In the late 1940s, Pirelli asked the artist, graphic artist, and designer Bruno Munari to study new ways of using foam rubber. Perfected by Pirelli in the 1930s, this innovative material had mainly been used until then as padding for mattresses and armchairs. As Munari himself recalled, his study of the material and its characteristics – above all its softness – “which feels like the sensation you get when you hold a kitten or some little animal in your arms”, inspired him to design baby animals for children.

This led to his foam rubber toys with an adjustable reinforcement wire inside: these were Meo Romeo the cat, patented in 1950, and the little monkey Zizì, patented in 1953, which won the first edition of the Compasso d’Oro award the following year for its “essentiality of form” and the “ particular use of the material”. The material was foam rubber with an adjustable wire reinforcement, which gave children “the fun of creating countless poses”.

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During the years when Munari was designing Meo Romeo the cat, Fermo Solari, who was born into a family of clockmakers in Friuli dating back to the eighteenth century, founded Solari & C., a company in Udine that started manufacturing split-flap clocks on an industrial scale. To give form to the ground-breaking technology of Solari clocks, in which the hands are replaced by numbers that flip every minute, he called in a famous designer, the architect Gino Valle. This led to Cifra 5, which won the Compasso d’Oro in 1956. This clock had a compact shell, reflecting the aesthetic tastes of the time, and a roller with 40 flaps, which created figures that could be read from 15 metres away. This was the first in what became an authentic “family” of clocks, hailed as the finest expression of the fusion of technology and design. The same concept was at the heart of the alphanumeric displays for airports and stations, also designed by Gino Valle, which in 1962 won the Compasso d’Oro for their “aesthetic-functional” characteristics. Under the direction of Pirelli, of which Solari became a subsidiary in 1964, these split-flap displays spread to airports and stations across the world, from Tokyo to London, from Beirut to Sydney, and were even used for the countdowns at the Cape Canaveral aerospace centre. In 1966 it was the turn of Cifra 3, the smallest direct-reading electric clock produced by Solari. It too was designed by Gino Valle with lettering created by Massimo Vignelli, and in 1968 it entered the permanent collection of MoMA in New York.

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In 2018, Advertising with a Capital P, a book published by Corraini and edited by the Pirelli Foundation, with graphic design by Leftloft, was selected from the ADI Design Index 2018/2019 as a nominee for the Compasso d’Oro 2020. The book tells the story of Pirelli advertising from the 1970s to the present day, with materials such as camera-ready copy, printed advertisements, and television commercials. The first part, with some introductory essays, is followed by an illustration of Pirelli advertising campaigns in the form of archive documents. These range from social, institutional and product advertising campaigns created in the 1970s and 1980s by Centro – an interesting example of an Italian “house agency”, which took Pirelli communication from traditional graphic design to marketing-oriented strategies and global campaigns with endorsers from the worlds of cinema and sport, such as Sharon Stone, Carl Lewis, and Ronaldo. These campaigns were created by top international agencies (Young & Rubicam and Armando Testa) in the 1990s and 2000s. The photograph of Lewis in high heels, taken by Annie Leibovitz in 1994, is an indelible image in the history of visual communication and the headline “Power is Nothing without Control” became a milestone in international advertising. Still today, it is the distinctive slogan of the “Capital P”.

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In 2012, the ADI Permanent Design Observatory selected the Rubber Soul exhibition, curated by the Pirelli Foundation, for the ADI Design Index , the annual publication of ADI, the Italian Industrial Design Association, a compendium of the finest Italian design put into production each year. The exhibition was held at Triennale Milano from 21 June to 24 July 2011 under the artistic direction of Leftloft, with a scenic and multimedia project by Studio N!03. The event was devoted to the history of Pirelli fashion from the first rubberised raincoats of the 1870s through to P Zero, an industrial design project applied to clothing in the 2000s. In the exhibition, the sketches and original advertising materials interacted with multimedia installations and with animated advertising campaigns, bringing them back to life in a contemporary manner. One of the campaigns reinterpreted for the exhibition was that of 1953 for Coria soles, created by Bruno Munari, now also preserved by MoMA in New York, and the photo reportage by Ugo Mulas for raincoats, set on the Pirelli Tower. Visitors were guided through the exhibition space by the movement of a little animated ball, all the way to the last gallery, which was devoted to a representation of the present and future of Pirelli in the form of a large interactive installation. In 2013, Rubber Soul received the Red Dot Design Award, one of the world’s most important honours in the field of design.

