MILANO (ITALPRESS) – Today in Milan, at the Pirelli Hall in Palazzo delle Stelline, the press conference for the presentation of the sixth edition of IVS – Industrial Valve Summit, the most important international event dedicated to industrial valve technologies and flow control solutions. The appointment, promoted by Services Confindustria Bergamo and Promoberg, will take place at the Fiera di Bergamo from 19 to 21 May 2026. IVS 2026 marks a further step in the growth path of the event: the organizers of the Summit predict record numbers, starting from the companies present. The exhibitors will be 416 (+30% compared to 2024), coming from 20 countries: in addition to Italy, Spain, Germany, France, UK, USA, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and UAE. In great development the international component, with about one hundred enterprises (+56%): the greatest adherence from abroad ever. The exhibition layout of the Bergamo Fair will be expanded by offering two additional pavilions, for a total of four, reaching a surface of 21,400 square meters, area higher than the previous edition of approximately 40%. The program will extend permanently on three whole days of openness to the public, growing from two-day exhibition to real week of valves. An evolution that reflects the will of organizers to respond to the growing demand for content, networking opportunities and qualified comparison. Thanks to the scientific contribution of Valve Campus – the Association for the formation of Italian manufacturers of industrial valves and historical partner of Industrial Valve Summit –, IVS 2026 will propose a technical program located at the frontier of innovation, built to meet the most current challenges of the industry.
Particular attention will be paid to emerging technologies and opportunities offered by new application markets such as hydrogen, nuclear, CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, carbon capture and storage technologies to reduce CO2 emissions and renewable energy sources: strategic guidelines for industry development. The overall stake includes 68 appointments (30% more than the 52 events of 2024) between conventions, round tables and conferences, which will articulate around six main thematic areas: standardization and regulatory development; digital technologies applied to valves, actuators and control systems; valve design and service materials in extreme situations; advanced seal solutions for industrial valves; artificial intelligence applications to mechanical design, supply chain and manufacturing; Other key issues such as innovation in sealing materials, fugitive emissions and the impact of PFAS substances will also be discussed. A specific focus will be devoted to artificial intelligence, with seven conferences that will deepen its applications in different industrial contexts, alongside contributions on decentralized production and additive manufacturing. The Summit will also host four highly specialized round tables, dedicated to the following topics: the implementation of underwater valves in deepwater environments, the use of stroking valves in high pressure systems, the performance and safety of control valves in critical applications and surface treatment technologies to increase the resistance of erosion and corrosion components. To these we add a round table dedicated to nuclear energy, with the involvement of regulators, companies, associations and institutions, with insights both on the next generation nuclear (Small Modular Reactor) and on the traditional one.
Of great stimulus to the increase of international presences are the synergies with ICE (the Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies), AVR ANIMA (the Industrial Association of category that represents the Italian companies of the valves and taps sector), Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo (the International Representation of Confindustria that supports Italian companies in their path growth in Africa and Middle East Italy) IVS has also signed agreements with BVAA (the Association that represents manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers of industrial valves and actuators in Great Britain), Fluidex (the Spanish association of exporters of equipment for the management of fluids, solutions and process technologies), SPAP (the Polish category association for companies operating in the valves and industrial armor sector), CzechTrade (the Government Agency for the Promotion of Trade of the Czech Republic
During the press conference were presented the anticipations of the edition 2026 of the Observatory IVS-Prometeia “The Oil & Gas Valve Industry in Italy”, realized with the contribution of the study office of Confindustria Bergamo. The new report focuses on the state of the Italian industrial valve sector, which confirms a strategic segment of national manufacturing and excellence in the European competitive environment. The industry has 140 companies, more than 10,000 employees and a value of production that is stable above 3 billion euros. With approximately 38% of total European production (in 2024, it was 36%), Italy is a leader in the Oil & Gas valve market, surpassing Germany (30%) and France. Lombardy is established as a productive heart of the sector: in the Province of Bergamo and in the surrounding 100 km, 90% of the total turnover of the national sector is generated.
