(Finance) – More resilient supply chains, more business-friendly legislative interventions and more effective corporate communication. These are the factors that could help Italian SMEsand in particular those listed on the stock exchange, a grow in the post-pandemic reboot phase, according to what emerged from the “Call for Growth | EnVent Winter Conference 2022” event. “Even when Italy was not growing, there were SMEs that were dynamic, exporting and producing research and development – he said. Nicola Borri, researcher in the LUISS Department of Economics and Finance – The country system did not support them properly, however, and therefore the whole of Italy did not grow despite its excellence. Today we have moved on a bit and there are opportunities at the country level as well of interesting growth. We have a respect at the international level that they once did not have, and there is greater cohesion at the European level both at the policy level and at the ECB level. “
However, SMEs now find themselves competing in a scenario completely upset by the pandemic. “The long global supply chains are found to be extremely weak and it is therefore necessary to rethink with a view to resilient supply chains, with a management capable of reacting promptly to the problems that may arise “, commented Pietro Paganini, adjunct professor of International Business at Temple University in Philadelphia and John Cabot University in Rome. “If I have a block in a certain area of the world, I have to be ready to go and buy the components elsewhere – he added – The United States and Europe found themselves totally unpreparedand therefore ultra-billion-dollar plans have now started, but it takes time to create competitive companies “.
Italy should still do more to please the SME business, according to Borri. “For the country It is important to ensure ideal conditions for businesses, such as maintaining a low cost of credit – he explained – In recent years we have not talked about it anymore, thanks to low rates, but this galloping inflation can lead to sharp rises in interest rates. This must be avoided and central banks must avoid spirals that are difficult to control. Better to start immediately with gradual increases, rather than having to make more important operations “.
Meanwhile, Italian politics has not lived up to expectations in recent years. “Parliamentary politics has not been able to respond to the needs of citizens. Resorting to the figure of Mario Draghi, although very illustrious, has been a failure of politics – said Paganini – In the coming years we will need a a policy that is capable of continuing to reposition Italy at the center of Europe and of international supply chainsso that SMEs can find solutions to circumvent the present international difficulties “.
During the event, it was repeatedly stressed how the pandemic has revolutionized global supply chains and undermined globalization as it was known before. “Businesses have to think differently, to cover needs that had previously been delegated to countries like India and China – he explained. Luigi Tardellaco-head of Equity Research at EnVent – In this drunkenness with respect to the efficiencies of the world self-regulating market, we have forgotten about the risks, we are today in a situation of great weakness and we must strengthen the capacities of the internal economy “. the expert, SMEs need to be strengthened, turning them into companies without too many concentrations on a few customers and suppliers. “It applies to small and large companies, as well as to production districts”, he underlined
The EnVent manager then focused on publicly traded SMEs. “The former AIM is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises, which are exporting and growing, but there is a huge leap in communication. There is in fact too much financial communication, but little operational communication. When I meet a company I am interested in knowing how they illustrate the actions of management, how they compare with investors. How much revenue and profitability grow is the last thing, we must first see how long the growth lasts, how it is achieved, what are the reasons for buying customers’ goods“.