UNESCO and Arius Technology Partner to Digitally Preserve Global Cultural Heritage

By Arius Technology - Soriano Group

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Arius Technology Europa Italia Srl have signed a landmark Cooperation Agreement to digitally preserve, valorize, and expand access to some of the world's most significant cultural and documentary heritage.

Signed on October 2 by Julien Pellaux, UNESCO Director of Partnerships, and Marco Antonio Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of Arius Europa, this multi-year pro bono initiative represents a powerful bridge between European innovation and global heritage preservation—a mission that deeply resonates across the Italian and American cultural landscape. 

Under Soriano's leadership, Arius will deploy advanced 3D optical scanning systems to create ultra-high-resolution “digital twins" of irreplaceable artifacts, capturing micro-reliefs, surface textures, and structural details that traditional photography cannot detect.

Launching in October 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the initial phase focuses on fragile, non-standard materials and masterworks. Priority assets set for digital twin creation include:



• The original 1954 Hague Convention register for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
• UNESCO’s iconic art collection, historic architectural spaces, and original poster collections featuring artists such as Sonia Delaunay.
• Historic UNESCO Livres d’Or (guest books), including entries signed by Pope Léon XIV.
• The International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation archive and early issues of the UNESCO Courier.

To guarantee data sovereignty and long-term public access, files will be delivered using open, format-agnostic standards. Looking ahead, Arius’s scanning capabilities will support UNESCO’s broader Dive into Heritage initiative—safeguarding sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and rock-art sites worldwide—supported by technology partners including Kamanga.io, AWA & Piql, and ABB Robotics.

A joint documentary film will also showcase this transatlantic technology-conservation effort, underscoring how Italian technology and global collaboration are safeguarding shared history for future generations.

From Root Cause to Lasting Fix: Inside a High-Performance Teams Program

By EssilorLuxottica

Ask anyone on a warehouse floor where the biggest improvement opportunities are, and they'll usually know. The harder part is giving people the tools and time to act on them. That's the idea behind High-Performance Teams (HPT), a program recently launched in EssilorLuxottica's North America Logistics network.

How it works

Each team of five to six hourly and salaried employee volunteers meets weekly to tackle a challenge from their own work. Everyone earns White Belt certification and learns Lean Six Sigma and 8D tools, which they use to find root causes and build lasting fixes that improve safety, quality, productivity, ergonomics, and environmental performance.

Recognition built in

Competition gives the work momentum. Phase 1 was just completed, with a contest at each of our seven North America facilities. Site winners advance to the NA Logistics round, and the top three teams go on to a final competition against top teams from other Operations business units.

What other companies can borrow:

• Teach the method first, so teams have real tools.
• Start with volunteers, who bring energy and ownership.
• Recognize progress at every level, not just at the finish line.

HPT is about more than trophies. It's about giving people the skills, and the credit, to make their own work better.

How to establish a wholly owned subsidiary in Italy

By EXP Legal

For foreign companies seeking to establish a direct presence in the Italian market, incorporating a wholly owned subsidiary is one of the main options for conducting business in Italy while maintaining full control over the local operation.

In its latest publication, EXP Legal provides a practical overview of the key aspects involved in establishing an Italian subsidiary as an S.r.l. or S.p.A., including the reciprocity requirement, the Deed of Incorporation and Articles of Association, share capital, governance, registered office, corporate purpose and documentation required from the foreign shareholder.

The article also addresses practical requirements relating to the Italian tax identification number, powers of attorney, translations, notarizations and apostilles, as well as the importance of coordinating the corporate, regulatory, tax and operational aspects of the investment from the outset.



Read the full PDF at the following link.

Don't Lose What Makes You Different

Balancing global growth with local expertise

By JAS

Italian businesses are known for their passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. But doing business across borders requires more than bringing those qualities to a new market. Even within a multinational organization, business is ultimately executed locally. Local teams understand the customer, the culture, and the specific market. They need the freedom to make decisions and respond quickly.

At the same time, most customers think globally. They expect consistency across countries, and partners who understand their business beyond a single market. For me, the balance is simple: global mindset and direction, local knowledge and execution. When teams work together, successful local practices can become global opportunities.

One customer relationship illustrates this. We began working with a major automotive manufacturer in just one location, where it became an important customer for our local business. By sharing that team’s expertise and best practices across markets, with Sales, Product and Operations working closely together, we grew the relationship into a global partnership. Today, it is one of JAS’s top customers.

