Made in Steel 2027 will be an even more international event.
In partnership with Fiera Milano, our growth project looks to the future of the steel industry with a clear vision: today, it is no longer enough to simply showcase products. We need to present a vision. We need to explain where the industry is heading and identify the role we want to play in that change.
The future of steel lies in innovation, technology, sustainability and the ability to anticipate new industrial scenarios. In a rapidly changing global context, competitiveness is not measured solely in terms of production, but in the ability to transform R&D, investment and expertise into tangible development.
It is no coincidence that in 2025 the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Philippe Aghion, who revived and modernised Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of "creative destruction": economic progress arises when new ideas, new technologies and new models replace those that have become obsolete, generating productivity, growth and collective well-being.
This is a lesson that is particularly relevant to the European steel industry. The protracted crisis at the former Ilva, which has plagued our country for over a decade, has been, above all, a crisis stemming from a lack of industrial vision: often contradictory objectives, postponed decisions, and the absence of a clear, long-term strategy. Yet an effective industrial policy would require simple principles: understanding the competitive landscape, setting coherent objectives and investing consistently in industrial, technological and human resources.
It is precisely from these reflections that the "Industria & Acciaio 2050" report emerged – our strategic vision presented in Milan during the siderweb FORUM last May. This report seeks to look beyond the current crisis and the short term, to consider the role that the Italian and European steel industries could play in the coming decades.
An effective summary of this vision is also contained in a recent interview given by the report’s editor, Professor Gianfranco Tosini of the siderweb Research Department, to the Italian Giornale di Brescia, in which three key points emerge clearly: Italy is in an advantageous position in terms of decarbonisation, thanks to a steel industry heavily focused on electric arc furnaces and therefore already more sustainable than other major global producers; we cannot afford to stand still, because the major Asian countries are moving swiftly, with far more effective industrial strategies and public support; the future will not be decided by commodities and price competition, but by the ability to produce high value-added steels that are increasingly "green" and "smart", integrating technological innovation, sustainability and advanced performance.
Trade defence measures can only make sense if they help us buy time to build a strong industrial strategy. Protection alone is not enough: we must innovate, invest and have the courage to imagine the future.
This is why Made in Steel 2027 aims to be much more than a conference and exhibition. It aims to become an international forum for discussion, ideas and vision. A place capable of fostering dialogue between industry, the economy, innovation and industrial culture. It is with this in mind that we aim to bring authoritative voices to Made in Steel – such as Philippe Aghion – to help us look ahead, interpret change and chart new paths to growth.
Because today, more than ever, standing still is not an option.
Francesca Morandi and Paolo Morandi
