A “Strategic Study on Development Opportunities in the USA for Italian Companies,” developed by TEHA Group at the request of the Italian Embassy in the United States and the Italian Trade Agency, was presented today at the Embassy in Washington.
Ambassador Zappia stated, “I strongly wanted this study because there was a need for an updated overview of the Italian industrial presence in the United States and to analyze the Italy-U.S. trade dynamics, aiming to outline the main development opportunities, with a particular focus on some strategic and high-innovation sectors such as mechanics and advanced manufacturing, energy, aerospace, and chemistry.”
Matteo Zoppas, President of the Italian Trade Agency, commented: “With €67 billion in Made in Italy exports in 2023 and a substantial hold in the first eight months of 2024 (-0.2% compared to January-August 2023), the USA represents a key trading partner for Italy. The Agency, as part of the ‘Growth Diplomacy’ promoted by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in collaboration with the Country System and other institutional entities, such as the Italian Embassy in Washington, is working to ensure this figure can increase further. Excellent growth opportunities come from those strategic, high-tech sectors where Made in Italy has already proven to be competitive due to innovation and the quality of products and services. In the first seven months of 2024, Italy exported $5.8 billion in high-tech goods to the USA (+69%), compared to €6.6 billion for the entire year of 2023. Growth was driven by biotechnology (+110%), life sciences (+120%), electronics (+41%), and aerospace (+43%). In fact, the aerospace sector alone saw the involvement of 80 companies in 2023 and the organization of major collectives such as Space Days (Washington), Spacecom (Orlando), Satellite (Washington, DC), Space Symposium (Colorado Springs), and ADSS Seattle (Seattle, WA) by the Italian Trade Agency office in Houston. Through our offices in Los Angeles, Miami, and the two desks in New York and San Francisco, we focus on the internationalization of major Italian trade fairs, creating important opportunities for real business matching, as seen in the presentations in the main U.S. capitals for the Salone del Mobile, the Salone Nautico, Cersaie, and even more for the first edition of Vinitaly Chicago, which has already exceeded all expectations at its debut. This is an important moment where foreign trade increasingly sees the demand for products that contain technologies with artificial intelligence, along with the new space economy, which is expected to grow from $400 billion to $1.8 trillion in the next 10 years—opportunities we cannot afford to miss. Thanks to Ambassador Mariangela Zappia for wanting to delve into topics that can guide the commercial and industrial strategies of the Italian entrepreneurial fabric.”
The study, available starting today on the website of the Italian Embassy, aims to provide an operational tool to guide the strategic choices of Italian companies in the United States. It outlines the presence of Italian companies overseas through concise profiles with key data on the Italian entrepreneurial presence in the United States and provides detailed insights into the opportunities offered by the major American macro-regions and individual states. Additionally, it maps out the most significant programs and measures for entrepreneurs interested in investing and operating in the United States.
The United States remains the most important market for Italy outside the EU and the second-largest market globally. The study highlights how high-innovation Italian companies, from biotech firms to aerospace conglomerates, are present in the United States alongside more traditional Italian businesses, such as those in the food and automotive sectors. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, the clean energy transition, and the space economy represent areas that will become increasingly important for Italy-U.S. bilateral cooperation.
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Download the Strategic Study (in Italian):
Download the Executive Summary (in English):
Download the presentation by Lorenzo Tavazzi (in English):
