In 2017, Italian woodworking machine tools production value increases 11.6% to Euro 2.29 billion

In 2017,  Italian woodworking machine tools producers achieved a production value of Euro 2.29 billion, up by 11.6% compared to the previous year, according to the preliminary figures processed by the Studies Office of Acimall, the Confindustria member association representing industry companies.

The export trend amounted to Euro 1.6 billion euro, 7.1% more than in 2016. The top-ten destinations include the United States at number one, purchasing Italian woodworking technology for a total value of Euro 165.5 million, followed by Germany (Euro 105.8 million), Poland (Euro 102.4 million) and Frances (Euro 92.5 million).

The value of import also increased to Euro 199 million, plus 10% compared to the previous year. The domestic Italian market is also continuing to grow, driven by investment supporting measures introduced by the Italian government in recent years. Further progress is expected in the short and medium term: in 2016, Italian wood machinery “consumers” invested Euro 743 million, which increased to Euro 894 million in 2017, Acimall forecasts that in 2018 domestic market approach the one billion threshold, a new record after Euro 900 million in 2001.

The 3Q 2017 closed with a 36.8% order increase compared to the same quarter in 2016 (the growth rate in the July-August term was 42.9%, also compared to the same period of the previous year). This figure results from the trend of orders from abroad, up by 35.2% (51.5% in 3Q) and the excellent development of Italian demand, achieving 49.5% growth over the October-December 2016 period (it was just 19.7% in the second quarter).

“Italian users are clearly going through a period of greater confidence which, combined with state incentives, is generating strong demand, exceeding even the most optimistic expectations”, said Dario Corbetta, Acimall director. “Such results are not just satisfactory for technology vendors, but also anticipate an increasing competitiveness of the entire system: in the past few years, the wood and furniture industry had to face a very complex season, reducing all investments to a minimum. By acquiring more innovative and updated technology, the can now rely on more effective and performing tools, produce more and better with an Industry 4.0 approach, leveraging the connection between technology and enterprise management systems to restore their competitiveness and capacity to offer attractive products”.

The analysis by the Confindustria member association of wood and wood-based materials machinery manufacturers shows an extension of the orders book to 3.6 months (versus 3.4 in the previous quarter): such figure indicates the impact that the trend of 4Q 2017 will have on the year that has just begun. Prices as of January 1 show substantial stability, with a 1.1% increase, the same trend recorded in the July-September period.

According to Acimall’s study, 50% of producers expect to increase production, while the remaining 50% predict stability. Employment will be unvaried according to 72% of the sample, growing according to 28%. About 72% of the sample believe that, in the short term, orders from abroad will increase further, while 28% don’t expect significant variations (the balance is +72, versus +32 in the previous quarter). As to the domestic market, 39% expect a positive trend; according to 56%, stability will prevail, while 5% fear shrinking business (the balance is +34, it was just +5 three months ago).