The first edition of Skille’s «Redpaper» was presented, dedicated to logistics: analysis, data and company stories, from Bergamo to global markets. The launch event of the monograph, which will be broadcast on «Bergamo TV» on Sunday 22 February at 9pmsaw the participation of the major Bergamo companies in the sector and the main trade associations. «The impact of logistics on the economy of our province is enormous – he begins Patrizio Ricci, member of the Council of the Bergamo Chamber of Commerce – because Bergamo production is mainly designed for abroad. Our largest outlet markets remain Germany, despite the slowdown of the German economy in recent years, and the United States. Last year, before the Trump administration’s tariffs went into effect, we saw a “boom” in shipments to America.”
The meeting with logistics institutions and entrepreneurs
(Photo by Sergio Agazzi)
Also Paolo Uggè, president of the Italian Road Transport Federation (FAI)underlines the centrality of logistics for the Bergamo system: «Transport keeps our economy going. Yet, they find themselves in a paradoxical condition: for years, those who govern us have never considered them a fundamental element for development. It is no coincidence that our Civil Code does not provide for logistics or shipping contracts: a bill arrived in Parliament in 2008, but then the legislature changed and everything was forgotten.” Marcello Saponaro, president of the Association of Orobic freight forwarders and couriers (the Bergamo section of Fedespedi), wanted to underline the uncertainties of a system in which globalization is brought into play: «Logistics is experiencing a period of uncertainty: conflicts and protectionism are advancing everywhere, including Europe. The search for new markets after the closure of the Russian one, with the agreements with Latin America and India, is an answer. Today, however, the value chains, in Bergamo as in the rest of Italy, are burdened by bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure and growing costs: these are chronic ills of our country, which European incentives and digitalisation will help us resolve. But it will take time to do that.”
From Bergamo to the world, on road, land, air and sea
The presentation event of Skille’s «Redpaper» was an opportunity for discussion between Bergamo logistics companies. «The “Milan Bergamo Airport” has a commercial vocation: inside the airport there are the offices of UPS, but we have also specialized in traffic related to e-commerce», says Matteo Baù, commercial director of the non-aviation area of Sacbo, who continues: «We focus on shipments arriving from China via services such as Shein, Aliexpress and Temu. These are parcels that have a value of less than 150 euros.
From January 1st, this business is at risk due to the introduction of a customs coverage of two euros per packagewhich is only valid in Italy: now, for some e-commerce it is more convenient to have the goods arrive in Paris or the Netherlands and bring them to Italy by truck”. Lde, a logistics company that developed along the A4, also operates mainly for the world of online commerce: «It is a segment that brings with it its own challenges – he confirms Massimo Gigliotti, sales manager of the company – because you need to be flexible and fast. Normally, we deal with hundreds of orders per day. But in the busiest periods we reach five thousand requests per day.” Also Elledi Spa recounts a scenario of shipping in turmoil: «We were among the first to open train routes to China. We did this at the request of customers, to reduce transport times by 50% and to avoid the risks associated with the Suez Canal”, he explains Alberto Lupini, CEO of the company. «Big companies are focusing everything on standardization and digitalization. We, however, deal with the needs of our partners: what rewards us are the relationship with the customer and the artisanal quality of what we do”, he adds Marco Saponaro, CEO of Tecnofreight.
«Of the 1,700 Italtrans vehicles circulating in Italy, 85% are Euro 6. We are making investments in liquefied natural gas and electric: our customers often ask us to do so»
The lack of drivers
Alongside the shocks of (geo)politics, companies have to face problems in the labor market, such as the lack of drivers: «For us, the secret is training. Our drivers not only have to drive, but also load and check the goods. A trained professional, well paid and with decent working hours does not change jobs”, he reports Vittorio Toccagni, CEO of Sta. The other very current challenge is that of sustainability. A transport giant for the Large-scale distribution like Italtrans is already teaching, as the director of the logistics section Armando Pugliese: «Of the 1,700 Italtrans vehicles circulating in Italy, 85% are Euro 6. We are making investments in liquefied natural gas and electric: our customers often ask us to do so». Accompanying these processes are companies like Siad, which designed the «Coool FreeToGo» system to improve transport for large-scale retail trade: «Our technology focuses on the last mile. We use CO2 of biogenic origin, with zero environmental impact, together with a refrigeration system without compressors: the result is simpler and more sustainable transport”, he says Luca Opreni, pm dell’area «food & beverage». Finally, there are the constant regulatory changes. Attention to safety is a challenge that Logistic Company, which deals with transport for pharmaceuticals, faces on a daily basis: «We are a link in pharmaceutical production, we operate in a highly regulated environment and we are constantly subject to controls by the Italian Medicines Agency and by customers», declares Fabio Berlati, «qualified person» of the company: «Security is everything: we must reduce the risks of theft in warehouses, but also in transport. For us, keeping up with the rules and keeping our eyes open is everything.”
«China will continue to produce and export more and more: America and Europe will have to deal with this change, which will reorient trade routes in the east-west direction»
Global trade in the balance between the United States and China
Filippo Fasulo (Ispi Milan)
(Photo by Sergio Agazzi)
He talked about the geopolitical system and its impact on logistics Filippo Fasulo, co-director of the ISPI geoeconomic observatory of Milan. «The two countries that influence global trade are China and the United States. Both are going through big changes. In Washington, the Trump administration has adopted a “transactional” policy, using tariffs as a political weapon. It is a change that depends on Chinese growth: in the last ten years, Beijing has increased the quality of its production in an unthinkable way. It recently approved the economic plan for the next five years, with an unprecedented centrality to manufacturing.” China will continue to produce and export more and more: America and Europe will have to deal with this change, which will reorient trade routes in the east-west direction. It is not certain, however, that Xi Jinping will be able to achieve the goal. On the other hand, he also had to transform the “New Silk Road” project “in progress”: “What was born as a large infrastructure system has changed its form over time. While ports, railways and highways were left aside, the “New Silk Road” became a narrative: Beijing wants to convince the Global South that its investments not only benefit China, but also the countries that receive them.”
«What Washington wants to do is maintain control over some key trade hubs. This fall, a Chinese ship completed the Arctic route for the first time. Hence the interest in Greenland”
On the other hand, the United States has opted for a completely different policy, which emerged in the crisis with its European allies over Greenland: «What Washington wants to do is maintain control over some fundamental trade hubs. This fall, a Chinese ship completed the Arctic route for the first time. Hence the interest in Greenland. But there are so many open fronts that we often forget some of them: some time ago, Trump also made bombastic declarations on the Strait of Panama.”
date: 2026-02-15 01:14:00
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