Page 21 - Investing in Bergamo EN

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GLOBAL BERGAMO

209 companies are controlled by foreign investors operating in the Bergamo area;
173 are manufacturing companies with over 20,000 employees. These companies
come from 52 countries, mainly Europe (Switzerland, Germany, France, and United
Kingdom in order) but also from emerging countries, most notably China with 11
companies. Less recent investments included new “greenfield” ventures, while recent
investments mainly involved the purchase of local production units.
The biggest investments were made by multinational groups such as ABB, Arti Group,
Bayer, Bosch, DSM, Exide, Koch, Heineken, Lactalis, Nestlè, Schneider, Tenaris. The
latter has deep-rooted historical ties with Bergamo, since it owns Dalmine (a factory-
city on the outskirts of the city) which was one of the main actors in the first Italian
industrial revolution.
More generally, foreign investments have accompanied the entire development of
Bergamo since the unification of Italy. The significant presence of capital, first from
Switzerland and then from Germany, dates back to those times when the territory had a
strong specialisation in textiles (silk, cotton, wool, linen, hemp) and in housing systems
with Italcementi. This company is the first original multinational company of Bergamo,
creator, among other things, of the Italian Palazzo of EXPO 2015 and the Italian Pavilion
at the exhibition of Shanghai, which is still in use today.
Other companies born and raised in Bergamo are transnational corporations such as
Brembo, Gewiss, Itema, Radici Group and Same Deutz-Fahr.
The Bergamo manufacturing industry in the world is represented, however, by
252 industries with production units in 70 countries. They are mainly medium-sized
enterprises – with a significant number of small industries, which altogether employ
20,000 people worldwide. This number is almost equal to the number of jobs in Bergamo-
based companies. It is important to note that 4.5% of Bergamo’s manufacturing
industries control establishments overseas; 3.6% of Lombard manufacturing companies
and 2.5% of Italian ones.
Most of the foreign investments made by Bergamo’s industries go to the USA, followed
by United Kingdom and Germany.
The ranking reflects the prevalent internationalisation model that favours production
centres in important outlet markets, especially high-income markets or markets with
double-digit growth rates. In fact, the three main partners in the ranking are followed by
Brazil, with China and India not far behind, as well as other major European countries.
More recent internationalisation markets belong to North Africa.
The opening of production units abroad in search of lower production costs is less
common and there is a tendency to choose countries in Eastern Europe provided,
however, that they are countries with a solid industrial culture, mainly Poland, Romania,
and the Czech Republic.