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News Release from: UCIMU
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 January 2008
Italian machine tool sales to slow in
2008
Looking at 2007-2008, the Italian machine tool industry foresees an ongoing positive sales trend, but with a considerable slowdown on growth.
UCIMU - the Italian Machine Tools, Robots and Automation Manufacturers' Association - said that according to the provisional results of 2007, processed by its Studies Dept, production has gone up by 16.7% compared with the value recorded a year earlier, reaching EUR 5,825 million Exports and domestic consumption have been positive
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Export grew by 16% to EUR 3,215 million.
The analysis of the foreign trade data regarding the first eight months of 2007 recorded Germany and China as having the leading positions (China/Asia was fifth before) followed by United States, Spain, France and Russia.
Sales are rising in Germany (+23.7%), France (+6.7%), Spain (+4.9%).
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The deliveries to the United States are substantially stable (-1.4%).
* Emerging markets - among the emerging markets - China (+4.2%) - UCIMU records remarkable increases in deliveries to Russia (+51.7%), Poland (+37.6), Turkey (+20.9%), India (+52.4%), Czech Republic (+43.9%), Mexico (+28.3%) and Romania (+35.1%).
* Domestic consumption - the recovery of consumption, gone up by 21.2%, to EUR 4,275 million, has positively affected the trend of the deliveries of the Italian manufacturers who recorded a strong upturn, totalling a value of EUR 2,610 million, 17.6% in comparison with the previous year.
In 2008, the positive situation for the industry of the sector will go on.
Registering a 12.3% increase versus 2007, production will reach the record value of EUR 6,540 million.
In addition to the good trend of exports, expected to grow by 12% to EUR 3,600 million.
Boosted by the increase in the domestic consumption, which will go up to EUR 4,765 million, i e, 11.5% more than in 2007, domestic sales of the Italian manufacturers will grow by 12.6%, to EUR 2,940 million.
"The situation, outlined on the basis of the data concerning the two-year period 2007-2008," stated Alberto Tacchella, president of UCIMU, "Is surely satisfactory, but not completely comforting".
Tacchella said that the analysis of the forecasts for 2008 shows a more uncertain profile, characterized by a considerable slowdown on growth.
"In particular, what troubles more is the slowdown of the domestic consumption which, although still growing in comparison with a year earlier, highlights a partial tiredness of the inland market.
Moreover, there is also an increase in the bank interest rates granted to the enterprises of the sector.
As emerging from a survey carried out by the Studies Dept of UCIMU, in the period August-October 2007, this is a phenomenon which concerned about 70% of the enterprises.
The average increase was +0.53% (interval included between +0.125% and +1.5%).
The fear is that the general atmosphere of uncertainty and indecision of the Government authorities in defying the economic and financial policies, aiming at fostering the development of the country, may, once again, freeze the investment in capital goods, consequently implying a competitiveness loss of the entire Italian manufacturing system".
Tacchella continued: "So it is now, in such a delicate moment of financial law discussion that the manufacturers of instrumental goods hope that the Government authorities will carefully reflect upon the real priorities of the country and upon the useful and necessary measures for encouraging the development of the industrial tissue, the only system which may lead the development of the country".
He added: "In this connection, we welcome the coming into effect of the regulation which provides for a 40 % tax credit for the enterprises investing in innovation, by developing research projects with universities.
Expressly on the basis of this example, we ask for new, concrete measures to be introduced in support of the companies making innovation.
Innovation is intended not only with regard to products, but also and more generally, in the way of doing business by growth and development processes, such as internationalization, outside opening of the capital stock, aggregations, mergers, takeovers, quotation processes".
Tacchella said: "As far as the regions are concerned, we ask them to dedicate particular care in refinancing those regulations which allow the enterprises to continue their activities.
Among these, the Sabatini law, which enables all companies, even the mid-small-sized ones, to invest in innovation".
"Thanks to this regulation - added Alberto Tacchella - the companies, especially the smaller ones, can make investments that, otherwise, they would not be able to bear and that, if postponed, may negatively affect the company's activity.
To sum up, we ask the regions to confirm the operativeness of the instruments utilized for investments of any amounts, as, for a mid-small-sized enterprise the purchase of only one machine means a considerable economic effort and a great activity of innovation.
The Italian manufacturing industry is made up of small- and mid-sized enterprises and thus, the institutions and the Government authorities have the task to propose measures useful for their activity".
He concluded: "All in all, we hope that the Government authorities may finally consider these requests as indispensable needs.
The entrepreneurs had to and still have to face, against their wills, a more complex and varied framework compared with the past; the institutions must intervene by concrete measures capable of accompanying the enterprises in their ongoing growth process, which can no longer be delayed, to prevent the companies from paying "the highest price": the exit from the market".
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