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In 1964, the jury of the Compasso d’Oro gave the award to an major project for Milan: its first Metro line, the 21-station Linea Rossa, which linked Sesto Marelli to Lotto. The prize was awarded to the architects Franco Albini and Franca Helg, and to the graphic designer Bob Noorda, for the installation and signage, which was considered to be a “pioneering example of a unified system that incorporates architectural, graphic, and furnishing elements”. Pirelli, too, contributed to the project, with some subsidiary companies in the “miscellaneous items” sector, providing not only numerous technical accessories for the trains, escalators, service systems, and pipes, but also the flooring, which was used in all the stations. This floor covering was made of Pirelli rubber with little circles in relief on the surface – a design specially studied together with the designers of the stations, and the first example in Europe of this type of covering used for a metro system. It was an important part of the project, as the motivation given for the award shows. It was for “the technological and dimensional organisation of the internal surfaces of the various areas and the contrasting elements of the materials”. Bob Noorda’s work on the signage for the metro and its “M” logo was truly pioneering and was influential around the world. The Dutch graphic designer had worked for a decade with Pirelli, having started with the company upon his arrival in Milan in 1952. He helped introduce a modern form of graphics to the Milanese company’s advertising campaigns, which until then had been entrusted to illustrators and painters. In 1994 Noorda was awarded the Compasso d’Oro for Lifetime Achievement, “for his exceptional contribution both to the art of visual communication, with the interpretation and often with a clarification of the message, and to inventive graphic art, not uncommonly opening up new forms of expression of value”.

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A thesis discussed at the University of Urbino examines one of the crucial questions for society today and attempts to provide an answer

Automation and digitisation. The new horizon for any production organisation that wishes to stay on the market. The path that leads towards Industry 4.0 is ubiquitous, and yet not without its ambiguities, even if the dilemma of the contest between robots and humans remains, and often spills over into debates and declarations regarding the world of work. A dilemma, among other things, which has returned to relevance, after first emerging during the era of the first industrial revolution. Reading Arianna Di Nardo’s research, discussed within the Department of Humanities at the University of Urbino, helps to provide us with a better understanding of the contours of this subject, providing a wealth of useful information to enable us to better assess the situation.

Di Nardo’s work, entitled “Siamo umani, siamo insostituibili” (We are humans, we are irreplaceable) begins with the story of its origins, and as such, with the need to respond to a number of preconceptions concerning the future of work, such as the idea that “robots will replace us” or that “in the future we will be replaced by machines, there will be no more work for anyone”. These are crucial considerations for young jobseekers, but also for those already working within companies. The question that di Nardo attempts to answer, therefore, is simple: is it really true that we can be replaced by technology?

She attempts to find answers to this by first considering the concepts of smart working and the man-machine duo, before moving onto look at the degree of influence that new technologies exert both on society and on individuals. Following this, Di Nardo moves on to address what are often referred to as soft skills, or in other words, the human characteristics that contribute to making us indispensable: emotional intelligence, empathy and creativity.

The conclusion of Di Nardo’s research is largely positive, as long as we succeed in changing the working model: a cultural leap that many of us need to make, and which is certainly far from easy. The author writes that in the face of the evolution of technology, we must be “aware that technological progress cannot be stopped, and that it is therefore useless to compete with machines (…). Paradoxically, however, it is machines that have helped us to understand that cultivating our human skills is the only solution we have in order to face the challenges of the future from the best possible position.”

Siamo umani, siamo insostituibili. Affrontare le sfide del futuro con intelligenza emotiva, empatia e creatività(We are humans, we are irreplaceable. Addressing the challenges of the future with emotional intelligence, empathy and creativity)

Arianna Di Nardo

Thesis, Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Humanities, Master’s degree in counselling and coaching skills. Training and experience programme on effective communication in professional and organisational contexts, 2020

The latest book by a winner of the Nobel Prize for economics has just been published, and deals with this subject, beginning with narratives rather than numbers.

