By David Vink, European Plastics News
Milan, Italy -- Italian plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers association Assocomaplast describes the 4 percent growth it recorded in the value of exports for the second quarter period of this year (April to June) as "comforting."
The association said the second quarter results mean the Italian industry has now seen a 6 percent gain in export value over the January to June period of 2009.
"Even if this does not yet allow talk about absolute recovery, it does represent confirmation of a reversal in the trend that has now become established," said an Assocomaplast spokeswoman.
While the results are encouraging, the association points out that export sales for the first quarter of 2009 were down by 32 percent compared with the same period in 2008. It compares this with the 37 percent reduction experienced in the same period by German plastics and rubber machinery producers.
Despite the overall year-on-year decline in Italian plastics and rubber machinery exports over the first quarter of 2009, Assocomaplast said that it saw a 28 percent increase in exports to the Benelux countries, which ranked ninth in its list of export destinations during the first half of 2009 with a sales value of Euro 29.9 million ($43.7 million).
Italian machinery producers recorded a 25 percent decline in exports to Germany - the major destination for Italian plastics and rubber machinery, over the first half of this year with sales totalling Euro 109.8 million ($160.5 million).
VDMA association figures show German exports to Italy for the whole of 2008 totalled Euro 144 million ($210.6 million). (German exports totalled Euro 3980 million, or $5830 million).
Worldwide Italian plastics and rubber machinery exports amounted to Euro 879.7 million ($1280 million). Other countries among the list of top 10 destinations for the first half of 2009 include France (Euro 55.9 million, or $81.7 million), Spain (Euro 47.5 million, or $69.4 million), Russia (Euro 46.7 million, or $68.3 million), China (Euro 43.3 million, or $63.3 million), Turkey (Euro 36.5 million, or $53.4 million), and Poland (Euro 35.7 million, $52.2 million). Mexico took 10th position at Euro 27.8 million ($40.6 million).
European Plastics News is a sister publication to Urethanes Technology International.
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