ECONOMY AND MARKET
The rubber and plastics processing industry is a central pillar of Italian manufacturing, with approximately 4,000 companies and more than 160,000 employees. Thanks to its strong integration within industrial supply chains, it provides components and semi-finished products to numerous production sectors, confirming its strategic importance for the competitiveness of the industrial system.
A KEY SECTOR OF ITALIAN MANUFACTURING
Italian technology plast / October 2026
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Within Italian manufacturing, the rubber and plastics processing sector occupies a prominent position not only because of its industrial scale, but also because of its role as a critical hub in production supply chains. Classified under Ateco code 22, the sector represents an essential component of the national manufacturing system due to its extensive integration with numerous industries and its ability to meet a wide variety of production needs. According to the Confindustria Study Center report *“ Manufacturing in Transition: Will It Remain Competitive?”, Italy’ s rubber and plastics industry employs more than 160,000 workers and comprises nearly 4,000 companies, confirming its significance both in terms of employment and the value it generates across national and European manufacturing supply chains.
A CENTRAL SECTOR IN INDUSTRIAL VALUE CHAINS One of the most significant aspects of the sector is its position within the manufacturing production structure. Analysis of interdependencies among industrial sectors shows that rubber and plastics rank among the industries with strong upstream and downstream connections in production chains, alongside sectors such as metallurgy, chemicals, and metal products.
This means that plastics processing companies operate as central nodes within supply chains. On one hand, they purchase raw materials and semi-finished products from other industrial sectors; on the other, they provide components and intermediate products for a wide range of applications, from automotive and mechanical engineering to electronics and packaging. This high level of interconnectedness makes the sector particularly important for the stability of the broader industrial system. Production disruptions or cost fluctuations affecting the sector can spread throughout value chains, influencing many other manufacturing segments.
WEIGHT WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING STRUCTURE Within the broader framework of Italian manufacturing, the rubber and plastics industry is one of the sectors making a significant contribution to industrial output, ranking among the intermediate segments in terms of value added, employment, and production. Its presence reflects a structural characteristic of the Italian manufacturing model: strong specialization in medium-technology industries, which account for a substantial share of national industrial value added. www. plastmagazine. it