Acimac: stability expected in 2008

"2008 will be a year of stability or slight growth", predicts Acimac's newly-elected chairman Pietro Cassani.

Many markets are slackening. Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East may still have growth potential, offsetting a possible downturn in Eastern Asia and the European Union. In Italy the investments that began in 2007 are expected to continue, although at a slower pace.
Sector companies have to deal constantly with new challenges and difficulties, from rising production and energy costs and erosion of profitability to the poor state of the world economy.

"I continue to believe in the robustness of our sector and the strength of our companies, which are still acknowledged as the world leaders," comments outgoing Acimac chairman Pierluigi Ponzoni. "We must ensure that we are always prepared to deliver the best technological solutions and the most comprehensive and punctual services for our client companies."

This view is echoed by Pietro Cassani, who argues that the sector's key strengths are research and innovation. "There is no such thing as a mature market," argues Cassani. "This means that it's necessary to invest in order to renew technology, to automate processes and to improve product quality by diversifying and gaining critical mass compared to competitors."

The incoming chairman identified human capital as a strategic resource, arguing in favour of policies to support technical schools and university so as to create solid foundations for training. Strong partnerships and marketing synergies need to be established between companies to address the variability of the market and to return to a policy of internalisation while striving to reduce outsourcing and delocalisation.