Animal spirits. But also entrepreneurial spirits, and consumer spirits, the feelings of ordinary people, the moods of the masses and of individuals, the daydreams of the few that become the dominant thought of many, and which go on to affect governments, businesses and families. The economy is not just about sums and calculations. This fact is widely known among careful observers and astute entrepreneurs. As such, it is worth reading “Economia e narrazioni. Come le storie diventano virali e guidano i grandi eventi economici” (Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events) – published last year by Robert J. Shiller (Nobel Prize for economics), and now translated into Italian – with close attention.

Shiller’s latest literary effort (a previous book managed to anticipate many of the events of 2007) is founded upon the observation that the economy has always been influenced by the narratives that often spread through society like viruses through living organisms, and this remains the case today. Viral stories, therefore, are narratives that succeed in modifying entire markets: whether it is the belief that the value of the bonds of technology companies can only go up, that house prices will never go down or that some companies are simply too big to fail. Whether true or false, stories like these – transmitted by word of mouth, via the media and now, increasingly via social media – determine the performance of the economy, influencing the decisions we make on how and where to invest, on how much to spend and on how much to save. A powerful phenomenon, recognised by leading economists such as John Maynard Keynes, and yet one which has been somewhat neglected by most scholars of economics and related disciplines. It is perhaps easier to make predictions on the basis of mathematical models – which are formally precise but largely detached from the reality of things and people – than to embark on a perilous course on uncertain seas, composed not only of mathematical accuracy but above all of human estimates.

The book follows a simple structure; first of all, the author focuses on the concept and content of Narrative Economics (this is the name given to the segment of the economy that focuses on narratives), and following this, Shiller gives ten examples of economic events whose origin is based on such narratives. A final, very brief section is dedicated to a discussion on the future of this particular approach to economic events.

Shiller has chosen the most uncertain and dangerous path in the study of economics, placing the most random aspects of this subject at the centre of his many years of work. As such, his latest book – which is something of a summation of his previous books – reads almost like a novel, but contains a number of passages that are crucial to our understanding of what is happening today.

Economia e narrazioni. Come le storie diventano virali e guidano i grandi eventi economici (Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events )

Robert J. Shiller

Franco Angeli, 2020

‘Here, any business is possible,’ says Alessandro Spada, President of Assolombarda. ‘Here, any business is possible,’ repeats a smiling Monica Maggioni, as she introduces a film by John Dickie, an English historian who loves Italy and its companies. ‘Here, any business is possible,’ says EU Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni, after speaking about the EU’s recovery fund, the green economy and the digital economy, as well as the investments that need to be made in innovation, education, knowledge, research and new technologies. ‘Here’ is the area in which 13% of Italy’s GDP and 13% of its exports are produced, where the largest number of multinationals in the country are concentrated, and where some of the top universities in the European league tables can be found. ‘Here’ is the industrial heart of European Italy, home to many of the economy’s most cutting-edge sectors, from mechatronics to pharmaceuticals, from cars to chemistry, from rubber to fashion and furnishings – the very best of Made in Italy, widely appreciated in the niches of the world markets that boast the highest added value.

We are in the expansive hangar of Milan’s Linate airport, which, on a cold, sunny Monday, is hosting the annual general meeting of Assolombarda, the largest regional arm of Confindustria, which unites more than seven thousand companies from Milan, Lodi, Pavia, Monza and Brianza. And indeed, the symbolic choice of Linate as a location hints at the fundamental principles of a possible recovery: the strong roots of the metropolis in the regions and the tendency to view the world as a place of exchanges and trade, of relations, of business, and of productive competition between economies and cultures. A world that is very familiar to the companies that Assolombarda is charged with actively interpreting and representing.

