UCIMU meeting: an excellent 2021 for the italian machine tool industry the year 2022 still on the decrease

05.07.2022 -

Sesto San Giovanni, 5 July 2022. The year 2021 was extremely positive for the Italian manufacturing industry of machine tools, robots and automation systems, which registered double-digit increases for all main economic indicators: production, exports, deliveries to the domestic market and consumption. 

With these results, once again, the Italian industry of the sector confirmed to be one of the key players in the international scenario. In particular, it ranked fifth in the world ranking of production, letting the United States go ahead. It came in fourth among exporting countries and fourth among consumer countries, climbing a position compared with last year.

In 2022, despite the atmosphere of general uncertainty, the positive trend should definitely continue. Owing to this, the Italian industry of the sector should achieve new absolute records for most indicators.

This is the framework summed up by the president of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE Barbara Colombo, this morning, during the Members’ Meeting, which was also attended by the president of CONFINDUSTRIA, Carlo Bonomi.

THE ACTUAL RESULTS OF 2021

According to the final data processed by the Economic Studies Department & Business Culture of UCIMU, in 2021, the Italian production of machine tools, robots and automation systems attained 6,330 million euro, reporting a 22.2% upturn versus 2020. Consumption grew by 40.7% to 5,009 million euro, calling forth a rise, both in the deliveries to the domestic market (+35.1%, 3,135 million euro) and in imports (+51.1%, 1,874 million euro). 

An increase was also recorded with regard to exports, which, in 2021, amounted to 3,195 million euro, i.e. 11.7% more than in the previous year. The exports/output ratio went down from 55.2% in 2020 to 50.5% in 2021.

In 2021, the main export markets for the Italian product offering were Germany (353 million euro, +22.2%), the United States (336 million euro, -10.1%), China (228 million euro, +1.7%), Poland (177 million euro, +23.5%), France (176 million euro, +11.3%), Turkey (129 million euro, +28.7%), Russia (103 million euro, +2.9%), Spain (99 million euro, +4.4%).

The positive performance of the Italian industry of the sector had a beneficial effect on the utilisation rate of production capacity, whose yearly average strongly increased, going from 65% in 2020 to 80.2% in 2021. Even the order portfolio was on the rise, achieving 7.3 months of guaranteed production, versus 5 months in the previous year. 

The turnover of the sector reached the amount of 9,174 million euro.

FORECASTS 2022 

Based on the forecasts elaborated by the Economic Studies Department & Business Culture of UCIMU, in 2022, the growth trend should definitely continue. 

Production should stand at 7,150 million euro, i.e. 13% more than in the previous year, thus marking a new absolute record in the history of the Italian industry of the sector.

Consumption should grow, attaining the record-breaking value of 5,670 million euro (+13.2%), driving the deliveries of manufacturers to the domestic market, which should break a new record, amounting to 3,520 million euro (+12.3%). Even imports should go up, almost reaching the value of 2,150 million euro (+14.7%).

Exports should rise to 3,630 million euro (+13.6%), thus returning to the levels achieved 4 years ago (2018).

Based on UCIMU processing on ISTAT data, in the first three months of 2022, the main export markets of the Italian machine tool offering were the United States (93 million euro, +40.5%), Germany (62 million euro, -29.3%), China (45 million euro, -0.1%), France (40 million euro, +3.8%), Poland (35 million euro, -14.6%), Spain (30 million euro, +86.2%), Russia (20 million euro, -40.8%), Mexico (19 million euro, -13.1%), Turkey (18 million euro, -59.7%) and India (17 million euro, +17.8%).

COMMENTS AND PROPOSALS OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Barbara Colombo, president of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, pointed out: “Today, we are experiencing a paradoxical situation: Italian manufactures have received a large number of orders, as never before,  but they are able to produce just a part of the orders collected between the end of 2021 and the first six months of 2022. If the shortage and the rise in the prices of raw materials represent a problem that is gradually being resolved, in the next months, we will continue to have difficulty finding electronic components. Moreover, there is the problem of the exorbitant price increase of energy costs, which fuels inflation and has a direct impact on production costs in many upstream and downstream sectors of the production chain where we operate. Therefore, we consider as essential to carry out any actions aimed, on one hand, at finding new sources of energy supply and, on the other hand, at limiting the disproportionate rise in prices, in order to prevent stopping the manufacturing activity next autumn”.

“In addition to these problems, there is great uncertainty due to the deep transformation concerning the automotive sector and all its numerous related industries and activities, in consideration of the target defined by the EU to put an end to the production of endothermic-combustion engine vehicles by 2035”.