Growth brings complexity, but that doesn't mean losing the qualities that made you successful in the first place. For Italian companies looking to grow in the U.S., I believe three things are important:

·       Don’t try to become American. Keep what makes you different but learn to operate at American speed and scale.

·       Bring your Italian strengths: entrepreneurship, relationships, flexibility, and creativity. 

·       Be adaptable. The US Market expects speed, clarity, specialization, and accountability. 

We need more structure as we grow, but we should never allow it to create distance between us and our customers. We must preserve the passion and customer focus that made us successful.

The Difference Between Knowing What You Made and Knowing Where It Went

By Pichelli & Associates

Most business owners can tell you what their company earned last year. Far fewer can say exactly where the money went — or why the profit landed where it did. That gap is one of the most common blind spots in a growing business, and closing it doesn’t require new software or a bigger finance team. It requires a shift in how the numbers are read.

Accurate bookkeeping answers one question well: what happened. It records the past, keeps a company compliant, and produces clean statements. That work is essential. But it is, by design, a look in the rear-view mirror. It can tell an owner that profit fell without revealing which product, project, or cost drove the decline.

A second kind of financial analysis answers a different question: what should things cost, and why did the numbers move? It looks at the same figures through a forward-facing lens — breaking margin down by product, job, or client, so the parts of a business that quietly lose money become visible alongside the ones that carry it.

This distinction tends to matter more as a company grows. In the early years, an owner often holds the whole financial picture in their head. As revenue climbs and operations grow more complex, that instinct becomes harder to rely on — and the difference between recording results and interpreting them starts to show up on the bottom line.

The takeaway is simple: clean books are the foundation, not the finish line. A company benefits most when someone is not only keeping the numbers accurate, but actively reading what they reveal about the decisions ahead.

Cooling at Scale: Why Roll-In Blast Chilling Matters for High-Volume Kitchens

By Irinox North America

For hotels, hospitals, universities, central kitchens and caterers, food safety is a race against the clock. Bacteria multiply fastest between 41°F and 140°F, and large batches of soups, sauces, proteins and starches can linger in that range for too long when cooled in a walk-in or an ice bath.

Roll-in blast chillers solve this at production scale. Full trolleys go straight from the oven into the chiller, with no repacking, which reduces handling and labor. Blast chilling brings the core of food to +37°F from any starting temperature, even boiling hot, while shock freezing reaches 0°F at the core. Rapid freezing forms microcrystals that do not compromise food structure, preserving flavor and aroma even after defrosting.

What to look for when evaluating a roll-in unit:

• Capacity: IRINOX MultiFresh® Roll-In models range from 220 lb to 770 lb, so the unit can match your batch size.
• Configuration: self-contained or remote refrigeration, plus dual-trolley models for the highest volumes.
• Workflow: one trolley from oven to chiller means fewer touchpoints and less labor.



Planning a kitchen project for 2027? IRINOX North America is currently offering 40% off list price on the complete MultiFresh® Roll-In range for purchase orders received before December 15, 2026.

For more information, contact: orders@irinoxnorthamerica.com.

“From Italy to Miami: Stemal Prepares the Massimo Lopez Show for American Audiences”

By Stemal S.r.l

The Italian entertainment industry is showing growing interest in the United States, particularly in Florida, a region characterized by a vibrant international community and significant opportunities for cultural and business collaboration.

Against this backdrop, Stemal S.r.l., an Italian company specializing in the production and organization of live performances, is working on a new project involving two performances of the Massimo Lopez Show, scheduled for January 22 and 23, 2027, at the Miami Beach Bandshell.

The show will feature Massimo Lopez, one of Italy’s most acclaimed entertainers, known for combining comedy, music, impersonations, and theatrical performance in a distinctive format.

Accompanied by professional musicians, the show takes audiences on a journey through iconic works of international music, blending moments of sophisticated comedy with stories that highlight the performer's artistic versatility.

For Stemal, the initiative also represents an opportunity for international expansion, with the aim of establishing new professional and production partnerships in the United States.

Thanks to its multicultural character and dynamic Italian-American business community, Miami offers a particularly promising environment for fostering connections between creativity, culture, and business.

The project is currently in the organizational and contractual planning stages.

The hope is that this initiative will mark the beginning of a broader journey, bringing new Italian productions to the United States and strengthening cultural dialogue between the two countries.

New rules for exporters to the U.S.: exports at risk for those who fail to comply

By Fausto Zironi Legal Firm

If you sell to the United States on Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) terms, delivering goods with duties already paid, US Customs treats you as the importer of record. That role carries specific legal responsibilities, and the rules governing it are changing.

