"The courage to say what others think but won’t": a message from Kilton

In this letter, Silvano Chiello, owner of Kilton, a prominent Italian fasteners manufacturer and distributor, shares his concerns about the current state of the international market and Europe’s manufacturing industry. The editorial team at Expometals.net believes it is essential to voice a sincere and critical perspective, even when it defies mainstream opinion. The complete letter is provided below.

“We live in a strange world where opinions and thoughts are stifled by a dominant mindset, and those who conform are labeled as correct and virtuous. But who defines what’s acceptable and what is not? Often, it’s people who have never truly worked, who don’t understand what it means to earn a living or invest in a business. They are the ones managing other people’s money and steering an entire continent toward its inevitable decline. We’re headed for a breaking point, and it’s just a matter of time.

European economic policies are driven by ideology and have failed across the board. They have sacrificed local production in favor of Eastern manufacturing—which I don’t mean to demonize—but today we realize that we’ve lost our productive capabilities and the excellence that once defined our continent. We’ve prioritized trade over production, yet production is the foundation of any country’s strength. A nation without production is a nation without life.

I’m tired of reading the same old self-congratulatory articles, including ours, where companies boast about their supposed achievements: we’re here, we’re there, we’ve implemented Industry 4.0, then 5.0, we’ve introduced artificial intelligence... that’s ridiculous. Just as ridiculous are surveys gauging the inclusivity percentage of suppliers, simply to follow the latest trends. Are we serious?

Meanwhile, as we focus on such trivialities, we’ve reached the point where, if our Eastern partners were to halt supplies even for a month or two, we’d have no choice but d to hand them over the keys to our facilities, unable to say a word.

The failure of these policies is clear in the automotive market: the cost of a European car now buys three Korean or Chinese models. The days when a European brand commanded a premium as a status symbol are gone. And how did our industry leaders fail to see this coming? The incentives are equally misguided, since consumer prices continue to climb regardless.

In a Europe where the middle class has been dismantled and where there appears to be a concerted effort to impoverish people, how could anyone expect spending power to remain? Especially with absurd regulations like Euro 3, 4, 5, 6, and so on. Once, people could buy a car at 18 and replace it at retirement with their severance pay.

Our fasteners sector is no exception: it’s already struggling, further losing margins, and is being stifled by nonsensical, ideological, and imposed regulations. We keep hearing about CBAM and the ‘green’ agenda... utter nonsense! How much is this ‘green’ agenda costing companies? Probably more than the  investment needed for new machinery. And the rules and challenges imposed by bureaucrats who don’t even know the price of a liter of milk are endless.

We are commoners facing a handful of patricians. Is this truly the vision of our ruling class? Where are the trade associations, who seem only capable of securing training incentives for young workers who last six months—just enough time for multinationals to cash in on those incentives? We are talking about our children and grandchildren: is this the world we want for them?

If we industrialists don’t start thinking differently, we will only accelerate our decline. But perhaps I’m just a lone voice, out of sync with the crowd. If so, I’m happy to remain an outsider. Maybe that’s why we’re different.

Warm regards and a heartfelt thanks to all: clients, competitors, and colleagues.”

Silvano Chiello