Markets, data and artificial intelligence: interview with Riccardo Dalmiglio
🎙️With Riccardo Dalmiglio, Market Analyst CPC INOX – AD TUBI INOSSIDABILI
Last May Riccardo Dalmiglio celebrated his first year within the Group, consolidating his contribution as Market Analyst in the companies CPC Inox and AD Tubi Inossidabili. In these months he has been able to distinguish himself for his ability to translate complex data into strategic insights, supporting sales departments with timely and business development-oriented market analyses.
Thanks to his work, it was possible to identify new growth opportunities, emerging trends and more precisely define areas of high potential for the company’s competitive positioning.
A key role that perfectly embodies the spirit of Cardinali Holding: a constant eye on the future, driven by competence, vision and innovation. Values that today make the Group an industrial pole of reference at a European level.
Today, after participating with other colleagues in AI Week 2025, Riccardo gives us his views on artificial intelligence and how this technology can concretely transform business processes. An interview that combines strategic vision and operational experience.
👤 The professional
Tell us about your path and how you came to be involved in market analysis within the group?
I joined the company as a Business Analyst with a main focus on CRM implementation and optimisation. In this initial phase, I delved into the functioning of the platform and its potential, trying to translate operational needs into concrete tools for the organisation. This aspect of my work will be a constant over time, considering the group’s commitment to continuous improvement. Over time, my role naturally evolved towards market analysis: a transition dictated by the company’s growing need to better understand external dynamics, intercept business opportunities, explore new customer segments and anticipate industry trends. It was a transition that broadened my responsibilities, but also my strategic impact within the group.
What do you find most challenging about your role as a Market Analyst?
The ability to link raw data to real, tangible choices for the business. I like knowing that my work can influence a new strategic direction, the choice of a market to follow, or a change in business approach. It is a role where analysis and intuition meet: you need to be precise but also be able to “read between the lines”, to catch weak signals that can become opportunities.
đź“Š Working with data to read the market
What kind of data do you analyse in your daily work and with what main objective?
I mainly analyse commercial data (volumes, turnover, purchase frequencies), customer purchasing trends and study possible forecasts in terms of sales, so as to try to optimise delivery dates and inventory. The main objective is twofold: on the one hand, to optimise the effectiveness of sales and marketing activities; on the other, to provide useful elements for making strategic decisions on products, markets and future investments.
How important is it today for a group like Cardinali Holding to be able to read and interpret market signals in a timely manner?
It is crucial. In a highly competitive and constantly evolving context, timeliness in intercepting signals of change can make the difference between being reactive or proactive. For a company like Cardinali Holding, which focuses on innovation and growth, the ability to interpret market data with speed and accuracy is a decisive competitive advantage that can make the difference in an increasingly uncertain market like the one we have been seeing in recent years.
🌍 Market trends, developments and challenges
What are the main trends you are observing in your industry?
In the stainless steel sector we are observing some rather marked dynamics. The photovoltaic sector has been declining for about a year and a half now and, to date, there are no concrete signs of recovery: this downward trend seems structural rather than momentary. The automotive sector also experienced a significant slowdown between the end of last year and the beginning of this year. We are also seeing strong growth in demand for material in the energy sector. This is accompanied by an increased focus on sustainability: both in terms of production processes and materials, companies are looking for solutions with a lower environmental impact.
Has there been a recent change or market signal that has particularly impressed you?
One of the most obvious signs that struck me was the prolonged slump in photovoltaics, which has been in sharp decline for about a year and a half without showing any concrete signs of recovery. This is significant, especially considering the current context, where the push towards energy transition and sustainability should, at least in theory, fuel greater demand.
Speaking generally, what is most striking at this stage is the lack of clear visibility on the medium term, especially from a quantitative point of view. In recent months, we are observing an increasing difficulty in formulating reliable forecasts: partner companies’ budgets are revised almost monthly, often downwards, for fear of sudden and drastic changes in the market. This instability generates a situation of widespread caution, which holds back both strategic decisions and investments. It is a context in which uncertainty is becoming the new normal, and in which the ability to adapt quickly – including through an intelligent reading of data and greater operational efficiency – becomes a real competitive factor.
What are the main challenges you see in market analysis today? The speed? The reliability of sources? The interpretation?
I would say that all three components are a challenge, but today the speed with which the market changes makes analysis a race against time. Data must be read and processed almost in real time to generate value. As for the quality of sources, data are often incomplete, partial or fragmented, and significant work is needed to validate them. Finally, interpretation requires a combination of experience, intuition and continuous confrontation with sales and technical departments: reading the market only in numerical terms is no longer enough. It is necessary to give meaning to the data, to put it in context and to derive concrete actions from it.
🤖 Artificial intelligence in your work and in companies
In your daily work, how have you been confronted with AI-based tools?
To date, I have not yet had the opportunity to work directly with tools based on artificial intelligence. However, I believe that people often talk about AI as if it were an immediately applicable solution in the company, when in reality its effective implementation requires a much more complex and structured path. For AI to truly generate value and support human work, three fundamental pillars are needed: clear and structured processes, solid application systems capable of integrating AI, and reliable and well-organised data on which to base analyses and decisions. In the company, we are working in precisely this direction: we want to build these three pillars to ensure that, when we decide to introduce AI, it can be truly effective, secure and a real support to our activities – not a risk, but an ally.
In your opinion, how can artificial intelligence support market analysis in the coming years?
I believe that AI will be increasingly useful in simplifying and speeding up data processing, identifying correlations that often escape the human eye. It will be able to support predictive analysis, better segment customers, anticipate market needs and suggest optimal strategies. As far as I am concerned, the most relevant aspect will be AI’s ability to handle large volumes of data very quickly, turning them into concrete and immediately usable insights.In your opinion, how can artificial intelligence support market analysis in the coming years?
Are there areas or stages of market analysis where you see AI as a concrete ally? And where do you think human judgement is still needed?
AI is ideal for data collection, aggregation and exploratory analysis, as I mentioned above: it can screen large volumes very quickly. But human judgement remains irreplaceable in interpreting context, setting priorities and assessing qualitative factors such as business relationships or cultural dynamics. AI can help, but strategic direction still requires intuition and experience that can only come from human supervision.
🚀 Vision and advice
What do you think is the real value of AI for businesses today: more automation, more speed, or more predictive capability?
Today, the real value lies in predictive capability. Automation and speed are important aspects, but it is the ability to anticipate scenarios and behaviour that makes AI a strategic asset. A company that predicts well is a company that moves ahead of others. Of course, automation also plays a key role: if it frees up human resources from low-value-added tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic, high-impact tasks, it is a valuable asset for the organisation.
What advice would you give to those who want to start integrating artificial intelligence tools into business processes, especially in the analytical field?
The first piece of advice is to start from a real need. AI should not be integrated for fashion, but to meet a real need. It is then essential to have quality data, without which artificial intelligence risks returning misleading outputs. Finally, involving those who will have to use these tools in their daily work: adoption only works if it is shared and understood by the people who will then have to use the tool. I believe that onboarding and changing mindsets, should it be required for AI adoption for whatever reason, is one of the toughest challenges.
And to those who want to pursue a career in market analysis today: what skills do you consider essential?
You need solid analytical skills, familiarity with data analysis tools, curiosity about market trends and, above all, the ability to communicate complex insights simply and clearly. But beyond the technical, an aptitude for listening and continuous learning is essential: the market changes rapidly, and you have to be ready to change with it.