Milan, at the crossroads between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, the west and east of the continent. Milan, expanding into the fertile Po valley, with none of the natural defences provided by mountains and rivers; an open city, both in terms of its situation and its outlook. Milan, a round city with no sharp edges or corners. Milan, where the gates of the city walls were once used as toll houses, a clear sign of an economy of relationships. Milan, an inclusive city, shaped by the precepts of Bishop Ambrose, the founder of a special ‘Ambrosian rite’ designed to innovate and overlap with the edict of Bishop Ariberto d’Intimiano, who proclaimed in 1018: ‘Those who know what work is come to Milan. And those who come to Milan are free men.’ Milan the metropolis, considered by the most astute sociologists as a sort of infinite city, part of a network of relationships stretching from Turin and Piedmont to the North-East and industrial Emilia. Milan, a huge land of factories and universities, avant garde centres of life sciences and financial institutions, high-tech services and a culture of international acclaim. Milan, a place capable of struggling through crises –the social tensions surrounding the economic boom, the bombs in Piazza Fontana and the looming shadow of terrorism throughout the decade of the Years of Lead, the moral disaster of the Tangentopoli investigation, the stock market crises and recessions – and still coming out the other side. Milan, a city of many facts and few gimmicks, with a good working culture and a pride that sometimes borders on boastfulness. Milan, always competitive without ever disregarding its true nature as a community founded upon solidarity.

All of these elements are concentrated here, in the hangar at Linate airport. Here, entrepreneurs and representatives from institutions, the world of politics and civil society gather together for the Assolombarda general meeting, an annual ritual that has been held in a variety of locations – once in a large disused factory, another time within the imposing spaces of the Teatro alla Scala – and now in Linate, a symbol of movement, of departures and arrivals, of exchanges that have not yet started again, but which everyone is convinced will begin anew after the Covid-19 pandemic, in a metropolis that has come to terms with its fragility, and now declares its desire to go above and beyond, in order to create a new and better fabric of economic and social relations.

‘Milan close to Europe. Milan at your fingertips. She asks you a question in German and answers you in Sicilian’, sang Lucio Dalla. Precisely –

Europe. This is one of the first points of Spada’s report: ‘Without Europe, we would not be able to take part in the global competition that is playing out on an ever-larger scale, in the spheres of demography, trade, technology. Today, Italy has a number of good reasons to renew its belief in the European project, placing its faith in the turning point that the events of recent months represent. Because a new awareness has emerged among the member states of the EU: that we cannot climb out of a crisis of such unprecedented proportions without shared investments, and without shared responsibilities.’

Speaking to the entrepreneurs of Assolombarda, Gentiloni recalled the decisions made by Brussels, referring to the EU’s Next Generation recovery plan that is founded upon the green economy and the digital economy – or in other words, sustainability and innovation. And in the words of Spada: ‘Compared to the past and the disappointing response to the previous recession, we must acknowledge that this European Commission has really made a change of pace. The past few months have shown us that there is no sense in undermining the European project, or stating that we are outside of it. The only way forwards is to ensure our full involvement. Our industrial future is reliant upon the priorities that the EU has set itself since this summer, with its recovery fund. Infrastructure, digitisation, social safety nets, schooling, health and the green economy are all areas in which investments cannot be delayed. For us and for the country as a whole.’

In essence, ‘The EU we have in mind is not reticent, but rather progresses quickly from plans to action, from good intentions to the capacity to make them a reality. On this path, there is no chasm between us and Brussels, and nor can there be.’ Because ‘we are Europe’.

Talking about the prospects for new generations means insisting on the importance of education: ‘The best social infrastructure‘. Spada emphasises: ‘The relationship between businesses and schools and universities remains one of our greatest priorities. In recent months, we have worked on reinforcing the support of companies in terms of training, particularly in technical colleges, which has included building on the best experience from all over the EU. Technical training is not a second-rate option – on the contrary, it is one of the core areas upon which we must focus in order to relaunch manufacturing, in the name of innovation.’

Young people and women: ‘Focusing on the next generation means liberating the main source of untapped potential in our society once and for all. Namely, women: in work, in careers, in leading management positions. And furthermore, that of young people, who must be at the very heart of our idea of society. We cannot keep our best resources in reserve.’

