Italian industry is a leading sector of the state economy. This direction accounts for more than 28% of all local GDP. Moreover, almost half of all working residents are involved here. If we talk about the industrial structure of Italian industry, then it represents 76% of the manufacturing sector.
Engineering
The engineering industry of Italy is considered one of the most important and most dynamic sectors of the country's economy. More recently, its main centers were Turin, Milan and Genoa. Currently, this area has spread to other regions of the state. Significant machine-building capacities are now located in Florence, Venice, Bologna and Trieste. A key area of this industry has become the automotive industry. Every year, the state produces about two million cars, as well as a huge number of mopeds, motorcycles and bicycles. The leading role is played by the Fiat concern. Its headquarters are located in the city of Turin, and production facilities are located in almost all regions of the country. In Lombard cities, Naples and Turin, the production of air transport is established, while the Italian shipbuilding industry is concentrated in Genoa, Livorno, La Spezia and Trieste.
Power generation
The state annually produces about 190 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Almost 65% of this amount falls on thermal power plants, which are located in the largest cities. They operate both on their own and on imported raw materials. A little less than one third of the electricity is generated by hydroelectric power plants built on alpine rivers. The remaining share falls on objects from the sphere of alternative energy. An interesting feature of the industry is that not a single nuclear power plant operates in the state, which was the result of a nationwide referendum held in 1987.
Oil industry
The country is quite poor in minerals, including black gold. Here it is mined in small quantities (totaling about 1.5 million tons per year) in Lombardy, in Sicily and on the shelf of the Adriatic Sea. The specialization of such an Italian industry as oil refining on imported raw materials does not prevent it from outstripping other Western European states. Most of the factories that operate in the area are concentrated in port areas. It is here that raw materials come from the Middle East, Russia and some North African countries. However, thanks to the developed network of oil pipelines, such enterprises are successfully operating in other regions.
Metallurgy
It does not have its own raw material sources and the metallurgical industry of Italy. Similar to the sectors mentioned above, the sphere is focused on imports, therefore, its key enterprises are concentrated in the area of large ports. Iron and steel processing plants operate mainly in large industrial cities, where scrap metal is accumulated in significant volumes. The country smelts about 250 thousand tons of aluminum and about 25 million tons of steel annually. They are focused on factories that are located nearby electricity sources - Alpine hydroelectric power stations.
Light industry
Far from the largest, but extremely important sector of the state economy is Italy's light industry. It is represented, as a rule, by small companies scattered throughout the territory. The country has become one of the world leaders in terms of production of woolen fabrics, second only to China in this indicator. The textile industry is at a high level of development, the main production capacities of which are concentrated in the northern regions - Piedmont and Lombardy. The northwestern regions of the state, in particular Tuscany, Marche and Veneto, are the centers of the shoe, leather and clothing industries. One of the few areas characterized by constant growth is the food industry, which operates both on imported and its own raw materials. The volume of production here annually increases by an average of 3%. The specialization of Italian industry in this direction is largely related to the production of olive oil. The country accounts for about one third of its release worldwide.
Chemical industry
Initially, the production of chemical products in Italy originated in the territory of Lombardy. This can explain the fact that it is here that most of the factories and enterprises specializing in this area of activity are located now. The industry operates mainly on imported oil, phosphate rock, cellulose, sulfur and other raw materials. In the region of Trieste, petrochemical enterprises are concentrated in the northeast, and mineral fertilizer companies are located in the south. The international specialization of the Italian industry in the field of chemistry is mainly associated with the production of polymers and synthetic fibers. At a fairly high level of development is the production of traditional inorganic substances - pesticides, nitric and sulfuric acids, chlorine, as well as caustic soda.
Sales of industry products are focused primarily on meeting the needs of their own industry. Along with this, part of it is exported to the United States and countries of the so-called common market.
