Piemonte leads the future of smart cities and advanced manufacturing: in Torino, 84 Piemonte SMEs and 22 international operators took part in over 280 bilateral meetings. The goal: creating new business opportunities.

Institutions and companies will be the driving forces of innovation and inclusiveness in the cities and manufacturing of the future through integrated governance, investments in physical and digital infrastructure, and the activation of local ecosystems capable of attracting human, technological, and financial capital.

Turin, July 4, 2025 – Piemonte took center stage in the conversation around major urban and industrial transformations with the first edition of Urban and Industrial Transitions, the international B2B event held in Torino from July 2 to 4, 2025. Organized by Piemonte Agency as part of the Integrated Supply Chain Projects “Automotive & Transportation”, “Cleantech & Green Building”, “Mechatronics”, and “ICT” funded by the 2021–2027 ERDF Regional Program, the event connected 84 SMEs from Piemonte with 22 international players seeking new suppliers from strategic markets including Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the USA, Tunisia, Turkey and Hungary.

The event was inaugurated on Wednesday, July 2, at the Piemonte Region Skyscraper, featuring a conference with leading speakers discussing urban and industrial transitions, exploring the future of cities and strategies to face the challenges of the coming decade.
The scenario session “Navigating the Next Decade”, curated by the consulting firm Kearney, provided a strategic perspective on global changes and their implications for the urban and mobility sectors. It was followed by two talks under the theme “Strategies for a Resilient Future in Urban Cities and Industrial Contexts” by EIT Manufacturing South and Stratosferica, highlighting experiences and visions for sustainable, resilient urban development and ongoing and future transformations in the manufacturing and digital sectors.

“Piemonte continues to establish itself as a European benchmark for industrial and urban innovation, leveraging our manufacturing tradition while fostering new opportunities for international collaboration. It combines the strength of large corporations with a dynamic ecosystem of small and medium enterprises to create new synergies for sustainable development,” said Andrea Tronzano, Piemonte’s Regional Minister for Economic Development and Internationalization.

“This event is the result of Piemonte Agency's ongoing commitment, built through cross-cutting paths of business development and innovation, fostering dialogue between companies, institutions and local actors - said Dario Peirone, President of Piemonte Agency. In just the last two years, we’ve activated over 1,000 international contacts across the industrial goods sectors. Through international missions and the participation of over 100 Piemonte companies in major global trade fairs such as Smart City Expo, MIPIM, Pollutec, Big 5 Saudi, Battery Show, IAA, Hannover Messe, Gitex, and CES we’ve built a network that now allows us to attract top international players to our region and host qualified international companies seeking suppliers and partners in digital technologies, smart mobility, green building and smart manufacturing.”

Looking ahead, several major challenges are emerging, including the energy transition, which is transforming entire industrial sectors such as components, energy storage and data centers. In geographic terms, countries like Saudi Arabia already active in these fields are experiencing double-digit economic and employment growth rates, comparable to post-war Europe. As a result, the smart city challenge, and more broadly the transformation of urban and industrial spaces, becomes a key driver of industrial conversion, concentrating shifts in mobility, environmental sustainability, safety, entrepreneurship, and information access. Investing in these areas not only addresses change but anticipates new development trajectories.

A return to long-term urban planning is proving successful, as seen in global best practices. Cities that have built long-term visions and translated them into tangible models - like London 2036, Tokyo’s post-Olympics vision, Washington D.C.’s Sustainable Plan, Seoul’s 2040 masterplan and Berlin 2030 strategy - demonstrate how strategic planning can turn cities into engines of innovation and inclusiveness. These examples underline the importance of integrated governance, investments in both physical and digital infrastructure, and the activation of local ecosystems capable of attracting human, technological, and financial capital.

With its strong manufacturing and industrial heritage and a business ecosystem that is constantly evolving technologically, Piemonte is well-positioned to take on this challenge, presenting itself as a European hub of excellence for smart and sustainable solutions that can improve urban life, drive industrial production, and tackle global environmental challenges. Urban and Industrial Transitions was thus a unique opportunity for Piemonte SMEs to step onto global markets, showcase their know-how, and build new international alliances at a crucial time for the sustainable transition of cities and industries. It served to spark new partnerships and business opportunities in key areas for smart city development: from sustainable mobility and energy efficiency to industrial digitalization and smart, green building construction.

July 3rd and 4th were dedicated to over 280 B2B meetings aimed at connecting international demand with Piemonte’s supply in the following fields:

• Digital Technologies: IoT, AI, Digital Twin, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Data Management
• Energy & Environment: solutions for efficient and sustainable resource management
• Smart Mobility: micromobility, electric vehicles, MaaS platforms, last-mile logistics
• Smart & Green Buildings: design, construction, and management of smart and sustainable buildings
• Smart Manufacturing: automation, robotics, electronics, high-tech subcontracting