Italian economy, according to a widespread vision, seems to be heading for a new, more satisfactory season, although technology investments are lagging behind this trend. Furthermore, some foreign markets are not so interested in Italian machinery: Russia is still a closed market, as a matter of fact, while worries are spreading – partially quenched by official statements by Chinese authorities in recent days – for the impact that the yuan devaluation policy might have on global markets.
This is the scenario for the results of the periodical survey by the Studies Office of Acimall, the Confindustria-member association that represents the manufacturers of woodworking technology, tools and accessories. The survey – involving a significant statistic sample in terms of company size and product categories – indicates that orders increased by 5.3% compared to the April-June period in 2014.
Orders from the domestic market in the 2Q 2015 decreased by 11.9% from the same period of last year. Strong 15.9% growth for foreign orders, despite tproblems in two major destination markets for this industry. According to Acimall estimates, the book of orders spans 2.8 months (versus 3 in the previous quarter); since the beginning of the year, prices have increased by 0.8%, as against 0.9% in the 1Q.
According to 38% of the sample, foreign orders will increase again in the next quarter. Substantial stability is the expectation of 52%, while 10% see further reduction (positive balance 28). As mentioned, the balance on the Italian market is negative by 4 points, resulting from 14% expecting a further shrinkage of domestic orders, 76% expecting a stable trend and only 10% with an optimistic outlook.
Acimall, the association that represents the most important Italian manufacturers of technology, automation, machinery, tools, and accessories for processing wood and wood-based products.
