PLASTICS MACHINERY ITALY
Imports peak in first half 2016 but exports fall / Increased sales to NAFTA and Asia / Demand slows ahead of "K 2016"
Trade data from Italy’s National Institute for Statistics (Istat, Rome; www.istat.it) has showed that imports of plastics and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds, were 9.7% higher in the first half of 2016 than in the same period a year earlier, reaching nearly EUR 390m. The Italian trade association Assocomaplast (Milan; www.assocomaplast.org) said the figures reaffirmed the signs of recovery in the domestic market that had appeared last year.
In contrast, the trend in exports was much less impressive. Foreign sales had dropped by half a percentage point to 1% in the first six months of this year, with exports hitting the bottom in June when they showed a decline of 2.3% year on year. Despite the slowdown in overall foreign sales, Assocomaplast said exports increased to NAFTA countries, particularly to Mexico, as well as to the Far East, notably China, India, South Korea and Vietnam. Sales to Iran also recovered.
The trade association, which represents more than 160 of Italy’s plastic and rubber equipment manufacturers, said its sentiment survey of a sample of processors is backed up by the Istat data. Members said demand has been stabilising and they expect this trend to continue through the rest of 2016.
In parallel, competing manufacturers in Germany had witnessed hardly any change in import and export volumes in the first half of 2016, Assocomaplast noted (for more details on Germany machinery sales, see Plasteurope.com of 30.06.2016).
The organisation said for years, Italian and German manufacturers had recorded a slowdown in orders in the months leading up the trade fair "K" (www.k-online.de), which is being held in Düsseldorf / Germany on 19-26 October. It said buyers probably preferred to visit the fair to learn about the new technologies being presented before planning and committing to investments. According to Assocomaplast, the number of Italian exhibitors will be second only to that of the hosts, with around 400 companies taking part. The association is planning several promotional activities during the show.
In contrast, the trend in exports was much less impressive. Foreign sales had dropped by half a percentage point to 1% in the first six months of this year, with exports hitting the bottom in June when they showed a decline of 2.3% year on year. Despite the slowdown in overall foreign sales, Assocomaplast said exports increased to NAFTA countries, particularly to Mexico, as well as to the Far East, notably China, India, South Korea and Vietnam. Sales to Iran also recovered.
The trade association, which represents more than 160 of Italy’s plastic and rubber equipment manufacturers, said its sentiment survey of a sample of processors is backed up by the Istat data. Members said demand has been stabilising and they expect this trend to continue through the rest of 2016.
In parallel, competing manufacturers in Germany had witnessed hardly any change in import and export volumes in the first half of 2016, Assocomaplast noted (for more details on Germany machinery sales, see Plasteurope.com of 30.06.2016).
The organisation said for years, Italian and German manufacturers had recorded a slowdown in orders in the months leading up the trade fair "K" (www.k-online.de), which is being held in Düsseldorf / Germany on 19-26 October. It said buyers probably preferred to visit the fair to learn about the new technologies being presented before planning and committing to investments. According to Assocomaplast, the number of Italian exhibitors will be second only to that of the hosts, with around 400 companies taking part. The association is planning several promotional activities during the show.
26.09.2016 Plasteurope.com [235153-0]
Published on 26.09.2016
German version of this article...