The regional companies in the building and construction industry have become international leaders in terms of product quality and design innovation and are at the cutting-edge as regards research into materials and production technologies.
Exports of regional tiles and ceramics are worth 93% of the national total. The Italian ceramics industry is concentrated between the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia - the Sassuolo district, with 135 companies, almost 20 thousand employees, turnover of 5.3 billion euros - and also in Faenza (Ravenna) and Imola (Bologna).
The region is also home to the Italian companies operating in the production of machines and systems for the ceramics industry as well as in a series of related production areas, including earth moving machinery, cranes and hoisting equipment, and in the production of building material.
Production of high quality furniture and furnishings is another excellence with larger concentration in Forlì (upholstered furniture district), Rimini and Imola.
Main specializations
Top companies
Here are some top regional brands and companies:
| CERAMICS | BUILDING | FURNITURE | PACKAGING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image  | Image  | Image  | Image  |
Innovation ecosystem
The building and construction sectors are supported by the regional innovation ecosystem that is able to create collaborations and synergies between knowledge system and business. Here are some key actors:
Clust-ER BUILD – Building and Construction
Clust-ER Associations are communities of public and private bodies (research centers, companies, training institutes) created to support the competitiveness of the most important production systems in Emilia-Romagna.
Regional High Technology Network
Discover the High Technology Network industrial research offering in ‘Building and construction’
| BUILDING AND CONTRUCTION RESULTS OF THE REGIONAL SMART SPECIALIZATION STRATEGY 2014-21 (Updated December 2021) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Funded R&D Projects 634 | Million euros of total investment 236 | Million euros of public funds 138 |
Main international trade fairs
Key facts
| Building and construction in Emilia-Romagna | ||
|---|---|---|
| Employees (Infocamere, 2021) 361.5k | Local units (Infocamere, 2021) 151.3k | Export (Istat Coeweb, 2022) 7.2 bln € |
| Import (Istat Coeweb, 2022) 2.0 bln € | Of national exports in clay building materials (2022, Istat Coeweb) 93% | |
Info-sheets "Invest in housing in Emilia-Romagna"
