Costs
Mercedes wants more hours for the same pay, but an hour only gets cheaper if someone buys it
28 September 2026, 09:33
Mercedes-Benz management wants to lengthen the working week of its German workers without raising their pay, so every hour paid would cost less. But the cost that matters to anyone drawing up quotations is the cost of the hour sold: it is calculated on the hours that actually end up on an order, and the gap between those and the hours paid is the number almost nobody measures.
Barilla builds a mill in Foggia and sells two: making in-house pays only above a threshold
27 September 2026, 10:13
Barilla is spending €100 million on a mill next to its pasta factory in Foggia, while selling two mills and continuing to buy their semolina. It is not a contradiction: making in-house what is otherwise bought turns a cost that follows sales into a cost that has to be paid regardless, and it pays only above a turnover threshold that should be calculated before signing.
In Italy electricity is paid for at the price of gas even when gas has nothing to do with it
24 September 2026, 22:14
Confcommercio: in Italy electricity costs almost €70 per megawatt-hour more than in France. The reason lies in how the price is set: every kilowatt-hour is paid for like the last one, and the last one, very often, comes from gas. In 2022 a law made producers hand back the difference. It has expired.
You can answer yes to all three of the Observatory's questions and still see EBITDA fall
24 September 2026, 08:41
UniCredit's survey of SMEs in southern Italy measures turnover, production and headcount, but not margin: EBITDA is the number that tells whether the business engine is working, and it can fall in the very year everything else rises.
A small loan costs more than a large one: 4.37 against 3.55
22 September 2026, 18:06
The Bank of Italy says so every month and nobody reads it. Below a million you pay almost a point more. Meanwhile, money in the current account earns 0.69.
The diesel discount is paid for by the VAT on a full tank
22 September 2026, 16:06
The dearer the pump, the more VAT flows to the State. And that extra VAT comes back in the form of lower excise duty. It's called a discount.
The debate about bringing managers back is for companies that have one
22 September 2026, 08:09
Il Sole 24 Ore asks whether bringing back a leader who had left is a good idea. The question takes for granted something most SMEs simply do not have: a manager to bring back.
High energy costs are a fact. That they are your problem remains to be proven
21 September 2026, 12:38
Confartigianato puts a number on the table, and it is right. But before deciding that energy is your problem you need another number, and it is in your own financial statements: how much energy weighs on the value of production.
Diesel can't be cut. Its share of turnover can.
21 September 2026, 09:07
The diesel price surge hitting hauliers says something that applies to everyone: a cost built into the service can't be cut, it is squeezed on its share of turnover, by working on price, on the quotation and on the contract. Meanwhile the tax credit improves profit long before it improves cash.
The incentive pays for the machine once. You pay for the people every year
21 September 2026, 08:04
Before using a subsidy to grow, it pays to calculate how far the minimum turnover that covers all costs rises, because the aid is a one-off while the costs it brings in stay.
How to (really) reorganise a company: case history no. 5
Theory and practice
In many industrial companies, volume grows… but margins don’t. Why?
Manufacturing businesses and controlling
Theory and practice
Let’s get to the heart of the more technical side of controlling: that of mechanical engineering companies.
Profit isn’t found. It’s built
Theory and practice
Many business owners “feel” how their company is doing, and they are often right, but there is a limit: gut feelings are not a management system.
The rolling forecast: a little-known but essential tool
Theory and practice
Preparing a budget is important, but stopping there is a mistake, because the budget has a structural limitation: it is static, built months in advance, on assumptions that can change quickly.
The budget is not a forecast. It is taking a stand
Theory and practice
The budget is one of the most underrated tools in SMEs: not because it is useless but because it is used the wrong way.
Does the market decide the price? No. Your cost structure does
Theory and practice
Let’s continue our journey through informed business management.
Cost analysis: the lens that separates real margins from illusions
Theory and practice
There is a truth that invariably emerges when you get into a company’s numbers: many decisions are made without really knowing what they cost.
How to truly understand the break-even point: the power of reclassifying the financial statements
Theory and practice
Of all the tools a business owner can use to understand whether the company is really making money or just spinning its wheels, reclassifying the financial statements is one of the most underrated.
Controlling: the essential steps to avoid leaving your company to chance
Theory and practice
Many business owners believe they have everything under control until the numbers speak for themselves but, with the Italian Business Crisis Code, having clear tools to monitor and steer the company is no longer an option: it is a necessity.
Company financial statements explained in simple terms - Part II
Theory and practice
Having learnt how the Balance Sheet captures the structure of the business, it’s time to set that picture in motion.