It all stems from Executive Order 14411, signed by President Trump on June 3, 2026. The order directs US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to tighten the rules for importers, with deadlines running through the end of November.

Since September 18, CBP has been checking the registration information on file for every importer. If that information is inaccurate or incomplete, CBP voids the importer number, and without it, goods cannot clear customs. Anyone who signs off on false information faces potential criminal exposure, and the importer may also be held civilly liable.

Tougher rules are expected by the end of November for companies importing without a US entity. They will lose access to informal entry, the simplified process for shipments valued at $2,500 or less. Each shipment will need its own customs bond, and entries will have to go through a CTPAT-validated customs broker. For all importers, penalties will no longer be reduced below half of the assessed amount.

Bond amounts and timing have yet to be set. The most sensitive issue concerns corporate structure: a US company controlled by foreign owners may not qualify as a US importer, so setting up a subsidiary may not be enough.

The most immediate impact, however, is on contracts. A DDP agreement signed months ago may now leave the seller with costs and risks far different from those it bargained for. It is worth reviewing before the new rules take effect.



For advice, assistance in adapting to the new rules, or a review of existing contracts, please contact Fausto Zironi Legal Firm at the email: avv.faustozironi@libero.it .

What Food Manufacturers Should Be Watching Next

By FMT America Inc.

Food manufacturing is changing. The competitive advantage is moving beyond individual machines toward the ability to connect to a production process. Manufacturers increasingly consider labor, consistency, traceability, efficiency and flexibility together when planning a new line or modernizing a facility.

For manufacturers, the question is becoming less “Which machine do we need?” and more “How should the entire process work together?” Filling, capping, inspection, thermal treatment and palletizing are no longer isolated decisions when a producer is looking at capacity, labor and efficiency.

This is where FMT America Inc., based in Miami, enters the picture. FMT America works with food and beverage manufacturers throughout North, Central and South America, helping develop automated production systems around each product, container, facility and production objective. Its involvement can extend from project definition through integration, installation, commissioning and after-sales support, connecting manufacturers with the engineering resources behind the technology.

That approach has roots in Parma, Italy. FMT America’s parent company, FMT S.r.l., was founded there in 1997, in Italy’s Food Valley, and will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027. Parma is a place where food culture and industrial technology have evolved together and where technology in motion is part of the landscape. Machinery is engineered to perform, but also designed to be observed, understood and refined. It remains part of FMT’s identity.

Manufacturers can see this conversation developing at three exhibitions:

PACK EXPO International Chicago | October 18–21, 2026

McCormick Place | FMT Booth: South Hall Stand S-2795

CibusTec Parma | October 27–30, 2026

Fiere di Parma | FMT Booth: Hall 5 Stand E016

Gulfood Manufacturing Dubai | November 3–5, 2026

Dubai World Trade Centre | FMT Booth: Stand S-3 E-46

The common thread is clear: food manufacturing is moving toward connected, adaptable automation designed around the product and the realities of the plant.



FMT America brings that perspective from Parma to the Americas.

Italian Design meets the U.S. Woodworking Industry at IWF in Atlanta.

By L&S Lighting

For the first time, L&S Lighting participated as an exhibitor at IWF in Atlanta, GA. IWF is one of North America’s leading trade shows for woodworking, cabinetry, furniture manufacturing, and related industries. The event provided an opportunity to connect with manufacturers, cabinet builders, designers, distributors, and other professionals exploring new ways to integrate technology and design into furniture and interior spaces.

Within its 20-by-20-foot booth, L&S focused on lighting solutions designed specifically for the home environment. Rather than displaying products individually, the booth demonstrated how lighting can become an integrated part of kitchens, closets, cabinetry, and furniture.

Among the featured solutions were integrated kitchen lighting, illuminated closet systems, modular storage concepts, and L&S’s new Free Cut lighting fixtures. The booth also demonstrated the growing role of controls, drivers, sensors, and modular systems in creating more complete interior solutions.

Italian design was an important part of the presentation. The booth reflected a minimalist approach, using clean architectural forms and integrated lighting to demonstrate how technical products can complement the overall design of a space rather than compete with it.

The Italian connection continued on Wednesday evening, when L&S hosted a booth gathering featuring authentic Italian food and Aperol Spritz. The event offered customers, partners, and industry professionals an informal setting to connect after the show. The Honorary Consul of Italy in Georgia also visited the booth during the evening.