“Based on the discussions involving enterprises, institutions and organisations, including UCIMU, taking part in the work table managed by the Ministry of Economic Development, our Government authorities expressed Italy’s clear standpoint about the necessity of ensuring a gradual passage to the green production of motor vehicles, according to what we have defined as technological neutrality”. 

“In Italy, we have a strong, deeply rooted tradition in the automotive production, which includes not only the manufacturing of vehicles, but also that of components, mainly carried out by small and mid-sized enterprises, operating in the supply chains of automotive sectors all over the world, starting from Germany. We, the Italian machine tool manufacturers, sell about 50% of our production to the automotive industry. This enormous macro-sector represents a heritage that must definitely be protected, also because it is the fruit and expression of the Italian knowledge and know-how”. 

“For this reason – stated the president of UCIMU – we do not absolutely want to oppose the change. We just ask to appropriately balance the interventions and define an agenda with a reasonable timing, which may enable the reconversion of the plants that have to be destined for new productions and alternative sectors, and which may enable a related and suitable professional education and training”. 

“After all, the Italian machine tool industry is extremely sensitive to the issue of green production. Indeed, Transition 4.0, already included in state-of-the-art production technologies, is the response to the necessity of delivering solutions and systems capable of ensuring a sustainable approach for manufacturing”.

“The modernisation of the “Workshop Italy” has been started and supported by the Incentives 4.0 in force for over five years, but the digital transformation of industrial plants and the expansion of production capacity have not certainly been accomplished and thus, they have to continue. Therefore, we ask the Government authorities to reason on a structural incentive measure for the replacement of obsolete machinery and the introduction of technologies 4.0 and, at the same time, we ask the Italian Government to extend and simplify the applicability of the measure regarding the tax credit for professional education and training”.

“People are the crucial factor for the success of our enterprises and, in particular, young people. Therefore, we think it essential that our country makes an important investment in all those schools of any kind and level – professional schools, technical institutes, higher technical institutes (ITS), universities and postgraduate courses – whose course of studies has a direct relation with the manufacturing industry and, in particular, high-tech manufacturing. On our part, as entrepreneurs, we are committed to building a product offering suitable for the needs of today’s candidates, in order to be more attractive for new high-school and university graduates. However, we require more support from the Government authorities to achieve the elimination of the tax wedge for all employees, In the meantime, while awaiting discussions on its possible implementation, it must necessarily be applied to newly hired young people right away, in order to encourage their addition to our companies’ staff, which must rely on a necessary generational change”.

Finally – concluded the president of UCIMU – for a sector that exports half of its production, internationalisation cannot be a choice: it is a must, even in particularly difficult periods, such as the current one. Thus, we will continue to be actively present in the emerging markets, without overlooking the traditional ones”.

“First the public health emergency and then the war in Ukraine showed the weakness of a system based on an extreme level of globalisation. The production and supply of goods, even strategic ones, from places that are very distant or characterised by a high level of instability have caused many problems to the value chains, which are gradually becoming shorter today. Owing to this, the European manufacturing industry is reorganising itself, increasingly privileging supplies and co-operations that are geographically and culturally closer. This means that we, the Italian manufacturers, must look at the European Union and the United States very carefully. We should take advantage of our flexibility and capacity to react once again, to steal our competitors’ thunder and find a new position within the new supply chains, where now new spaces are created”.

“Moreover, in order to promote the Made in Italy of the sector, the participation in international trade fairs in Italy and abroad is also fundamental, as exhibitions are capable of attracting operators from any part of the world. Therefore, we think that all the provisions aimed at encouraging the enterprises’ participation in trade shows are extremely important. Amongst other things, over the last few days, the action carried out by Professional Associations and Exhibition Centres to highlight the strategic importance of trade fairs - today still the most important occasion for the promotion of the sector’s companies - led to include an amendment to the Aid Decree, providing for a bonus of 10,000 euro for the Italian enterprises that wish to take part in international exhibitions held in Italy by the end of 2022”: 

Sesto San Giovanni, 5 July 2022

Contact:

Claudia Mastrogiuseppe, External Relations and Press Office Manager, +39 0226255.299, +39 3482618701 [email protected]

Massimo Civello, External Relations and Press Office +39 0226255.266, +39 3487812176 [email protected]

Filippo Laonigro, Technical Press Office, +39 0226255.225, [email protected]

Contacts

Direzione Relazioni Esterne

Claudia Mastrogiuseppe
tel +39 02 26255.299
[email protected]