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html) Opportunities in Italy

Italy has the seventh largest in the world and fourth largest economy in the European Union. With a population of 60 million inhabitants (plus approximately 44 million tourists visiting Italy every year) and a per capita Gross National income of approximately 34.000 USD, Italy represents a large, wealthy market. Furthermore, Italy is home to over 4 million businesses, primarily small and medium sized companies involved in a variety of industrial and service activities. Italy has a long business tradition and many Italian companies are market leaders and own well known brands all over the world. Aside from the most consolidated industries (fashion, automotive, furniture, food, etc.), Italy offers interesting business opportunities in the following sectors: Information Technology: Italy is Europe's fourth largest IT market (worth approximately 23 billion euros). Although the Italian IT sector still suffers from long-existing structural problems and is undersized in comparison with other major European countries, the technology gap has been narrowing and IT penetration has been improving, especially in the past two years. The Italian IT market is far from being mature in many segments and the potential is significant, with both small and medium sized companies and the local and national Government taking important steps towards modernization of their IT systems. Telecommunication equipment and services. The Italian market for telecommunications equipment and services is the third largest in Europe. Italy is also the second largest mobile communications market in Western Europe. Mobile phone diffusion in Italy is the highest in Europe, with 46 million clients served, close to 91 million SIM cards activated and 23 million of them enabling UMTS services. Internet is still less used than in other major European countries, but it has experienced significant growth in recent years, with 31 million internet users in 2008. Medical Equipment. The Italian market for medical equipment & supplies ranks sixth in the world and third in Europe after Germany and France. Italy is a mature market for medical equipment and its high per capita income and sophisticated healthcare system translate into demand for a broad range of cutting-edge medical equipment. Italians are used to state-of-the art medical equipment, which ensures continuous demand for innovative medical equipment and products. Biotechnology. Italys biotech industry has made remarkable progress in the past five years, with a growing number of biotech companies. After a successful development phase, the sector is now in the process of integrating biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions and research institutes. Italy ranks among the leading countries in life sciences, particularly in pharmaceuticals, where it ranks fifth in Europe after the USA, Japan, Germany and France.

There are many other opportunities in other industries. Executive Consulting is available to assist your company in exploring (and pursuing!) them.

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Italian industries are known for high quality and craftsmanship. The industry in Italy is thus dominated by automobiles and textiles. The countrys industry sector is also reinforced by a strong workforce comprising 24.95 million people. Italy Industry Sectors
The Italian industry sector is characterized by well-developed large corporations as well as smaller, family-run industries. However, the lack of raw materials poses a big challenge to the economy and is supplied through imports. Italian industries include tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear and ceramics shrunk 12 percent in 2010. In 2010, the Italian industry sector contributed 26.7 percent to GDP while agriculture accounted for 2 percent and services, 71.3 percent. The biggest sector; services, employs 30.7 percent of the workforce. Tourism is a main sector for Italy and attracts foreign exchange plus creates jobs. However, all industries suffered smaller growth rates during the recession years and are still struggling to recover.

Italy Industry Sectors: FDI

Italys industrial sector attracts a good amount of FDI. In 2010, the total amount of FDI was $386.7 billion, up from $376.6 billion in the previous year. Abroad, Italys FDI totaled $610.5 billion in 2010, increasing from the previous year when it was $565.3 billion. A challenge for Italy is to increase its energy production, an area where the country is not selfsufficient. For an economy that gets tremendous support from the industrial sector, its essential to achieve self sufficiency in the energy sector. In 2010, Italy manufactured 289.7 billion kWh while consuming 315 billion kWh. To plug the gap, the country had to import energy, tilting the balance of the trade.