The leading role played by the metropolis, as the train that drives the entire country’s system (a powerful image used at the general meeting by the President of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi, formerly of Assolombarda), is founded upon a capacity for research, development and technology transfer that is unique to Italy, and which places Milan at the very top of the pile within Europe: ‘21% of the national total of expenditure both on research and development and on scientific publications is concentrated in Milan. We are leaders in technology transfer: in 2019 alone, 1,493 patents originating in Lombardy were filed with the European Patent Office, 34% of the total in Italy as a whole.’ With the launch of Human Technopole, the presentation of Milan as a candidate to the Unified Patent Court, and the application of Milan and Bergamo to host next year’s global health summit, this region ‘is set to be the shining star of the growing international competition in life sciences.’ Also on the horizon is the establishment of a European Agency for Biomedical Advanced Research and Development, as announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: ‘This is another game we want in on, because we have what it takes to win it.’

Elsewhere, there is another key pillar of Assolombarda’s activity: a corporate culture that is based on legality. This, in essence, means ‘being at the forefront of the battle against the mafia, which is still alarmingly relevant in this day and age.’ Indeed, in the northern regions of the country, from Milan to Brianza, the ‘Ndrangheta first and foremost but also the Camorra and the Sicilian Cosa Nostra have strengthened their grip on the economy, exploiting the current crisis in order to take over businesses, services, public administration bodies and contracts, distorting the market and undermining the function of civil life. On this issue, Spada insists that ‘we must strengthen our commitment, working with all the key players in the social and economic sectors who care about freedom. And we must seek a truly European approach to tackling this issue, because today, organised crime knows no borders.’ And furthermore: ‘We must make our voices heard against the unacceptable phenomena of intimidation, and the violent drift towards business.’ Accordingly, he went on to repeat his support for Marco Bonometti, Giuseppe Pasini and Stefano Scaglia, the presidents of Confindustria Lombardia and the corresponding associations of Brescia and Bergamo, who have been the object of terrorist threats: ‘In the face of threats, no entrepreneur in Lombardy must feel alone.’

There is another theme causing alarm among entrepreneurs: the ‘cost of doing nothing’. Inefficient bureaucracies, blocks on productive public spending, the halting of public works, and the slow-down of productivity and competitiveness. The answer? ‘No more emergency logic: we need structural solutions.’ These must be based on three priorities, three clear choices: first of all, ‘we need to implement radical change to a bureaucracy that hinders the competitiveness of businesses and the development of the region; it is a thorn in the side of action. The Genoa model, which enabled the collapsed bridge to be rebuilt in just over a year (as opposed to ten), must become the norm.

The second priority? ‘Industry 4.0. When something works, it must be supported and strengthened. And today, Industry 4.0 must be restored to its former role as a “disruptive” measure that serves to accelerate the change that companies must face: not only the purchase of new machinery and more advanced technologies, but also the transformation of business, production and management processes.’

The third priority focuses on the goal for the coming years: ‘We cannot miss out on this great EU opportunity: 209 billion euros to relaunch our region and the entire country. 209 billion euros to demonstrate that Italy can leave an era of “doing nothing” behind. This is our chance. Let’s not waste it.’ The Milanese and Lombard organisation thus reiterates its idea of what the market and open society should look like: an active region characterised by fair trade, manufacturing and commercial transactions carried out within the context of a sustainable Italy and EU, both from an environmental perspective and from a social point of view. A worthy enterprise that is infinitely possible, then.

A book that has just been published contains seven interviews with representatives from as many large companies, who discuss the steps that need to be taken in order to resume real development

In order to face the future, we need serious ideas that can actually be put into practice, rather than grand strategic plans. These must be things that we can do immediately, and not projects that could (perhaps) be implemented in the medium-to-long term. Of course, these are necessary too, but they do not represent the right starting point for a trajectory of growth like the one we need. Especially in the face of today’s anguish. This is the fundamental philosophy behind Proposta per l’Italia, a book edited by Alberto Orioli and just published.

Like any good reporter, Orioli’s aim is not to write a scholarly book on economics, but rather a useful volume that offers up a series of proposals of how we could relaunch the country. Proposals (and not a strategic plan) that are derived from the experience of a small, highly-successful group of entrepreneurs. From individuals who are confronted on a daily basis with the problems that go hand in hand with production – but also with the opportunities, which do exist in Italy – as they look at both the former and the latter with great practical insight, with a view to overcoming the (many) obstacles that still exist.

