% of regional total exports
- Mechanical products exports from the region totaled €25.4 billion in 2023
- Food and beverage exports hit €10.2 billion in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna industrial R&D spending was €4.2 billion in 2022, 8.1% of national total
- Mechanical firms invested €1.8 billion in R&D in 2023
- Food industry R&D expenditure reached €450 million in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna mechanical industry has 12,500 firms, 18% of Italy's total
- Food processing includes 4,200 companies employing 78,000 in 2022
- Ceramics district in Sassuolo has 250 firms producing 4.5 billion sqm tiles yearly
Emilia-Romagna's industrial strength lies in its diverse, high-value manufacturing and export sectors.
Employment Statistics
- Emilia-Romagna's industrial sector employed 512,000 workers in 2022, representing 25% of regional employment
- Mechanical sector jobs in the region totaled 145,000 in 2023
- Food industry employment stood at 78,000 in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Ceramics industry employed 32,000 workers in 2023, with 15% female workforce
- Automotive sector jobs numbered 68,000 in the region in 2022
- Chemical industry employment was 42,000 in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Electronics jobs totaled 28,500 in 2022
- Textile employment in the region was 35,000 in 2023
- Furniture sector employed 22,000 workers in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Packaging industry jobs stood at 19,000 in 2023
- Biomedical employment was 15,200 in the region in 2022
- Rubber and plastics jobs totaled 38,000 in 2023
- Metal products sector employed 52,000 in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Energy equipment jobs were 24,000 in 2023
- Agricultural machinery employment stood at 18,500 in 2022
- Pharmaceutical sector jobs numbered 31,000 in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Glass and cement employment was 14,800 in 2022
- Precision instruments jobs totaled 12,300 in 2023
- Leather goods sector employed 9,200 workers in 2022
- Printing industry jobs stood at 16,500 in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Wood processing employment was 11,000 in 2022
- Non-metallic minerals jobs totaled 28,400 in 2023
- Electrical equipment employment was 26,700 in 2022
- Vehicle assembly jobs numbered 45,200 in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Food packaging machinery employment stood at 14,000 in 2022
- Ceramics machinery jobs were 8,900 in 2023
- Plastics machinery sector employed 17,600 in 2022
- Average industrial wage in Emilia-Romagna was €32,500 annually in 2022
- Youth employment rate in manufacturing was 12.5% in 2023
Employment Statistics Interpretation
Behind Emilia-Romagna's famed cuisine lies a formidable and intricately cogs-and-mortar industrial engine, where a quarter of the workforce powers everything from the ceramics on your table and the cars in your garage to the machines that package your Parmigiano.
Export Data
- Emilia-Romagna's industrial exports reached €48.7 billion in 2022, 35% of regional total exports
- Mechanical products exports from the region totaled €25.4 billion in 2023
- Food and beverage exports hit €10.2 billion in 2022
- Ceramic tiles exported €4.8 billion worth in 2023, 85% of production
- Automotive parts exports were €9.1 billion in 2022
- Chemicals exports from Emilia-Romagna reached €6.3 billion in 2023
- Electronics exports totaled €4.7 billion in 2022
- Textiles exports were €2.9 billion in 2023
- Furniture exports hit €2.6 billion in 2022
- Packaging exports stood at €3.4 billion in 2023
- Biomedical exports were €2.1 billion in 2022
- Plastics exports totaled €5.2 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Metal products exports reached €7.8 billion in 2022
- Energy equipment exports were €3.5 billion in 2023
- Agricultural machinery exports hit €2.4 billion in 2022
- Pharmaceuticals exports totaled €7.2 billion in 2023
- Glass products exports were €1.9 billion in 2022
- Precision instruments exports stood at €1.3 billion in 2023
- Leather exports reached €1.1 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Printed materials exports were €1.6 billion in 2023
- Wood products exports totaled €1.2 billion in 2022
- Minerals exports hit €4.5 billion in 2023
- Electrical goods exports were €3.9 billion in 2022
- Vehicles exports reached €8.6 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Packaging machinery exports totaled €2.1 billion in 2022
- Ceramics machinery exports were €1.0 billion in 2023
- Plastics machinery exports stood at €2.3 billion in 2022
- Top export markets for Emilia-Romagna industry: Germany 18%, USA 12%, France 11% in 2023
Export Data Interpretation
While the world is busy debating who makes what best, Emilia-Romagna is quietly and deliciously proving it can both build your car and stock its pantry, powering a global industrial engine with €48.7 billion in exports that is as much about high-precision machinery as it is about Parmigiano Reggiano.
