UCIMU: 2018 record year for the Italian machine tool industry. Expected stability for 2019

2018 was the year of records for the Italian machine tool, robot and automation industry, which recorded double-digit increases for all economic indicators. The 2019 will instead be characterized by substantial stability. This is a summary of what was illustrated by Massimo Carboniero, president of Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre, the association of Italian machine tool manufacturers, robots and automation, during the usual press conference at the end of the year. As emerges from the preliminary figures prepared by the Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre Business Studies & Culture Center, in 2018,
production grew to 6,900 million euros, marking an increase of 13.4% compared to the previous year. This is the fifth consecutive year of growth and, in absolute terms, the new record for the Italian industry in the sector. The result was determined both by the excellent performance of deliveries by Italian manufacturers on the domestic market, which grew by 21.1%, to 3,270 million euros, and by the positive trend in exports, which grew by 7.2% to 3,630 million euros. According to the Ucimu elaboration on the ISTAT data, in the first eight months of the year (last survey available), the main countries of destination of the sector made in Italy were: Germany 246 million euros (+ 11.6%); China 237 million euros (+ 7.1%); United States 223 million euros (+9.5%); Poland 143 million euros (+ 49.8%) and France 135 million euros (-4.6%). By virtue of these increases, Italy has strengthened its role on the international scene where it has distinguished itself not only for the expertise expressed by the industry, measured by production and export data, but also for the liveliness of demand sustained and stimulated by measures for competitiveness such as super and hyper-depreciation included in the Industry / Business 4.0 programs. In particular, in 2018, consumption of machine tools, robots and automation in Italy rose by 25.9%
to 5,620 million euros. The willingness to invest in new technology, including digital, by Italian users has led manufacturers to direct their attention to the domestic market, as evidenced by the reduction in the export-to-production ratio, from 55.6% in 2017 to 52,6% of 2018. In an unfavorable general climate, in 2019, the Italian industry in the sector, should however confirm the performance of 2018, benefiting from the positive trend of deliveries on foreign markets, expected to increase. The internal market is clearly slowing down, whose growth trend seems to have lost the momentum we have become accustomed to over the past few years. Production will increase to 7,040 million (+ 2%) driven by exports which, expected to grow by 5%, will amount to 3,810 million euros. Consumption, that is to say the demand from Italian users, will stop at 5,630 million euros (+ 0.2%). The stationary nature of the internal market will have repercussions on both deliveries of Italian manufacturers that will fall to 3,230 million euros (-1.2%) and on imports that will stand at 2,400 million euros (+ 2.1%). The production export figure will increase by one percentage point to 54.1%.