Italian ceramic machinery industry reports 8.6% recovery in turnover

The Italian ceramic and heavy clay machinery and equipment industry showed a significant recovery in 2010 with respect to the downturn of 2009, closing the year with 8.6% turnover growth.
The figure was published in Acimac’s 19th National Statistical Survey, which reveals that the sector generated a total turnover last year of 1,394 million euro. This represents a real recovery in orders in spite of being insufficient to offset the losses of 2009 when turnover slumped by 30.7%.
The recovery was driven by exports, which accounted for 76.6% of turnover (up from the 77.4% of 2009) and confirmed the Italian technology industry’s world leadership position with a turnover of 1,067.1 million euro. In contrast, the Italian market is still struggling to recover. In 2010 domestic turnover experienced a further 2.8% contraction and dropped to 326.8 million euro, 23.4% of total turnover.
Acimac chairman Pietro Cassani made the following comment on last year’s results along with some cautious forecasts for 2011: “During the twelve months of 2010 we saw a timid return to investment in most countries worldwide, including Italy. We are therefore optimistic about the current year and are expecting a further 10-15 percentage point recovery with respect to the turnover achieved at the end of 2010. However, Italian industry needs to be supported by adequate fiscal policies and incentives for innovation.”