Assocomaplast Showing Growth of 11.1% in 2011

Assocomaplast, the association of Italian plastics and rubber machinery producers, has announced the industry’s estimated turnover for 2011, showing growth of 11.1%. Production value increased from €3.6bn in 2010 to €4bn this year. While Italian export value grew more strongly than overall production value, by 19.3% from €2.01bn to €2.4bn, the value of imports grew by only 5.9% from €567m to €600m. The domestic market has also been relatively weak, growing from €2.16bn in 2010 to €2.2bn in 2011. In terms of export markets for Italian plastics and rubber machinery, Germany headed the list with sales of €253.1m. But growth was strongest in the CIS countries, where exports grew 65.5% to reach €102.7m. The second and third positions were taken by Poland, with a 54.5% increase to €78.1m, and Turkey, with 46.2% growth to €65.7m. The association claims Russian, Polish and Turkish markets for Italian machinery have grown strongly as a result of the machinery producers having paid particular attention to these areas, such as participation at the recent plastics fair in Istanbul. These efforts will continue at the Interplastica fair in Moscow in January 2012, where around 60 Italian plastics and rubber machinery producers exhibit. In western Europe, growth was faster in France with the Italian machinery posting 29.1% growth to €109.2m, but the market there for the Italian producers is less than half that for Germany. China took third position in export sales with €104.3m, growing 22.3% - just slightly more than Germany but somewhat less than France. In North and central America, Mexico took the bottom position of major markets for Italian plastics and rubber machinery with sales there amounting to just €49.8m. However, growth in Mexico was strong at 26%, compared with the US, where the market grew 11.2% growth to €80.4m. There were moderate declines in sales to Spain (down 0.9% to €59.3m) and Brazil (down 2.2% to €68m). Exports of injection moulding machinery grew faster with 55% growth than extrusion machinery at 26%. While sales of mono and multiple filament machinery, as well as thermoforming machinery, almost doubled in 2011, Assocomaplast points out that these types of machinery represent a relatively modest proportion of the total. While not giving figures, Assocomaplast says that the most recent survey of its members showed just under 50% of the companies as having experienced a decline in incoming orders. The association adds that it is concerned especially in export markets about Italian producers having less favourable credit insurance under the country’s SACE scheme, in which the Italian ministry of economic development has a major shareholding, than the equivalent Euler Hermes and Coface schemes in respectively Germany and France. Asscomaplast’s member companies have asked the association to intervene here with both SACE and the ministry, especially as SACE has had large surpluses in its annual accounts in the past few years. Assocomaplast’s growth has turned out much lower than for competing German plastics and rubber machinery producers. In December, the VDMA raised its forecast for 2011 sales growth up from 18 to 22%, with a new all-time high in turnover of just under €6bn in sight for 2011. Source: www.europeanplasticsnews.com