Acimac observes surge in sales in first quarter of 2021

Clear improvement in sales of ceramic machinery and equipment: according to the Mecs-Acimac research centre, the first quarter of 2021 closed with 33.3% growth in sales. Strong performance in both exports (+38%) and the Italian market (+27.3%)

The Italian ceramic machinery and equipment manufacturers represented by Acimac are seeing clear signs of a recovery. Following a decline in turnover over the last two years, sales were up 33.3% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.

The biggest gains (+37.9%) were in export sales, most notably in Spain and China, while the domestic market saw a 27.3% upturn.

The companies in the sample surveyed by the Mecs-Acimac Research Centre are continuing their gradual upward trend following the first signs of a recovery in Q4 2020. Almost 79% of respondents expect to see further growth in domestic sales in the second quarter of 2021, while the same percentage are anticipating an increase in exports.

Expectations are positive both for machinery sales and for after-sales services and spare parts. On average, companies now have an order book that guarantees production for at least four months.

“It’s still too early to say that the economy has returned to normal but we have seen the first strong signs of recovery in the first quarter,” says Acimac’s chairman Paolo Mongardi. “We are cautiously optimistic that domestic and international customers are beginning to resume their investments in technology in order to capitalise on the recovery already underway in the construction sector.”