The state of “Made in Italy”

A look at technologies for the woodworking and furniture industries based on the latest figures released by the Acimall Studies Office, the research department of the Italian association of woodworking machinery and technology manufacturers.

Navigating the turbulent waters of the current season is far from easy. Perhaps more than ever, we need indications and figures that can provide us with the tools to understand which direction to take.

We therefore take advantage of the data released a few weeks ago by the Acimall Studies Office to offer, in this issue of Xylon, an analysis of the performance of Italian technologies for the sector.

THE QUARTERLY SURVEY

According to data collected among the companies included in the survey sample, orders in the first quarter of 2026 decreased by 9.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. Delays and uncertainty surrounding the application of the latest government measures supporting capital goods undoubtedly affected the domestic market, which fell by 18.3 per cent compared with January-March 2025. This figure should be regarded as “provisional”, as the situation became clearer in the following months, with a positive impact on orders that should emerge in the next surveys. Demand from foreign markets also declined, by 6.3 per cent.

The order book stands at 4.9 months, while prices have increased by 3.8 per cent since 1 January 2026.

Business sentiment offers few surprises. As regards production, 56 per cent of respondents reported stable levels, 39 per cent a decline and 6 per cent an increase. On the employment front, stability clearly prevails, indicated by 89 per cent of the sample, while 6 per cent reported growth and 6 per cent a decrease. Turning to inventories, 72 per cent of the companies surveyed reported substantial stability, 22 per cent an increase and 6 per cent a reduction.

The sample was also asked about expectations for the near future. The forecast survey on possible developments in the domestic market shows that 56 per cent of respondents expect orders to remain stable, 38 per cent foresee a decline and only 6 per cent expect an increase. Expectations for orders from abroad are more strongly oriented towards stability, cited by 66 per cent of respondents, with greater confidence than on the domestic front when it comes to a possible decline, expected by 28 per cent rather than 38 per cent, while expectations of growth are the same at 6 per cent.

How will the situation evolve? It is extremely difficult to say, even though several months have already passed since the data used for this article were compiled. The feeling is that something is beginning to move, but uncertainties remain too numerous to provide a scenario in which “firm decisions” can be made.

Companies in our sector are also moving in different directions, adopting different strategies and establishing new partnerships in segments or industries that until recently were considered of little interest but are now revealing their full potential.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS

Some rather interesting figures, although generally negative in tone, come from destination and import markets in the first quarter of 2026. They provide an opportunity to assess the “movement” of the Italian market within broader global trends.

Let us begin with exports: unfortunately, the top four positions in the ranking of Italy’s customer countries all carry a minus sign. Purchases declined, in order, in the United States (€38.6 million, down 7.4 per cent compared with January-March 2025), France (€25.1 million, down 19.3 per cent), Germany (€22.5 million, down 23.7 per cent) and Spain (€16.9 million, down 17.7 per cent). The first positive sign comes only in fifth place, where the United Kingdom recorded purchases of Italian-made technology worth €16.8 million, up 49.5 per cent compared with January-March 2025.

Needless to say, the variations shown by these figures must be considered in the proper context, as over such a short period they may appear more significant, for better or worse, than they actually are from a medium- and long-term perspective.

As shown in the table below, positive signals come from Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and India, while Poland… Overall, in the first quarter of 2026 Italy exported machinery and technology worth €300.6 million, 2.3 per cent less than in the same period of 2025.

On the import side, Germany lost ground. Although it remains at the top of the ranking, its sales to Italy fell by 25.7 per cent in January-March 2026. As the table shows, Germany remains by far Italy’s leading foreign supplier, although the role of some competitors that have increasingly made their presence felt is growing. China recorded sales to Italy worth €8.2 million, up 16.2 per cent compared with the same period of 2025. India also grew (€4 million, up 39.1 per cent), while Austria (€6.9 million, down 9.3 per cent) and Switzerland (€2.3 million, down 3.9 per cent) lost some appeal.

It is worth adding that Italian imports are undoubtedly influenced by specific market dynamics and that, in absolute terms, these figures are not yet enough to concern domestic manufacturers. However, it is equally clear that we can no longer speak merely of clouds on the horizon, but of established competitors that have for several years been experimenting with increasingly determined strategies for market penetration. The industry must prepare for a challenge that will increasingly revolve around factors that until now have often been considered “secondary”, such as service, relationships, reliability and proximity: elements that seem destined to become ever more directly “comparable” between “made in Italy” products and imports. (l.r.)