The Innovation Alliance: Strength in Unity

The Innovation Alliance, one of the most strategic events for the manufacturing industry, returns to Fiera Milano from 27 to 30 May. The official press conference took place at the ADI Design Museum in Milan on 20 May, gathering over forty journalists from both generalist and specialist media outlets. At the heart of the event is the joint offering of four trade fairs – GreenPlast, Ipack-Ima, Print4All, and Intralogistica Italia – which together represent the excellence of instrumental mechanics serving the manufacturing industry.

Moderator Luca Orlando (Il Sole 24 Ore) introduced the project, which will feature 1,857 exhibitors, 39% of whom are international, hailing from 38 countries – with the largest contingents from China, Germany, Turkey, France, and the Netherlands. The event will span 11 halls and welcome over 500 top foreign buyers from 75 countries, selected with the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ICE).

GreenPlast is the international exhibition-conference dedicated to technologies and materials for the processing of plastics and rubber, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
Ipack-Ima is the leading international trade fair for materials and technologies in processing and packaging across both the food and non-food sectors. It provides an integrated, interconnected platform focused on four key markets: grain-based foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and the fresh, convenience, and ready-to-eat food sectors.
Print4All is the benchmark event for the entire printing and converting supply chain – a hub of innovation where materials, technologies, applications, and future visions converge to redefine the printing industry, making it increasingly sustainable, innovative, and versatile.
Intralogistica Italia is Italy’s only event entirely dedicated to advanced solutions for industrial handling, automation, and warehouse management. It is a reference point for the international market, thanks to a winning combination of high-profile exhibitors, thematic conferences, and strategic partnerships.

Representing Fiera Milano, Simona Greco, Director of Hosted Exhibitions, stated: “The Innovation Alliance is a concrete example of how trade fairs, by joining forces, can generate value that exceeds the sum of their individual parts.”

Instrumental Mechanics: A Strategic Sector for the Italian Economy
Marco Fortis, Vice President of the Edison Foundation, gave a presentation entitled “The Economic Landscape of the Innovation Alliance Industries: Opportunities and Risks on the Horizon”, summarising with the following insight: “In an extremely challenging global context, instrumental mechanics remains one of the most solid pillars of Italian industry. These sectors not only demonstrate remarkable resilience, but also make a substantial contribution to Italy’s international competitiveness and trade surplus. The machinery and technology markets represented by the Innovation Alliance generated a trade surplus of approximately 10 billion euros in 2024 – around 9% of Italy’s overall manufacturing trade surplus of 121 billion euros. This is an example of Made in Italy excellence that, in economic terms, surpasses even iconic sectors such as wine or furniture.”

Against a backdrop of ongoing global economic instability – with slowdowns in Europe, the German crisis, and international trade tensions – Italy has shown surprising resilience, recording a +0.3% GDP growth in the first quarter of 2025. This continues a trend of economic stability that has lasted for more than two years.

Within this scenario, as highlighted by Fortis’ study, the sectors represented by The Innovation Alliance play a decisive role in bolstering national competitiveness. Machinery for packaging, printing, converting, and plastics processing continue to drive Italian exports, helping to sustain the country's foreign trade performance, which would have otherwise experienced a steeper decline.

Compared to the pre-Covid period, the markets addressed by The Innovation Alliance have strengthened their international presence, particularly in the packaging sector, which has led export growth to key strategic markets such as the United States, Germany, and France.
While tariffs remain a potential disruptor, Fortis argues they are not a decisive factor: with all else being equal, Italian technology remains robust and well-positioned, especially when compared to German and Chinese competitors, with no signs of declining competitiveness.

Innovation, Digitalisation, AI, and Sustainability: The Changing Face of Industrial Technology
The machines and solutions showcased at The Innovation Alliance reflect the evolution of modern manufacturing: digitalisation, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and data security are the core drivers across all four exhibitions.

Digital transformation enables more connected, efficient, and intelligent processes, while artificial intelligence is revolutionising operations through automation, predictive maintenance, and real-time optimisation. In an increasingly interconnected industrial context, cybersecurity becomes essential to ensure continuity and protection.

At the same time, sustainability stands out as a strategic lever. The technologies and materials on display follow circular economy principles, aiming to reduce consumption and waste while optimising resource use across the entire production chain.