The Italian machine tool, robotics and automation industry greets 2021 with satisfaction, after recording double-digit increases for all the main economic indicators. And Beatrice Colombo, president of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, ensures the continuation of the growth trend in the year that has just begun, during which all the ground lost in 2020 will be recovered.
Growth in 2021
In 2021, production registered a growth of 22.1% compared to the previous year, reaching 6,325 million. The result is attributable to the excellent performance of deliveries by Italian manufacturers on the domestic market (+ 27.8%) and the positive response from exports (+ 17.4%).
The ISTAT data confirmed, for example, the growth of Italian exports of machine tools in almost all of the export countries, with Germany as the first destination at + 38.4%
Incomplete recovery
Despite the favorable results, the gap recorded in 2020 has not been bridged. The reason? The difficulty in finding components and raw materials which caused a disconnect between the order collection and the actual delivery of the machinery.
Currently, the average delivery time for machinery is estimated at nine months, against the five months that are traditionally insured by the manufacturer to the customer.
A record order portfolio
Full recovery, as anticipated, is expected for the current year. According to the forecasts drawn up by the UCIMU Study Center, in 2022, production will grow to 7,015 million (+ 10.9% compared to 2021). It will be driven by the increase in the volume of exports (+ 7.7%) and by the increase in deliveries by manufacturers on the domestic market (+ 14.5%).
This recovery is also certified by the analysis of the order portfolio of Italian manufacturers for the third quarter of 2021, which stood at 7.6 months of guaranteed production. The highest value recorded in the last thirty years.
Source: ucimu.it
