Momentary setback for Italian plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers

The 2024 full-year forecast developed by the MECS Study Centre of the trade association Amaplast indicates a drop of approximately nine percentage points in Italian production of plastics and rubber processing machinery to an estimated value of 4.35 billion euros. These figures reflect those expected for exports – the historical engine for the industry, which have exhibited a downward trend over the course of the year, although at a lower rate than other industrial sectors and other international competitors – which are expected to come in at 3.25 billion euros.

Imports, on the other hand, appear set to close the year with a bigger drop, on the order of -15%, feeling the effect of truly weak domestic demand. Of course, the post-pandemic recovery, which grew progressively in the three years 2021-2023, partly thanks to tax incentives, was never expected to continue indefinitely. Slowdowns in the automotive industry are also no small source of concern for businesses, especially because they are having a heavy impact on various European markets: Germany – Italy’s long-term trading partner – first and foremost.

Istat analyses of export flows for the period January-September 2024 show that Europe, while again representing the prime sales area for Italian-made products in the sector, has lost five percentage points in total value, a result that mirrors the trend in the EU, burdened by setbacks in important markets such as Spain and Poland (whereas, oddly, Italian sales to German converters have remained steady overall). The drop is even bigger in sales to the CIS, which have been halved mainly due to a collapse in sales to Russia. With the continuing embargo on sales of processing equipment in this market, Chinese competitors are commandeering a greater share of this market. On the other hand, exports have increased to various non-EU destinations, most notably to Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Sustainability and energy savings will represent the core of the second edition of the exhibition-convention GreenPlast, organized by the Amaplast services company (Promaplast) for 27–30 May 2025 at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds in Rho-Pero. Complementing the exhibition section – with companies representing the full breadth of the plastics and rubber industry, from materials to machines, from processes to services – the conferences coordinated by AMI-Applied Market Information will address the key aspects such as the management of plastic waste, mechanical and chemical recycling, energy efficiency of machinery and processes, bioplastics, and much more.