The 2024 was very favorable for the supply chain, with a third consecutive double-digit increase of sales (+14% vs 2023), supported by the backlog of the previous two years, and by a decided improvement of profitability: the EBITDA margin stood at 11.5% (+2.5% on 2023 and almost double compared to 2022). The trend continued in 2025, with Oil & Gas investments growing along the entire supply chain and new opportunities related to renewables, nuclear, data center and space. Despite trade tensions related to US tariff policies, export has maintained an expansion profile (+5.2% overall and +2% in the USA, which absorb 13% of exports). More uncertain on 2026: the Middle East, which weighs more than a quarter of the tricolor export, remains central but very exposed to geopolitical risks. Tensions with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could affect times and priorities of investments, with effects on order dynamics. The IVS-Prometeia Observatory, which will be fully presented on 19 May at the opening of IVS – Industrial Valve Summit 2026, will offer an update on the competitive picture and the prospects of the sector. IVS – Industrial Valve Summit 2026 actively promotes the involvement of the students of the superior institutions of the territory through the IVS Young project, with the aim of approaching the new generations to a strategic industrial sector. The initiative is divided into various activities: from the “Roberto Brevi Scholarship for Education in the Valve Industry”, which supports the training path of students of the I.T.I.S. “Pietro Paleocapa” and promotes its entry into the world of work in collaboration with OMB Valves S.p.A., to the project “Electronics diagnostic controller for industrial valves”, initiated with students of the Institute “Ettore Majorana” and the company Starline S.p.A..
To these are the company visits, designed to offer a direct experience of the production processes, and the IVS RadioAut project, the official radio of the event, realized in collaboration with “Spazio Autismo”, a reality of reference for people with autistic spectrum disorder and their families. As a whole, these initiatives bear witness to a structured commitment to creating a bridge between training and industry, contributing to the development of technical skills and the enhancement of local human capital. “The sixth edition of IVS marks a new record, with a growth of 30% of exhibitors compared to 2024 – said Giovanna Ricuperati, president of Confindustria Bergamo -. A result that confirms the growing international appeal of the event, with an increasing participation from abroad and new countries involved. Despite a complex global context, which could affect visitor flows, registration data remains encouraging. The event confirms itself as a key event for the community of industrial valves, a moment of comparison on market scenarios, innovation and new applications. For Confindustria Bergamo, the growth of IVS is not an end to itself, but is part of a broader strategy of valorisation and strengthening of the productive sectors of the territory. It is a concrete response to a need expressed directly by companies: to increase their visibility on international markets. Analyzing the supply chains, engaging entrepreneurs and building targeted support initiatives is a central part of our role, and IVS is a concrete and successful example.”.
“The strong growth recorded in the past edition, that registered 2024, added to the high quality of the enterprises, confirms the goodness of the project – commented Luciano Patelli, president of Promoberg –. The Summit is the starving point in the internationalization of Promoberg and the Bergamo Fair, thanks to the many high-profile operators from all over the world. We are honored, as a fairground, to be protagonists in support of the economy and promotion of Bergamo and to make value to the territory, both in terms of development and increase of the economic jet. Today our exhibition center is a great added value, the center of one of the most important macro-regions in the world and the nerve of mobility, thanks also to the BGY International Airport that unites Bergamo with all Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. And the policies and strategies of development also in the matter of doubling the exhibition pole will allow us to further develop the growth of the Summit, bringing even more benefit and economic relapse on the territory“. For Francesco Apuzzo, president of Valve Campus, “Valve Campus confirms its role of reference for the scientific program of the event, with an offer of content increasingly oriented to the concrete needs of the sector and that anticipates the technological and industrial challenges. Our goal is to strengthen the dialogue between industry, research and end users, proposing concrete and immediately applicable content. The 2026 program will focus in particular on innovation, digitization and evolution of materials, with a setting that favours real cases, operational experiences and direct comparison between the different actors of the chain. The international dimension of the event is also growing, more and more a meeting point between companies, EPC, end user and academic world, with the contribution of experts and international operators. In addition to technical content, the theme of youth training and involvement remains central, considered a key element in the development of the sector. Valve Campus confirms a knowledge platform for the entire valve ecosystem, where added value is represented by the quality and independence of the content. With this approach, we help consolidate the positioning of IVS as an international reference event for the sector.”.
– Press Office Industrial Valve Summit –
(ITALPRESS).
