Page 48 - Plastics News January 2018

FEATURES
FeAtures

Italian machinery sector expects record year

Amaplast says the growth was attributable to significant increases in sales to Germany, Spain and France

he Italian plastic and rubber machinery sector is set during this same period. In terms of geography, Europe
Tto post 5 percent growth for 2017, with an estimated represented 61 percent of the exports, registering 20
all-time high of 4.5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) worth of percent growth.
production, according to the Italian rubber and plastics
Amaplast said the growth was attributable to significant
machinery manufacturers' association Amaplast.
increases in sales to Germany, Spain and France which
The association said figures by the Italian statistics posted 25 percent, 11 percent and 15 percent growth
center ISTAT suggested a 12 percent increase in respectively.
imports of machinery
In addition to the three
and a 16 percent rise in
traditional markets, Amaplast
exports of machinery year
noted “continued recovery”
over year for January to
in sales to Russia. These
September 2017. Amaplast
demonstrated a healthy 109
President Alessandro Grassi
percent growth, bringing Russia,
put down the success to
said the association, back within
“technological innovation”
the top 10 export destinations for
and offering products
Italian machinery. For the NAFTA
within the “Industry 4.0
region, exports rose 12 percent,
regime.”
despite a drop in Mexico’s
The increase in the active imports. The opposite trend was
balance of trade now exceeds 1.7 billion euros, adding seen in Asia, however, as two principal markets in the
seventeen percentage points. Thanks mainly to the Middle East — Iran and Saudi Arabia — posted declines of
positive trend in exports - recording double-digit growth 5 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
throughout the full nine months of the ISTAT data -
According to Amaplast, the “excellent” trend in the United
Amaplast estimates that production at year end could
Arab Emirates and Israel was not enough to offset the
reach a new all-time record of 4.5 billion euros (the
declines, leading to an overall fall of 5 percent. Elsewhere
previous record was 4.25 billion in 2007), registering at
in Asia, two major Far East markets, China and India,
least five percentage points in growth over 2016
continued to record “negative or very weak trends,” with
Over the nine-month period, some 70 percent of Italian China posting a 11 percent decline and India showing a
production was exported, with most machinery types mere 1 percent growth.
showing “good performance.” Some of the best performing
Africa, which as a whole absorbs less than 3 percent
segments were thermoforming machines, with 51
of Italian exports of plastic and rubber processing
percent growth, and extruders, with 19 percent growth.
machinery, reported a 22 percent rise in demand, mainly
By contrast, mono and multifilament and machines for
in the Mediterranean countries, with Algeria and Egypt
foamed products demonstrated a markedly weaker growth
in the lead.

Plastics News Januar y 2018 48