One of the most popular pastimes is to point out things that are wrong. Emphasizing one's faults can be a great virtue because by doing so it is possible to identify areas for improvement. But in this last issue of 2021, which coincides with the Christmas holidays and the start of a new year, rather than talking about the problems, we wish to focus on the other side of the coin, the good news. In order to improve, it is in fact necessary also to recognize the good things that have been done. Starting with the first and most recent emergency, the Covid-19 pandemic, when it comes to fighting the virus, we can see that many other nations are adopting the measures that have been in place in our country for some time. The national GDP is growing at a higher rate than other European countries, around 6.2%.
The rating agency Fitch has raised Italy's rating for the first time in twenty years. As far as unemployment is concerned, while it is statistically true that figures are still high, it is equally true that tire dealers, mechanics, and body shops as well as other industries, stores, hotels, and restaurants are struggling to find personnel in many parts of the country, and this calls for a careful consideration on what is actually meant by unemployment. Moving on to tires, sales statistics are all showing a plus sign, and if sales volumes are still struggling to reach 2019 levels, sales values have already exceeded 2019 figures, also thanks to recent price hikes in raw materials. Finally, next year the Autopromotec trade show will be held once again. It will be the first major event of its kind to take place in a physical setting after three years: three years that seem like a century as far as technology is concerned.
In this case, the good news is that while in the past measures and funds for the sector were distributed without any coordination or logic, this year it was decided to create a control room to manage the entire supply chain, with coordinated efforts between aftermarket activities at Autopromotec and the excellence of the Motor Valley system, synergies that were recently introduced at the Dubai expo before the press and international authorities and will be extensively reported on in the next issues of this magazine. Therefore, let us look to the future with confidence, not out of mere optimism, but in the full knowledge that, if it is indeed a problem for us to fight adversities, it is an equally big problem for adversities having to fight against us. Happy 2022.
