Crespellano (Bologna), 26 October 2021 – The Service Center for Innovation and Research and Development, at the Conference Center of Philip Morris Manufacturing &Technology Bologna in Crespellano. In an exciting comparison, moderated by Myrta Merlino, the future of Italian production chains and how the Pnrr can favor important evolutions in the field of innovation, placing Italy in the best conditions to be able to attract significant further investments.
The inauguration event was also an opportunity to present, in detail, the future new investments in our Italian supply chain.
Philip Morris aims to convince more and more smokers to switch to latest generation cigarette, which does not burn the tobacco, but heats it, breaking down the harmful substances related to combustion. “By 2025 we want to reach the milestone of 40 million smokers switched to smokeless products”, is the goal set by the Vice President of Operations of Philip Morris International. Massimo Andolina, today in Bologna to inaugurate the new Center for Industrial Excellence. “At the end of September, estimates tell us that we are at 20 million, many here in Italy, we are almost halfway there”, highlights Andolina, illustrating the key role that the new center for excellence will have in defining production and industrial processes. of all the production sites of the tobacco giant in the world.
Bonaccini: “This is how Emilia Romagna is changing”
“I believe that Philip Morris is an example of how Emilia-Romagna is also transforming “, he said Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia-Romagna Region. For Bonaccini, Philip Morris’ investment “is the continuation of many investments that are produced here and multiplied every year”.
Bonaccini remembers the flattering data on GDP and exports and provides: “We will find ourselves in the somewhat curious and problematic situation that we will have so much supply of jobs in some sectors and lack the skills to fill them”.
In this sense, remembers the governor on the sidelines, “we are working together with the social partners of the Pact for work and climate to present a bill that aims to retain the best post-graduate and post-graduate talents here. A series of measures which we will illustrate precisely because we need both to attract those who come from outside ”, but“ we must also keep those who come out with a degree or a diploma here ”.
A great Made in Italy supply chain
From the construction in Bologna of first industrial plant in the world for innovative non-combustion products to the important multi-year agreements, together with Coldiretti and MIPAAF, for the purchase of Italian tobacco and the sustainable development of the tobacco supply chain, that of Philip Morris is a large Made in Italy supply chain made up of about 8,000 companies, of which 1,000 active in the agricultural sector, which generates employment for a total of about 30,000 people in Italy.
An Italian supply chain that in the last year has been further integrated with the opening of Digital Information Service Center (DISC) of Taranto, the new assistance center for current and potential Italian consumers of heated tobacco products, and the announcement of the works for the construction of the Philip Morris Institute for Manufacturing Competences (IMC), the new Philip Morris center for higher education of the skills related to Industry 4.0.
What the Innovation Service Center will look like
In light of the role played by the Crespellano plant in the production of innovative products without combustion and in the provision of support services for Research and Development activities within the Group, Philip Morris creates in Bologna a Service Center for innovation and Research and Development – focused on R&D services in areas such as industrialization, process innovation, engineering and sustainability – the largest in the world for Philip Morris on these issues.
When fully operational, the Center will involve approximately 250 highly qualified people, considering the people who currently work in Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology Bologna in these activities and the new job positions that will be transferred and created in Italy.
Philip Morris International recently announced a investment plan total fixed capital equal to approx 2.4 billion dollars over the three-year period 2021-2023, globally, which includes significant investments in the manufacturing sector, in new machinery and technologies.
A significant part of these global investments for the three-year period 2021-2023 is expected to arrive in Italy, along the Italian supply chain of innovative non-combustion products and could support the potential activation of jobs in direct, indirect and induced employment in Italy.
