The results of the seventh annual national statistical survey on the performance of packaging machines and equipment have just been presented at the headquarters of UCIMA, Unione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Automatiche per il Contzionamento e l’Imballaggio, on 1 July 2009. Italy is really going great! Let’s see some data together.

The numbers of the sector

Italian manufacturers of packaging machines achieved in 2018 an increase of 9.4% compared to 2017 with a turnover that reaches 7.85 billion Euros. This objective was achieved thanks to the dynamism of both the domestic market, +10.7% compared to 2017, and exports, with a 9% increase in turnover of 6 billion euros.

Our Italy confirms its leading role: it currently generates a quarter of the machines present on international markets, represents a point of reference at world level in terms of technological evolution and has a presence in the main international markets alongside the German manufacturers, our usual competitors. In short, we are talking about a solid and vital market segment, fundamental for the country’s economy, as Enrico Aureli, president of UCIMA, has stressed on several occasions and for which the presence of effective government measures to promote the growth of companies in the medium and long term would be extremely important.

There are 631 companies in the sector, mostly located along the axis of the Via Emilia, between Milan and Rimini, in what is traditionally known as the Packaging Valley, to which are added some production facilities in Tuscany, Veneto and Piedmont. The evolution of companies in the sector is good, not only because they are healthy but also because they are stable, with a greater growth of medium-sized companies, often the result of the aggregation of several production realities, compared to small and large industrial realities.

The main target markets of our manufacturers of packaging and packaging equipment across borders

  1. The countries of the European Union. 38.1% of the turnover comes from this area and in particular from the four main EU markets: France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
  2. The Asian market, although declining by 8% compared to 2017, accounts for about 19% of turnover, particularly with exports to China, Japan, India and Indonesia.
  3. The North American market, with 13.8% of turnover growing by +25% compared to 2017. The main players are the United States.
  4. Central and South America, with Mexico and Brazil
  5. Extra-EU Europe with the Russian Federation
  6. Africa and Oceania

Target sectors: where our packaging machines are used

  1. FOOD & BEVERAGE, the food and beverage sector alone accounts for 55.3% of turnover
  2. Other, a sector that includes tobacco and tissue machines, with 20% of total turnover. 86% export propensity
  3. PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR, with 17.3% of the total for 79% coming from abroad, is the one that recorded the highest growth in 2018
  4. CHEMICAL AND COSMETIC SECTOR with the lowest percentage of exports

Even at Farmo Res we are not short of enthusiasm. We hear a brief comment by Davide Forti, Product Manager of Farmo Res, about the performance of his company in 2018…

The general economic trend for the year 2018 showed considerable signs of recovery in our market. Thanks to this favourable economic situation, the value of sales for the year 2018 remained at good levels, recording an increase of around 40% compared to the previous year.

The sector that contributed most to this excellent result was the pharmaceutical sector, even though in 2018 we recorded a considerable increase in sales in the cosmetics sector.

Our sales were more focused on the wholesale market in countries such as Costa Rica and Turkey.

We are therefore pleased and satisfied with the results achieved in 2018 and ready to continue to make our substantial contribution of production and innovation to this important sector.

Davide Forti

Product Manager, Farmo Res