REGIONAL REPORT improve their profit margins and sales turnovers across the world ,” continued Mordor Intelligence .
Almost 200 Italian companies were present at EMO HANNOVER 2023 , the global exhibition dedicated to metalworking machines , earlier this year . In Hannover , the Italian delegation was the second most numerous among overseas exhibitor groups . It showcased the ‘ Made in Italy ’ sector , representing all main production segments .
Italy is also among the top ten countries for the number of additive manufacturing patent applications , and second place in the European Union in terms of industrial installations ( according to UCIMU , the Italian machine tool , robot and automation systems manufacturers ’ association ). The Italian market has very strong potential for the development of additive manufacturing which finds application in varied fields including pharmaceuticals ; healthcare ; biomedical engineering as well as aerospace and transport .
“ All these fields will be represented at piùAdditive , the initiative promoted at 34 . BI-MU this October , the biennial trade show of machine tools , robotics , automation , digital and additive manufacturing ,” confirmed UCIMU .
Italian machine tool orders
2023 was another positive year for the Italian manufacturing industry of machine tools , robots and automation systems , which racked up a new production record .
Based on preliminary data processed by the Studies Dept . & Business Culture of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE ( the Italian machine tool , robot and automation systems manufacturers ’ association ), in 2023 production marked a 3.8 % increase over the previous year . The result , it said , was driven by good performance of exports , which grew by 10.3 %. The export / production figure increased again , reaching 50.6 %.
On the overseas front , according to UCIMU processing of the data from the Italian National Statistics Institute ( ISTAT ) from January-August 2023 , the main destination markets for Italian product offerings in the sector were the United States (+ 26.7 %); Germany (+ 8.8 %); China (+ 34 %); France (+ 32.1 %) and Poland (+ 14.7 %). Deliveries by Italian manufacturers in the domestic market decreased slightly to 2 % less than in 2022 .
However , in the first quarter of 2024 , the index of Italian machine tool orders , by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE , showed an 18.9 % downturn from January- March 2023 . The absolute value of the index was 77.9 ( base year 2021 = 100 ).
Leonardo presented an AW109 GrandNew light twin helicopter in VIP configuration at EBACE 2023 in Switzerland last May .
Manufacturers are increasingly looking to embrace digital technology trends to automate fabricating processes
Barbara Colombo , President , UCIMU .
The BI-MU 2022 trade show in Milan , Italy .
“ The negative outcome was due to the reduction in orders received by Italian manufacturers in Italy ’ s domestic and overseas markets . Orders from overseas were down by 18.5 % compared to the same period in the previous year . The absolute value of the index stood at 91 . On the domestic front , orders marked a drop of 19.4 % over the first quarter of 2023 , for an absolute value of 55.1 ,” confirmed the association .
Barbara Colombo , President of UCIMU , stated : “ 2024 started [ with negative indicators ] for Italian machine-tool manufacturers . Although this is confirmation of what we were expecting , we must now overcome the impasse and give the market a clear sign of reassurance and stability , a fundamental [ signal ] for those who need to invest in the latest machinery .
“ After a positive 2023 , in the first part of 2024 the order intake from overseas shows a rather cautious start , weighed down by the risk of tensions expanding beyond the Israeli-Palestinian [ areas ] and the prolonged conflict between Russia and Ukraine . But even the uncertainties regarding the energy transition and the direction that Europe will take after the June elections are certainly weighing heavily .
“ That said , with regard to exports , our expectations for the current year are positive : we expect a moderate pace for our business in the United States and an increase in sales to some European countries as well as to countries that are starting to rise up the ranking of
destination countries ( such as Turkey , Mexico and India ) for ‘ Made in Italy ’ products in the sector . For this reason , UCIMU has taken the first steps to create a new network of companies in Mexico , which is undergoing intense manufacturing development , closely linked to the U . S . economy ,” she confirmed .
However , she also highlighted the negative impact on Italy ’ s domestic market by delays in publishing Italian government incentives for new ‘ 5.0 ’ digitalisation initiatives and energy-saving machinery investments . She urged the Italian government to settle the issue quickly .
“ The current situation remains more nebulous than a month and a half ago , when the legislative decree was presented with the Transition 5.0 framework . To date , no implementing decrees have been issued whereas , as for Transition 4.0 , the change to the rules ‘ along the way ’ for accessing the measures risks blocking domestic demand irreparably ,” she continued , highlighting the growing number of applications from Italian and overseas exhibitors for the 34 . BI-MU exhibition , scheduled to take place in Milan , Italy , from 9-12 October 2024 ,” concluded Barbara Colombo .
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