MACHINERY
An evolving sector where investments in packaging are partly slowing down while opportunities in insulation and industrial applications and foreign markets are growing. The biggest challenge? Finding technical expertise.
Union PET sheet extrusion line
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS GROWTH
Italian technology plast / October 2026
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In the extrusion machinery sector, the key is no longer market specialisation but diversification. This is the strategy that has allowed Union Officine Meccaniche to navigate through a complex period for the plastics processing industry, characterised by significant regulatory uncertainty, more selective investments and a growing difficulty in finding qualified personnel. Ferdinando Passoni, CEO of the company based in Lombardy, explains the present situation, observing the evolution of the sector from the perspective of a long-standing manufacturer operating in various application segments and strongly oriented towards exports.
PACKAGING UNDER PRESSURE For years, rigid packaging and PET thermoforming have been among the major drivers of growth in the extrusion sector. Today, however, the climate has changed. Many processors are postponing or scaling back investments because of the uncertainty generated by the European regulations and the ongoing debate over the use of recycled materials. The paradox, according to Passoni, is that regulatory uncertainty itself risks blocking industrial investments. If an entrepreneur is not sure that a given product will continue to be manufactured in the coming years, he will inevitably tend to postpone his decisions.
CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS SUPPORT DEMAND While the packaging industry is undergoing a period of reflection, other sectors are offering new opportunities to extrusion machinery manufacturers.“ Today, many of the machines we are building are intended for the construction industry and industrial applications,” Passoni observes. Thermal insulation for buildings have long represented a strategic market for materials such as EPS, XPS and expanded polyu-
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