So it is not for nothing that the subtitle of the book – a short volume of just over 150 pages that can be read almost in one breath – is “Seven leaders of the economy for the country of tomorrow”. A number of important names – Silvia Candiani, Andrea Illy, Emma Marcegaglia, Federico Marchetti, Carlo Messina, Renzo Rosso and Marco Tronchetti Provera – contribute to the work: they are interviewed by Orioli without any form of advance interposition, and the interviews are followed by a series of questions and answers. In other words, the reader is left as much space as possible to reflect upon the concepts that emerge as they turn the pages, and either to find themselves in agreement with the ideas presented of the interviewees, or to rail against these with no pressure from the outside. The core rule for everyone is that all discussion must be based on real-life experience gained within companies. “In terms of method, concreteness must be pursued unrelentingly”, writes Orioli in his (appropriately) brief introduction to the book.

Each interview is characterised by a kind of basic idea; this is how the proposals put forward by the various figures play out: Candiani (who reflects upon artificial intelligence), Illy (who speaks of the arrival of a sort of “era of altruism”), Marcegaglia ( (who sees education as the first emergency that needs to be addressed), Marchetti (who talks about the potential of luxury and beauty), Messina (who argues that we must make good use of the wealth that does exist in our country), Rosso (who combines fashion and a sense of civic duty), and Tronchetti Provera (who extends his gaze across the entire world, beginning with the complex face-off between the USA and China). The interviews, then, are not limited to the key ideas that support them; they extend to cover topics such as the state and bureaucracy, school and young people, digitisation and work.

It’s all there to read (and reread) in the book edited by Orioli which – although written on the crest of the wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – has the staying power to remain valid and applicable well beyond the current emergency.

Proposta per l’Italia. Sette protagonisti dell’economia per il Paese di domani

Alberto Orioli (ed.)

Einaudi, 2020

A thesis presented at the University of Padua analyses the links between Industry 4.0 and lean production

Taking the challenging path of technological innovation: this is the goal of any company that wishes to ensure a future for itself. However, it is not an easy goal to achieve, and it requires commitment and tenacity, as well as investment. “Lean automation: un’opportunità per le PMI italiane” (“Lean automation: an opportunity for Italian SMEs”), economics student Laura Pierobon’s thesis and body of research at the M. Fanno Department of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of Padua, addresses the theme of the most suitable path towards the digitisation of production. In doing this, the author focuses in particular on SMEs (small and medium enterprises), which are viewed on the one hand as the backbone of the national economy, but on the other, as a weaker element than other organisations.

Pierobon explains how – despite the significant advantages of Industry 4.0 – the way in which this is spread and leads companies to evolve into genuine smart factories remains far from straightforward. “Smaller companies with limited financial resources,” says Pietrobon “such as small and medium enterprises, for example, seem to find it more difficult to deal with a change this far-reaching.” The research thus discusses a possible tool that could be used to better address this issue: the pairing of Industry 4.0 and the lean production system, i.e. an approach that is based on lean automation; simple to understand and implement, and more easily within the reach of smaller production organisations. “These two approaches,” continues Pierobon “appear to share the same objectives, namely to reduce complexity and increase productivity and flexibility, through the elimination of waste, continuous improvement, the creation of an uninterrupted flow of production and the maximisation of value for the customer.”

As such, the research, which is structured in a simple manner, unfolds around an in-depth theoretical study first and foremost, before going on to look at practical implementation: in the first instance, Pierobon focuses on the meaning of Industry 4.0, and then moves on to discuss the possible links between this and lean production, before finally analysing the results of a research project conducted by the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Padua and the CUOA Business School on the adoption of 4.0 and lean principles in Italy.

Pierobon’s work is a useful introduction to a specific topic within the wider theme of technological innovation, and can contribute to giving us a better understanding of the prospects and difficulties that the SME system still faces.

Lean automation: un’opportunità per le PMI italiane

Laura Pierobon

Dissertation. University of Padua, M. Fanno Department of Economics and Business Sciences, Master’s in Economics, 2020