These projections highlight excellent performance in exports and general stability of the domestic market.The analysis of export markets reconfirms Germany as the principal destination for Italian technology while also highlighting a significant surge in exports to Russia, Poland, and Turkey. Assocomaplast member companies have dedicated particular attention to these latter three markets with the support of the Association, which coordinated their participation in a fair in Istanbul at the end of November and is planning a large Italian pavilion, with some sixty exhibitors, in Moscow for Interplastica 2012 on 24-27 January.
In terms of macro-areas, however, the principal progress is seen in sales to the Far East, which has grown by thirty percentage points. China has been the leader in the growth in this geographical area.
Europe is next, thanks to the increase in exports to the three countries cited above. Sales to South American markets, on the other hand, have slowed somewhat after the strongly positive trend registered in previous quarters.
Looking at types of machinery, a positive trend is seen in the exportation of injection moulding machines (+55%) and extruders (+26%). And while representing only a modest portion of the total, sales have nearly doubled for plants for mono/multifilament and thermoforming machines.
The assessment of order books in the latest survey taken by the Association shows a shrink- age of just under 50% among interviewed companies.
The survey also revealed strong criticism of the Italian manufacturers against export credit insurance agency SACE, which is somewhat weak compared to its German and French counterparts, Euler Hermes and Coface, respectively. This is a cause of much concern for many companies in the sector, who have asked the Association to take action, addressing not only SACE, but also the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, the majority shareholder in SACE.
Members want Assocomaplast to request that, as part of the hoped-for measures to support broad economic recovery, the Ministry instructs SACE to examine the requests for credit insurance with all necessary rigor while also avoiding the excesses that have been driven by the desire in recent years to insure principally a large surplus on their balance sheets.
