Extrusion International 3-2023

11 Extrusion International 3/2023 2022 Balance – Byond All Expectation for Italian Manufacturers of Plastics and Rubber Processing Systems  The year-end figures for 2022 are official and the picture painted by the MECS Statistical Study Cen- ter, which published them, is a year worth framing: the plastics and rub- ber technology industry represented by Amaplast (Italian association of manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds) closed the year with a turnover of 4.67 billion euros, the second-best performance ever. The variance with respect to 2021 is +5% and the De- cember forecast (4.5 billion) proved to be somewhat cautious. And the balance among Amaplast members was even better (+9% turnover with respect to 2021). The result is all the more satisfy- ing if compared to the numerous difficulties confronting the industry over the course of the year – some of which are having continuing ef- fects – between export limits to Russia, raw materials and compo- nent shortages, and skyrocketing energy costs. The main driver of this historical result was exports, which showed a particularly positive trend towards the end of the year, with a total value again above the threshold of 3 billion euros. After a most excellent 2021, the domestic market remained rela- tively stable, with a less pronounced increment of 0.8% and turnover of 2.54 billion euros. In detail, exports by the Italian manufacturers – which continue to be the destination for 70% of pro- duction – show progressive growth towards the three principal geo- graphical destination zones: - Europe (EU and extra EU): +8% - Americas: +12%, thanks mainly to South America (+33% overall, with peaks mainly for Brazil and also, albeit with lower absolute val- ues, for Colombia, Chile, and Peru). In North America, sales to the Unit- ed States have slowed somewhat (-3%) while Mexico has recorded a strong new rebound (+35%) - Asia: +9%. In the Far East (+9% on average), sales to India stand out at +24%, while China has retreated (-7%); in the Middle East (+11% overall) the driving forces are Saudi Arabia (+36%) and the Emirates (+58%). Contradictory signals are arriving from the African continent, contrary to what was observed for 2021: ex- ports to North Africa fell by 24% on average while those to sub-Saharan markets have increased by a similar proportion. As regards export product cat- egories, among machines for pri- mary processing we observe robust growth in extruders (+23%) and mo- no-multifilament systems (+58%), the latter a category that has shown significant progression over the past three years, going from 74 million euros in 2020 to the historical peak of 140 million in 2022, after the pre- vious decade with values ranging be- tween 30 and 50 million euros. On the other hand, injection moulding machines exhibit a rela- tively flat trend while blow-mould - ing systems and thermoforming machines have registered distinctly negative performance at -19% and -22%, respectively. As regards the first quarter of 2023, the forecast based on an Amaplast member survey in early January highlighted the following expectations: - +7% in orders (with respect to the same period in 2022). The out- look is positive, with substantially similar intensity, for both the Italian and foreign markets - +6% in turnover, still signifi - cantly positive but slightly less stel- lar than revenues from the previous quarters. Sales abroad should once again be the principal source of sat- isfaction. The outlook for the rest of 2023 remains uncertain, given the eco- nomic and political context that is still a bit up in the air. While the is- sue of energy costs and availability of raw materials and components has shown some partial improve- ment, troubles continue to be the order of the day – such as the recent bank crisis – and this makes any at- tempt to forecast the future quite challenging, to say the least. Focusing on the German competi- tors, on the basis of the most recent surveys, at the end of 2022 they recorded a thirteen point drop in orders (the domestic market is par- ticularly weak) coupled with a +10% in sales (sales abroad showing the principal positive signs). In this first glimpse of 2023, the gap between orders (-40%, with a collapse in do- mestic orders) and sales (+21% but here the best performance was ob- served at home) is only deepening. For the Italian segment of the in- dustry, 2023 is above all the year of PLAST, one of the world’s premier fairs for the plastics and rubber in- dustry organized by Promaplast srl. After a five-year hiatus, the fair will open its doors again on 5 to 8 September 2023 at the Fiera Milano Rho fairgrounds. Companies are getting ready to show the world the best of the Made-in-Italy in terms of design, materials, sustainability, and smart technology. AMAPLAST www.amaplast.org