Marche Region, FederlegnoArredo, and Confindustria Marche announce a strategic tool for regional industrial policy.
Strengthening competitiveness, supporting innovation and accompanying companies in the supply chain towards international markets: that is the objective of the Framework Agreement signed by the Marche Region, FederlegnoArredo and Confindustria Marche, on the occasion of the institutional visit, which, under FederlegnoArredo's invitation, took place at the Salone del Mobile.Milano.
Presented by the signatories – the Councillor for Economic Development of the Marche Region Giacomo Bugaro, the President of FederlegnoArredo Claudio Feltrin and the President of Confindustria Marche Roberto Cardinali – to the public, with a delegation of entrepreneurs from the Marche region, the Agreement represents a strategic tool of regional industrial policy, aimed at supporting the Wood-Furniture supply chain, one of the identity sectors with the greatest international vocation in the region. The agreement aims to align regional policies with European and national trajectories in the field of innovation, sustainability, digital transformation and human capital, strengthening the system of institutional and production relations with the territory. The operational heart will be the definition of a Strategic System Project for the “Home and Furniture” sector, developed with the involvement of research centres, universities, and innovation hubs, accompanied by a public-private Cabina di Regia that will coordinate actions in the medium to long term.
In detail, the Agreement between entities aims to facilitate coordinated access to European funds, also in view of the new 2028-2034 programming, strengthen the processes of aggregation between companies, support technological innovation and the green and digital transition, as well as accompany companies in internationalisation paths, also through support for certifications required by non-EU markets.
“The Wood-Furniture supply chain is one of the engines of the Marche economy: an employment weight equal to 7.7% of the regional industry, and over 765 million euros in exports, 5.7% of the Marche's exports. A production system strongly oriented towards international markets that today we want to accompany in a new phase of growth,” adds the Marche regional councillor, Giacomo Bugaro. “The Framework Agreement signed at the Salone del Mobile strengthens the collaboration between the Marche Region, FederlegnoArredo, and Confindustria Marche, and introduces a shared industrial strategy, based on innovation, sustainability, digitisation, and skills development. The goal is to concretely support companies, encourage technology transfer and strengthen the competitive capacity of the entire supply chain. We focus in particular on internationalisation and support for companies in accessing non-EU markets, including through certifications and new production standards. With this agreement, the Marche region provides itself with a stable framework to attract European resources and accompany the sector towards the opportunities of the 2028-2034 programming, enhancing Made in Marche in the world”.
“This agreement puts in place a clear operating model to support the supply chain: integration between European, national and regional resources, support for certifications for access to foreign markets, strengthening of skills and investments in innovation and sustainability,” adds Carlo Piemonte, General Manager of FederlegnoArredo. The goal is to concretely accompany companies, especially SMEs, in the processes of transformation and internationalisation, while enhancing the Marche production system, renowned for its artisan traditions and innovation. In 2025, it reached a value of about 3.7 billion euros, ranking fourth in terms of both turnover and exported value in the Wood-Furniture supply chain, confirming itself as one of the main hubs of furniture production in Italy”.
The numbers confirm the central role of the Marche region, with a trade balance of 660 million euros, over 1,800 companies and 18,700 employees, 74% of whom are employed in the production of furniture, according to data from the FederlegnoArredo Study Centre. The Marche district is characterised by an extraordinary production in the kitchen sector, which represents 26% of the national kitchen turnover. The sector contributes significantly to the image and competitiveness of Made in Italy in the world. Despite global challenges, the Marche region maintains a prominent position in furniture exports: the sector covers 67% of exports of the entire wood-furniture supply chain.
“We are pleased to sign an agreement that pursues the objective of strengthening the competitiveness of the wood-furniture supply chain, and that aims to define a shared strategic project dedicated to the home and furniture system of the Marche Region”, says Roberto Cardinali, President of Confindustria Marche. “This agreement pushes on the priorities that Confindustria Marche has long highlighted as strategic for our companies: skills, innovation and digitisation, aiming at an industrial policy coordinated between the regional and national level. The wood-furniture sector has a history of quality and prestige in our Region and a significant weight in the regional GDP and exports. The establishment of a public-private control room can become a national model for the setting and implementation of strategic interventions, to enhance a supply chain that is important for the Marche economy, also making use of the support by institutional and technological partners”.
