May 28, 2026
The company specializing in machinery for wood and glass processing is focusing on advanced laboratories, the Internet of Things, and turnkey plants. CEO Roberto Selci: “Innovation and digitalization are key to responding to Chinese pressure and global uncertainty.” Revenues reached € 662 million.
In recent months, the Italian manufacturing sector has shown mixed signals: on the one hand, exports and investments in automation have remained resilient; on the other, weakening domestic demand and rising energy costs continue to put pressure on companies’ margins.
Against this unstable backdrop, many businesses are rethinking their production strategies and organizational models, focusing on digitalization, operational efficiency, and market diversification to maintain competitiveness.
A representative example of this transformation is Biesse, an Italian listed multinational with a global footprint. Founded in Pesaro in 1969 and operating in the industrial machinery sector for processing wood, glass, plastics, and composite materials, the company is undergoing a profound transformation, accelerated by three main factors: increasing Chinese competition, global geopolitical instability, and the technological transition of an industry that is rapidly evolving from a traditional manufacturing model into a highly competitive and globalized one.
Globalization
The most significant change is coming from China, which in recent months has substantially expanded its presence in global markets.
“China is no longer an emerging player but a well-established competitor,” explains Roberto Selci, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group. “China operates on a global scale with aggressive pricing strategies and growing production capacity. Today, it competes not only on volumes but also on technology, while maintaining a strong cost advantage. It is aggressively entering high-volume segments, while European players like us are increasingly challenged to defend margins that are under pressure.”
Overall, it can be said that the environment in which Biesse operated in 2025 was particularly complex. The company closed the year with revenues of approximately €662 million, down more than 12% compared to the previous year. Net profit was negative by approximately €19.6 million, compared with a profit of €3.8 million in 2024.
Financial Performance
Profitability was also affected: EBITDA declined to approximately €38.6 million, with a margin falling below 6% of revenues.
Despite the deterioration in profitability, however, the company’s financial structure remains solid. Net financial position has improved, and the order backlog continues to provide a solid foundation of industrial visibility.
Therefore, 2025 confirms a key point: this is not a liquidity crisis, but rather a cyclical and structural phase of competitive pressure, which has also had repercussions in the first quarter of 2026. Nevertheless, the order backlog increased by 2.3% compared to year-end 2025.
Between Tariffs and Sanctions
Another critical factor concerns market distribution within a system such as Biesse’s, where exports account for approximately 85% of total revenues and are spread across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, with Europe representing 51%.
“Geopolitical tensions further complicate the picture,” Selci explains. “U.S. tariffs have, at times, led to demand freezes not because of a lack of market opportunities, but due to regulatory uncertainty. Similarly, sanctions against Russia have completely reshaped the commercial landscape, creating opportunities for Chinese competitors in several strategic areas. The result is a less predictable global system, where industrial decisions must become more flexible and be distributed across multiple production regions.”
Major Suppliers
Biesse operates through an international supply chain that includes major suppliers such as Bosch and ABB, alongside a network of highly specialized Italian subcontractors.
Production is distributed across Italy (Marche, Lombardia, and Piemonte) and emerging growth areas such as India and Thailand, with an increasing localization of Asian supply chains.
How Can the Trend Be Reversed?
“The competitive response can no longer be purely industrial; it must become technological and digital,” the CEO emphasizes.
“Five strategic directions are central to our three-year plan: a multi-material industrial platform, the development of more flexible machines, the integration of digital systems and the Internet of Things for remote management, the evolution of customer care into a core value component, and the strengthening of our global sales network.”
Another key element of the strategy is the development of Biesse Material Hubs and advanced showrooms, designed to transform the customer relationship.
“These spaces are not simple exhibition areas,” Selci says, “but genuine demonstration environments where customers can test solutions across multiple materials - wood, glass, and stone - with an increasingly strong focus on the design of turnkey plants. It represents a profound cultural shift: from traditional B2B relationships to the creation of an experiential and digital ecosystem.”