Preliminary trade data from Italy’s National Institute for Statistics (Istat, Rome; www.istat.it) has shown that for the first three quarters of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015, imports were 8.5% higher and exports returned to positive growth of 1.5%. The recovery in overseas revenues is related to increased sales of injection moulding machines and moulds, said Istat, and comes after the negative performance that had characterised previous months.

However, sales to the main European market, which accounts for 58% of total volumes, fell by a couple of percentage points. Sales to the EU dropped by 1.8% as a result of lower demand in Germany, Austria, the UK and Romania, while those to extra-EU countries fell by just 0.5%. The situation in Russia continued to negatively affect the extra-EU figures, although the impact was mitigated to some extent by higher sales in other countries.

Istat said Mexico was the driver of sales to NAFTA countries, while in South America, Brazil continued to contract strongly. In Asia, sales to India leaped by 42% and those to China by 9%. Iran posted a 64% jump in sales, no doubt the result of sanctions ending in January 2016.

In Africa, a significant drop in average sales to Morocco and Tunisia was offset by strong growth in South Africa. Exports to Oceania – essentially Australia – declined by nearly 50%.

Meanwhile, Italian trade association Assocomaplast (Milan; www.assocomaplast.org) accepted some new members at its meeting last month. Three companies – Gimatic (Roncadelle / Italy; www.gimatic.com), Mast (Genoa / Italy; www.mastsrl.eu) and Sanplast (Ramat Gan / Israel; www.sanplast.co.il) – became effective members while Emerson Industrial Automation (St. Louis, Missouri / USA; www.emersonindustrial.com) became an associated member. The approvals take the number of Assocomaplast members to 166.