Investment and R&D
- Emilia-Romagna industrial R&D spending was €4.2 billion in 2022, 8.1% of national total
- Mechanical firms invested €1.8 billion in R&D in 2023
- Food industry R&D expenditure reached €450 million in 2022
- Ceramics sector R&D investment was €220 million in 2023
- Automotive R&D spending totaled €950 million in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Chemicals R&D investment hit €680 million in 2023
- Electronics R&D was €410 million in 2022
- Textiles R&D expenditure stood at €280 million in 2023
- Furniture R&D investment was €190 million in 2022
- Packaging R&D reached €320 million in 2023
- Biomedical R&D spending totaled €580 million in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Plastics R&D was €450 million in 2023
- Metal products R&D investment hit €620 million in 2022
- Energy equipment R&D stood at €310 million in 2023
- Ag machinery R&D was €260 million in 2022
- Pharma R&D expenditure reached €1.2 billion in 2023
- Glass R&D investment was €150 million in 2022
- Precision tools R&D totaled €210 million in 2023
- Leather R&D was €95 million in 2022
- Printing R&D investment stood at €140 million in 2023
- Wood R&D reached €120 million in 2022
- Minerals R&D was €380 million in 2023
- Electrical R&D investment hit €450 million in 2022
- Vehicles R&D totaled €780 million in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Packaging machinery R&D was €180 million in 2022
- Ceramics machinery R&D stood at €110 million in 2023
- Plastics machinery R&D reached €240 million in 2022
- 4,200 industrial patents filed from Emilia-Romagna in 2022
Investment and R&D Interpretation
Emilia-Romagna's €4.2 billion R&D effort proves that while you might know it for Parmigiano and Ferraris, its real export is brilliant, highly-engineered ideas, from ceramics to pharmaceuticals.
Production and Output
- In 2022, Emilia-Romagna's manufacturing industry contributed €52.3 billion to the regional GDP, representing 28.4% of the total regional economy
- The mechanical engineering sector in Emilia-Romagna produced machinery worth €28.1 billion in 2023, accounting for 22% of Italy's national total
- Emilia-Romagna's food processing industry output reached €15.7 billion in turnover in 2022, with a growth of 4.2% year-over-year
- Ceramic tile production in Emilia-Romagna totaled 85.2 million square meters in Q1 2023, holding 80% of Italy's market share
- Automotive components manufacturing in the region generated €12.4 billion in value added in 2022
- Emilia-Romagna's chemical industry output was €8.9 billion in 2023, up 3.1% from 2022
- Electronics and mechatronics sector in Emilia-Romagna achieved €6.5 billion in production value in 2022
- Textile and apparel industry output in the region stood at €4.2 billion in 2023, with exports comprising 65%
- Furniture manufacturing in Emilia-Romagna produced €3.8 billion worth of goods in 2022
- Packaging industry turnover in Emilia-Romagna reached €5.1 billion in 2023, growing 5.8%
- Biomedical devices production value in the region was €2.7 billion in 2022
- Rubber and plastics sector output totaled €7.3 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Metal products manufacturing contributed €10.2 billion to regional output in 2022
- Energy equipment production in Emilia-Romagna was valued at €4.6 billion in 2023
- Agricultural machinery output reached €3.1 billion in the region in 2022
- Pharmaceutical industry production in Emilia-Romagna hit €9.4 billion in 2023
- Glass and cement sector output was €2.8 billion in 2022
- Precision instruments manufacturing generated €1.9 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Leather goods production value stood at €1.5 billion in the region in 2022
- Printing and publishing industry output was €2.3 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Wood processing sector produced €1.8 billion worth in 2022
- Non-metallic minerals industry output reached €6.7 billion in 2023
- Electrical equipment manufacturing was €5.4 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2022
- Vehicle assembly production value hit €11.2 billion in the region in 2023
- Food packaging machinery output totaled €2.9 billion in 2022
- Ceramics machinery production was €1.4 billion in Emilia-Romagna in 2023
- Plastics machinery sector generated €3.2 billion in 2022
- Regional industrial production index rose 2.8% in 2023 compared to 2022
- Emilia-Romagna manufacturing PMI averaged 52.1 in 2023, indicating expansion
Production and Output Interpretation
Emilia-Romagna's industrial landscape is a veritable feast of engineering prowess, gourmet food production, and tiled elegance, collectively proving that Italy's economic engine purrs quite contentedly on more than just sports cars and espresso.
