Acimac: innovation and confidence for recovery

A 10 percent decrease in turnover in 2008, an unfavourable outlook for 2009 but stable levels of employment and confidence in a recovery in the world economy and in the solidity of an industry that has previously overcome difficult periods is the picture of the sector painted by Acimac chairman Pietro Cassani at the traditional Christmas meeting.

After the excellent results of 2007, including a record turnover of 1,937.5 million euro, 13.8 percent up on the previous year, the Italian ceramic machinery manufacturers are anticipating a downturn in the region of ten percentage points in 2008 with an estimated turnover of around 1,700 million euro. This estimate refers in particular to the performance of the first ten months of the year, but may have to be further downwardly revised due to the autumn financial crisis which resulted in the cancellation or suspension of a number of orders that had already been made. Again in 2008 the sector’s export share will exceed 70 percent of turnover. Repercussions in terms of employment are not expected for the sector’s workforce of 7,500 in the immediate future, largely due to the flexible working system adopted by companies in the sector and their continual efforts to achieve internal efficiency.

However Acimac is not forecasting a recovery in the immediate future and in 2009 is expecting a further fall of around 10 percent in sales. But it is hoped that at least from the second half of 2009 onwards the economy will begin to show concrete signs of a trend reversal. The recovery of the construction industry in many countries, a new financial equilibrium that will bring clear guarantees concerning access to credit, and a climate of greater confidence amongst entrepreneurs prompting them to resume investment in capital goods are the prerequisites for the recovery of a sector that will be redoubling its efforts over the coming months in the field of process and product innovation. It is only by developing innovative technological solutions (ever more efficient, automated, attentive to energy consumption and capable of giving added aesthetic and performance value to the finished product) that Italian ceramic machinery producers will be able to retain their international leadership position.