ECONOMY AND MARKET
Massimo Margaglione, President of Amaplast
According to ISTAT data, exports increased by 1.5 % compared to 2023, reaching a total value of 3.62 billion euros. Exports, accounting for three quarters of total production, peaked in the final quarter of the year, particularly in December. While more established markets such as the European Union and North America registered modest growth, other regions – despite accounting for smaller shares – proved to be more dynamic. Significant increases in demand were observed in the Far Est – especially in China and India – as well as in non-EU European countries( Turkey), Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. Conversely, imports declined by 7 % over the course of the year, ending just above 1 billion euros. The macro-level data emerging from the latest National Statistical Survey outline an industry composed of approximately 430 manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing machinery, equipment, and moulds, collectively employing over 15,000 people. Most of the companies are located in Lombardy( 53 % of production facilities), followed by Veneto and Emilia-Romagna( each with 14 %), and Piedmont( nearly 9 %). Moreover, a direct relationship between company size and revenue-generating capacity can be observed. While most companies fall into the three smallest turnover brackets( up to 10 million euros), employing 72 % of the sector’ s workforce, it is the larger enterprises that account for the majority( 78 %) of total industry turnover. As a result, as company size increases, so does average revenue per employee and focus on exports. Vice President Barbara Ulcelli emphasized that the average revenue per employee in the sector stands at approximately 320,000 euros, significantly higher than the national industrial average. This figure rises even further within Amaplast companies, approaching 330,000 euros. As far as end markets are concerned, the largest share of revenue comes from the packaging sector( roughly 29 % food-related and 17 % nonfood). The packaging sector is followed by the on the current global economy and its potential future developments with a special emphasis on Italy.
INDUSTRY DATA According to the findings of the fifth edition of the National Statistical Survey by the MECS- Amaplast Statistical Centre, the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery industry closed 2024 with a 1.4 % increase in turnover, reaching over 4.82 billion euros. This result surpasses the preliminary forecast published in March, which had anticipated a slight contraction in production. The stability of the sector can largely be attributed to the strong performance of exports, which increased for the fourth consecutive year.
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The stability of the sector Italian machinery for plastics can largely be attributed to the strong performance of exports
Italian technology plast / October 2025
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