For L&S, participating in IWF represented more than exhibiting products. It provided an opportunity to bring Italian design and engineering into direct conversation with the U.S. woodworking industry and better understand how integrated lighting is playing a growing role in cabinetry, furniture, and residential interiors.

Lodes and Unopiù together for hospitality: U.S. debut at BDNY 2026

By Lodes Srl

Lodes and Unopiù will join forces at BDNY 2026, bringing their combined expertise in lighting and outdoor design to New York—merging Lodes’ mastery of interior and exterior illumination with Unopiù’s signature outdoor furniture and accessories. Sharing a single exhibition space at Booth 2260⁄2161, the two brands will highlight the seamless integration of lighting and furnishings in outdoor spaces.

Their participation in BDNY marks a new step in the international development of both companies and an opportunity to connect with the U.S. community of architects, interior designers, and hospitality professionals, in a market where outdoor design is playing an increasingly important role.



In New York, Lodes will present the Lodes Outdoor collection, while Unopiù will showcase a selection of its outdoor collections through a series of settings highlighting the breadth and versatility of its offering for contract and hospitality projects.

The selection will range from Igea and Salò, designed by Matteo Thun and Benedetto Fasciana, to Cora, Egadi, Symi, and Pertre, collections developed by a collective of designers as part of the Diario di Viaggio project. Among the Lodes products on display will be Kinno, an award-winning design by Patrick Norguet. The two collections will come together within the same exhibition space, demonstrating how elements with different functions can integrate through a cohesive aesthetic and design language.

A Guardian Between Two Worlds: The Xolo Project by Marta Salerno

By Martamakeart

For the ancient Aztecs, the Xoloitzcuintli was much more than a dog. It was a sacred guardian, believed to guide souls on their journey between the world of the living and the world of the dead. One of the oldest dog breeds on Earth, the Xolo has now become the heart of the sculptural project of Italian artist Marta Salerno, who lives and works in Miami.

Each of her Xolo sculptures is modeled by hand and finished in different colors and materials, and each one tells a personal story. When Marta moved from Italy to Miami, her Xolo, Showa, stayed in Italy with her mother, and the two became inseparable. For Marta, the Xolo is a bridge of love across the ocean: between two countries, two generations and two worlds.

On Friday, October 23, Marta presented her works at the Downtown Miami Group Show, at Aura Copeland Gallery, 209 E Flagler Street, curated by Gabrielly Paz and supported by Mana Common. Chamber members and art lovers met the artist on the very day of her return to Miami and discovered The Xolo Project in person.

And the journey continues: in December, Marta will present The Xolo Project at Red Dot Miami, during Art Basel week.

The artist

Marta Salerno is a Roman artist. Last year she left Rome to move to Miami, following the light and her American dream. But her heart remained divided in two: at home, with her mother, stayed Showa, her Xolo, her everyday companion. From that distance The Xolo Project was born: every sculpture is a hug that crosses the ocean and keeps her bound to her mother and to her roots.

Marta Salerno, martasalernoart.com, Instagram @martamakeart, info@martasalernoart.com

Safer Chemistry at Sea:

A Changing Standard for the Maritime Industry

By Namia Solutions

The maritime industry is undergoing a significant shift in the way cleaning, maintenance and water-treatment chemicals are selected and used onboard vessels.

For cruise operators in particular, performance is no longer the only consideration. Products must also meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements while helping protect crew members, passengers, onboard equipment and the marine environment.

Namia Solutions, a Miami based company, has seen this transition firsthand during more than a decade of serving the cruise and maritime industry. Founded in 2015, the company supplies specialized solutions for applications ranging from deck and exterior maintenance to reverse osmosis, potable water and wastewater treatment.

One of the most important developments in the sector has been the growing adoption of effective products designed to reduce hazardous characteristics and environmental impact. Modern formulations can help vessels address scale, corrosion, cleaning and sanitation requirements while supporting compliance with international environmental standards such as MARPOL and REACH.

This evolution is particularly important aboard cruise ships, where thousands of people cruise, live and work within a complex network of water, wastewater, cleaning and mechanical systems. Choosing the appropriate chemistry can therefore affect not only cleanliness but also equipment life, operational efficiency and environmental performance.



For companies serving the maritime sector, the challenge is increasingly clear: develop solutions that combine performance, safety and environmental responsibility rather than treating them as competing objectives.

As the cruise industry continues to evolve, this approach is likely to become an increasingly important part of responsible vessel operations.

By Angelo D’Ambra, Namia Solutions