Woodworking technology: foreign demand grows

The barometer of the global geopolitical landscape continues to point to a period of considerable complexity, although the latest economic analysis carried out by the Acimall Studies Office shows an international market increasingly inclined to invest in “made in Italy” technologies for the wood and furniture industries.

This is what emerges from the now traditional survey conducted every three months by Acimall, the association representing Italian machinery manufacturers, on a representative sample of companies operating in the sector.

In the April-June 2026 period, orders increased by 5.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. Foreign markets, as mentioned above, performed well, recording a solid 12.3 per cent increase. This is undoubtedly a positive and encouraging figure for an industry that, overall, exports more than 70 per cent of its production. Orders from the domestic market, on the other hand, fell by 12.5 per cent, confirming a prolonged period of uncertainty that is prompting many companies to wait for more favourable conditions before investing in plants and technologies.

The order backlog stands at 3.5 months, while prices have increased by 3.5 per cent since 1 January.

Looking at the qualitative survey, 59 per cent of respondents reported broadly stable production during the quarter, 18 per cent indicated an increase and 23 per cent a decline. Employment also remained stable for 82 per cent of the sample, while 12 per cent reported an increase and 6 per cent a decrease. Inventories increased for 53 per cent of respondents and remained stable for 47 per cent, while none reported a decline.

The indications for the near future emerging from the survey are clear: 24 per cent expect domestic orders to deliver positive surprises in the third quarter of 2026, while 41 per cent believe the three-month period will be characterised by substantial stability and 35 per cent expect a further decline.

As for foreign orders, the share of respondents expecting stability between July and September rises to 59 per cent. A further 35 per cent foresee another contraction, the same percentage recorded for domestic orders, while only 6 per cent of companies expect orders from international markets to increase.