Sector Profiles
- Emilia-Romagna mechanical industry has 12,500 firms, 18% of Italy's total
- Food processing includes 4,200 companies employing 78,000 in 2022
- Ceramics district in Sassuolo has 250 firms producing 4.5 billion sqm tiles yearly
- Automotive cluster in Modena/Bologna has 5,000 SMEs supporting Ferrari/Lamborghini
- Chemical sector comprises 1,800 firms with €8.9B turnover in 2023
- Electronics/mechatronics has 2,100 companies, focus on automation
- Textile/apparel district in Carpi has 3,500 firms, €4.2B output
- Furniture in Ravenna/Forli has 1,900 firms, strong in design exports
- Packaging cluster around Bologna has 1,200 companies, innovative materials
- Biomedical in Bologna/Modena has 850 firms, leader in medical devices
- Plastics/rubber sector: 2,400 firms, €7.3B production in 2023
- Metalworking has 6,200 SMEs, key for machine tools
- Energy tech firms number 1,100, focus on renewables
- Ag machinery cluster in Reggio Emilia has 450 firms
- Pharma has 120 major plants, €9.4B output
- Glass/cement: 650 firms in Modena area
- Precision instruments: 900 high-tech firms
- Leather in Ferrara has 700 artisanal firms
- Printing: 1,400 firms, digital transition leader
- Wood processing: 1,050 firms in Appennino area
- Non-metallics: 1,700 firms, ceramics dominant
- Electrical equipment: 1,500 firms, wiring harnesses specialty
- Vehicle OEMs and suppliers: 2,800 firms total
- Packaging machinery: 450 world leaders in Bologna
- Ceramics machinery: 200 firms in Modena
- Plastics machinery: 650 firms, extrusion tech focus
Sector Profiles Interpretation
Emilia-Romagna is that enviably multi-talented friend who not only built your sports car and tiled your kitchen, but also packaged your lunch, printed your mail, monitors your health, and is now powering your home with renewable energy, all while casually designing your future furniture.
Sources & References
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- Reference 2UNIONCAMEREunioncamere.emr.itVisit source
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- Reference 4ASSOCERAMICHEassoceramiche.itVisit source
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- Reference 6FEDERCHIMICAfederchimica.itVisit source
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- Reference 11ASSOBIOMEDICAassobiomedica.itVisit source
- Reference 12ASSOROMOPLASTICAassoromoplastica.itVisit source
- Reference 13ANIMAanima.itVisit source
- Reference 14FEDERUNACOMAfederunacoma.itVisit source
- Reference 15FARMINDUSTRIAfarmindustria.itVisit source
- Reference 16ANCPLASTancplast.itVisit source
- Reference 17ASSOLITassolit.itVisit source
- Reference 18UNICALCEOSTRUZZIunicalceostruzzi.itVisit source
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