2022 was a decidedly positive year for the Italian machine tool, robot and automation industry, which recorded double-digit increases and set new records for most of the main economic indicators, including production and consumption.
With these results, the Italian machine tool industry has once again confirmed its position as one of the main players on the international scene, where it came fourth in the rankings for production, exports and consumption.
The year 2023 will still close with a positive sign, and therefore with new records for the sector, but the order intake for the first part of the year marks a fairly marked slowdown caused by the climate of general uncertainty.
This, in brief, is the picture illustrated by the president Barbara Colombo of Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre at the Shareholders’ Meeting attended by Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy (by video link), Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, economist and president of Intesa Sanpaolo, and Federico Visconti, Rector of Liuc Cattaneo University.
FINAL FIGURES 2022
According to the final figures processed by Ucimu’s Centro Studi & Cultura di Impresa, in 2022, Italian production of machine tools, robots and automation stood at 7,280 million euro, an increase of 15 per cent compared to 2021. Consumption grew, by 26 per cent, to 6,311 million, leading to an increase in both domestic deliveries (3,812 million; plus 21.6 per cent) and imports (2,499 million; plus 33.3 per cent).
Exports were also on the rise, amounting to 3,468 million euro in 2022, 8.5 per cent more than in the previous year. The export to production ratio dropped from 50.5 per cent in 2021 to 47.6 per cent in 2022.
In 2022, the main markets for Italian supply were: United States (482 million, plus 43.5 per cent), Germany (306 million, minus 13.3 per cent), China (226 million, minus 0.7 per cent), France (193 million, plus 9.6 per cent), Poland (188 million, plus 6.2 per cent), Turkey (124 million, minus 3.9 per cent), Spain (119 million, plus 19.7 per cent), Russia (99 million, minus 3.9 per cent), Mexico (84 million, plus 5.2 per cent), Switzerland (74 million, plus 36.8 per cent).
The positive performance of the Italian industry in this sector was reflected in the level of capacity utilisation, the annual average of which rose sharply from 80.2 per cent in 2021 to 86.6 per cent in 2022. The order book also increased, which stood at eight months of assured production, compared to 7.3 months in the previous year.
The sector turnover reached the figure of EUR 10,482 million.
FORECASTS 2023
As the forecasts drawn up by Ucimu’s Centre for Studies & Business Culture show, 2023 will also close with a positive sign, but the order intake in the first half of the year is marking time.
Production will stand at EUR 7,750 million, 6.5 per cent more than the previous year, marking a new record in the history of the Italian industry in this sector.
Consumption will grow to reach a new record value of 6,835 million euro (plus 8.3 per cent), driving manufacturers’ deliveries on the domestic market, which will achieve a new record of 4,155 million euro (plus 9 per cent). Imports will also rise further to EUR 2,680 million (plus 7.3 per cent).
Exports will grow to 3,595 million (plus 3.7 per cent), thus returning to pre-covid levels.
According to Ucimu processing of Istat data, in the first three months of 2023, the main outlet markets for Italian machine tool supply were: United States (126 million plus 35.4 per cent), Germany (89 million plus 43.8 per cent), China (55.5 million plus 23.3 per cent), France (54 million plus 33.9 per cent), Poland (38 million plus 10.2 per cent), Turkey (34 million, plus 86.8 per cent), Mexico (29 million, plus 49.7 per cent), Czech Republic (27 million, plus 118 per cent), Spain (25 million, minus 16.5 per cent) and India (24 million, plus 38.9 per cent).
