The sixth edition of the IVS Valve Industry Think Tank, the discussion event that gathered the leading players in the industrial valve industry, has taken place at the auditorium of Confindustria Bergamo, within the Kilometro Rosso Innovation District. The event was promoted by IVS – Industrial Valve Summit, the most important international event dedicated to industrial valve technologies and flow control solutions.
The conference was held in collaboration with VALVEcampus, the association for the training of Italian industrial valve manufacturers, a sector that represents excellence in the European competitive context. Almost 4 out of 10 Oil&Gas valves produced in Europe by 2022 are Made in Italy, where the sector’s production value is close to 3.0 billion (+12% compared to 2021). Numbers realised within an ecosystem of 139 companies (over 90% of turnover is realised within a radius of 100 km from the province of Bergamo) employing over 10,000 people.
IVS Valve Industry Think Tank, which developed around the theme ‘Designing the Future, Challenges and Opportunities for the Valve Supply Chain’, explored the challenges and opportunities shaping the industrial valve supply chain, with a strong focus on energy transition and sustainability.
The conference was opened by Luca Pandolfi, Confindustria Bergamo, Project Manager of IVS – Industrial Valve Summit, who talked about the objectives and previews of the upcoming Summit. Organised by Confindustria Bergamo and Promoberg, the event will be back again at the Fiera di Bergamo for its sixth edition, scheduled from 19 to 21 May, 2026. Keith Johnston, Vice-Chairman of the Digital Transformation Committee of the International Association of Oil&Gas Producers (IOGP), analysed the strategic importance and benefits of
Material Digital Passport (MDP) and its significant innovation in materials and equipment’s tracking, management and optimization during the lifecycle in Oil&Gas industry. Marc Schmidt, International Sales of AUMA Riester GmbH & Co. KG, explored the benefits of efficient data management through Smart MOV systems. Then Marco Moiola, Business Development Manager at S3P Italy, and Vittorio Bordiga, Senior Engineer at S3P Italy, discussed the evolutionary wear solutions of S³P technologies for stainless steels in Oil&Gas application.
The programme then proposed the panel ‘Present and future of the labour market’, which analysed topics related to training, work-life balance and employability with reference to the attractiveness of companies in the eyes of Generation Z candidates. Taking the stage were Marco Manzoni, Vice President of Confindustria Bergamo with responsibility for Education, and Massimiliano Medri, Vice President Staffing of Adecco Italia Spa.
«The issue of human resources is crucial to sustain a manufacturing system that is among the most advanced in Europe – said Marco Manzoni -. However, even in our area, companies are experiencing, in a context of demographic decline, an increasing difficulty in attracting and keeping people and in finding suitable profiles, with a particular criticality for technical profiles. Our approach is multi-level to explore all possible avenues. We are working on the one hand, to increase the capacity of companies to dialogue with those entering the world of work for the first time and who are often bearers of different visions than in the past, with a greater focus on work-life balance, but are at the same time looking for values to share. On the other hand, there is a great investment in training, to help reduce the strong mismatch of skills, emphasising technical training and in particular the ITS segment, which is more in line with the needs of companies. The Oil&Gas sector is very indicative in this sense, since it is an area of excellence that expresses high technical and technological requirements, which we need to be able to intercept more and more to link them with the training chain».
Francesco Apuzzo, President of VALVEcampus, introduced the Scientific Committee and the guidelines of the IVS 2026 scientific programme, officially opening the Call for Papers, which will close on 31 October 2025. The macro topics around which the IVS Academy roundtables and content will focus are: development and innovation in the field of hydrogen; applications in Artificial Intelligence; additive manufacturing; critical issues in control valves; specificities of subsea valve actuation; surface treatment technologies; fugitive emissions from valves, the critical role of materials in leakage prevention; sealing materials and PFAS, how to navigate through the new regulations; throttling valves, precision flow control for high performance applications.
«With the presentation of the Call for Papers we are fostering the continuous exchange of knowledge and experience that characterises IVS – Industrial Valve Summit far beyond the three-day exhibition – said Francesco Apuzzo -. The guidelines to draft the scientific programme aim to further increase the quality of the round tables and individual talks, in synergy with the companies to proactively involve the key players of the supply chain. A shift that nominates VALVEcampus as a content producer, setting in motion resources and sub-committees, working directly with leading specialists».
Sissi Bellomo, journalist for “Il Sole 24 Ore”, took the floor at the end of the day’s events and discussed the topic of investments in the energy sector in times of war and great social and industrial transformation.
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