Innovation, sustainability and the future of the sector among the key topics at the leading Southern European Conference & Exhibition for the steel industry.

At this morning inauguration session at fieramilano Rho: Emanuele Morandi (Made in Steel), Luca Palermo (Fiera Milano), Antonio Gozzi (Federacciai), Riccardo Benso (Assofermet) and Stefano Vittorio Kuhn (BPER Banca)

Milan, 5 October 2021 - A digital and sustainable steel, driving innovation forward: the steel industry which has emerged from the Covid-19 crisis is eager to let go of the dated image of the "ugly, dirty and bad" and is ready for a new beginning.

This is the key message from the inaugural event of the ninth edition of Made in Steel, the leading South European Conference & Exhibition of the steel industry, starting today, October 7th at fieramilano Rho (Milan), pavilions 9 and 11. The title of the conference «RENAISSANCE - Here begins the steel rebirth» describes the strong desire for a new beginning that animates the whole supply chain.

«Being back here is exciting. This edition of Made in Steel is a world record. - said Emanuele Morandi, president of Made in Steel during the opening session -: This is the first in-presence event for the steel industry since 2019. The idea of a new Renaissance is this year's fil rouge, with a phoenix representing the industry restart. The pandemic has created unexpected situations and opened the way to a new sense of awareness. The first message we would like to send out from the stage of the siderweb Conference Room is that we should not waste the opportunities that have emerged from the crisis and rather use them to accelerate the processes of digital innovation and sustainability». Europe can offer a lot of support in this sense: «The EU Recovery Plan can help us achieve a fast recovery and, in the long term, establish a new paradigm. Our supply chain will have to learn to go beyond personal interests and adopt a system-wide approach. This will enable us to develop new ideas, new perspectives and a new strategy. There is magic in the air and we want to transfer this energetic mood to the whole industry».

«Made in Steel - stated Luca Palermo, CEO of Fiera Milano - is always special. The organizers showed great courage since the very first postponement (the event was initially moved from March to May 2021, ed) and proved to be able to look beyond the struggles imposed by the pandemic. This exhibition is about innovation, the future and sustainability; it's about fostering a new culture. This equates to having a strong vision. Made in Steel will be a great opportunity to start discussing in-person about the post-pandemic rebirth. It will be about getting together, debating, collaborating and creating a system that will help everyone rebuild their future. This is what we will be doing over the next few days at fieramilano Rho but we will make sure that the renaissance that starts here is extended to the entire country».

Antonio Gozzi, Vice President of Federacciai, brought the focus on the industry needs: «We have a record-breaking steel industry which above all is an electro-steel industry. Our supply chain is nearly fully decarbonised. Sixty years ago, a few entrepreneurs lead the way by choosing to focus on the electric oven and setting the stage for an industry of excellence in Europe. We must strive to maintain our primacy if we are to withstand the competition for raw materials and defend the industrial heritage of our continent on the international stage».

«This event marks the rebirth of our supply chain and the opening up of new opportunities for the people and industries that are part of it. All parties must aspire at reaching common grounds - said Riccardo Benso, president of Assofermet - This cooperation will help us go beyond partisan dynamics. Furthermore, a debate open to all the players will be pivotal to accelerate the development processes which are underway ».

«Our observatory - explained Stefano Vittori Kuhn, Commercial Coordinator at BPER Banca - tells us we are on an uphill-bend. This means we must make sure all wheels contribute to overcoming the crisis. BPER Banca, the third-largest bank in the country by number of branches, intends to be one of the wheels contributing to the country economic recovery. New scenarios must be explored, new collaborations launched and the banking world can empower companies with the tools they need for this change to happen».