The aluminium sector focuses on sustainability and the new skills of young people to meet the European challenges facing the entire industry.
According to the MECSPE Observatory covering the second quarter of 2024, entrepreneurs in the aluminum industry are paying more attention to sustainability: more than four out of 10 of them [1] rate their companies as very or fairly sustainable, an 8 percent increase over the previous quarter.
This focus is also reflected in corporate governance, where ESG criteria take on a strategic role, in which companies are showing interest: 33 percent of companies say they have already implemented or are in the process of implementing ESG criteria, while 25 percent say they have every intention of doing so soon.
In terms of skills, companies are increasingly looking to already trained young talent to bring in new trained staff: in fact, about one out of three companies are already collaborating with universities and ITSs, while another third of respondents say they plan to activate collaborations soon to provide job opportunities for young people within the 2025.
The most sought-after figures are skilled laborers (53%) and skilled technicians (47%). While about one-quarter of entrepreneurs look to universities, ITSs and IFTSs to introduce new skills into their companies, more than half invest in training courses to upgrade the skills of existing staff.
Along these two lines, companies in the industry will meet at METEF, the international benchmark exhibition for the aluminum supply chain organized by Senaf, at BolognaFiere March 5–7, 2025, in conjunction with MECSPE.
Cutting-edge technological solutions
In a global context where sustainability plays an increasingly crucial role and new skills are needed to implement cutting-edge technological solutions, METEF 2025 is preparing to welcome companies from across the supply chain, offering a unique opportunity to address the structural and competitive European challenges the aluminum industry is facing.
In addition, thanks to the close cooperation with ICE, Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, METEF exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet buyer delegations from European and non-European countries during the days of the event through a program of matching and one-to-one business meetings.
At the recent webinar organized by METEF as a leg of the roadshow in the run-up to the fair, entitled «Aluminum between sustainability and critical raw material» the protagonists — Roberta Maroni of Hydro, Roberta Niboli of Raffmetal, and Francesca di Bernardo of the European Aluminium Association — highlighted that aluminum, a strategic raw material for Europe, is at the center of important European challenges: since 2021, European primary production has been reduced by 52 percent due to energy costs that have risen by up to 400 percent, reducing production capacity from 2 to 1 million tons per year.
In addition, scrap exports increased by 18 percent in 2023, depriving the continent of a crucial resource for recycling, which consumes only 5 percent of the energy required by primary production.
During the webinar, the need for stronger industrial policies that limit the export of strategic resources such as scrap and incentivize the use of renewable energy were highlighted.
In this context, greater involvement of institutions is essential, not only to support technology investments, but also to raise awareness of sustainability among the younger generation.
Recycling training and education are seen as indispensable levers for building a stronger, more resilient and future-oriented aluminum supply chain.
«METEF represents more than just a trade show: it is the meeting point where sustainability, innovation, energy efficiency, and education converge to define the future of aluminum» says Maruska Sabato, MECSPE project manager.
«At a time when Europe faces major challenges, it is essential for the sector to act cohesively. METEF aims to be the platform where companies, institutions, and young talents can compare, collaborate, and develop concrete solutions to make aluminum the driver of the ecological transition. Through our efforts, we want to shape a stronger, resilient, and future-oriented supply chain.»
The benchmark for the aluminium supply chain
For 25 years, the METEF exhibition has been Italy’s only point of reference for the aluminum industrial supply chain: from raw, primary, and recycled materials, to machinery, equipment, production and processing plants, semi-finished products, castings and finished products in the die-casting, gravity and low-pressure foundry, extrusion, rolling and stamping sectors, to machining, assemblies, finishes and recycling technologies.
METEF is an event created and shaped in close collaboration with businesses and industry insiders, and today, in a global context of heated and difficult competitiveness, it is revived by focusing on established expertise and experience of the industry segment.
As is customary, the industry’s top national and international associations’ unwavering support helps refocus attention on the industry’s development through an extraordinary cultural heritage that must tackle the new frontiers of technology and the new European challenges of sustainable innovation.
METEF, for which Senaf has been appointed as the organizer, will be held concurrently with MECSPE, a landmark event for the manufacturing industry in Italy. The two events will be located in separate pavilions but adjacent to develop synergies and achieve common goals.
A strong alliance between two events well known and established in their respective target markets, complementarity and completeness of the product range offered with the aim of offering visitors a complete and unmissable experience.
[1] MECSPE Observatory on the Manufacturing Industry conducted by GRS Research and Strategy on a sample of 274 Italian manufacturing companies operating in the aluminum sector as of October 2024, CAWI methodology.
