A good year for machines

ACIMGA INFORMS Domestic demand +6%, turnover+1.4%, exports +1.5 % (featuring a near 80% of turnover), a balance of trade that is dropping, albeit standing at 440 million euro. Main figures, priority objectives and problem features according to president Barzanò.

A good year for machines

For Italian machine producers the business year 2006 also drew to a close showing positive results, with sizeable figures and growth percentages (going against other Italian mechanical engineering segments for the third year running), as listed above in the article summary. Aboveall sizeable the trends that confirm the success of Italian products on the international and national markets.
This last point stands as a new feature. «In 2006 Italian domestic demand was up by over 6%, aided by the holding of Grafitalia-Converflex, contributing to closing a three-year period 2004-2006 in which the growth of overall sector turnover superseded 12%, with exports more than doubled and accounting for close on 80% of total turnover”. Turning their attention to the future, the Confindustria member association, as announced by its president, defined the main objectives to be attained and the problems to be tackled. «Entrepreneurship is our motto - Barzanò declared in his speech - aiming at a quality approach, innovation and technological excellence. Without indulging in sterile complaints, but also without concealing the difficulties generated by the inefficiencies of Italy’s Country System. That penalizes Italian entrepreneurship and leaves us looking on, while our main competitors field reforms and structure».

A sturdy segment
Hence the machines constitute a huge strongpoint in the sector in question, as also documented in the recent study “Paper, publishing, print and converting, sector analysis”, presented last February by the coordinator (Alessandro Nova, Bocconi University).
Among the information contained in this work, some details - indicated by Barzanò - are worthy of note and of reflection: «Aboveall the directly employed stand at 256 thousand, though with supplier industry accounting for a total of some 579 thousand units, the total figure is over 800 thousand. Indeed exports-turnover and the penetration of imports in the market indicate a good holding of international competitivity. This is confirmed by the constantly positive run of the commercial balance and a surplus that is seen to be growing».
But aboveall, the entire segment presents a continuous and stable growth. In the longterm – and precisely between 1990 and 2006, when the future of newsprint appeared to be getting ever blacker – an increase in production among the highest in the entire Italian system was registered, similar to that of the food sector. This stability, along with the already mentioned recovery of the Italian domestic market, gives an impression of strength that does not overlook the critical factors and inevitable risks, but at the same time contributes to the will to plan out and contribute to the future.

Prospects
And to finish off, Barzanò expressed some programmatic indications to help growth; firstly, calling for a greater coordination of the undertakings to support sector exports, to make the same more incisive; secondly, for a monitoring the evolution of the “new” Italian bank system at close quarters, system that has improved in size and structure, to see whether it is capable of supporting the presence of Italian concerns abroad with adequate financial means and consultancy.
A third indication is inspired by a positive phenomenon - the decisive contribution of Italian concerns to the economic recovery has gone by way of sturdy investments in innovation - that can be further empowered by joining forces.
Barzanò cites on this count examples of “transversal” consortiums, made up that is of concerns of various sizes from various manufacturing sectors, that have invested together in R&D with interesting results.
The objectives to be pursued coordinating these (and other) actions? Two main priorities: improve the sector performance on the strategic Asian markets, aboveall overcoming that big structural limit that is the small size of the Italian concern, and improve profitability that, as is known, represents another sore point, a very sore point”. Worried? The balance between strongpoints and weakpoints leads to a “reasonable optimism”. To be worked on.