Assocomaplast's Annual Member Assembly convened on June 28th 2016 in Corte France, Italy, where leaders from 160 plastics machinery manufacturers sat down to discuss the state of the Italian market.
Assocomaplast
Vice-President of Fondazione Edison and Economic Advisor to Palazzo Chigi Marco Fortis commenced the presentation portion of the event with an overview of the Italian economy with a special focus on the plastics and rubber industry.
Fortis underscored the fact that Italian macroeconomic data are substantially positive: GDP has grown by +1 per cent for the fifth consecutive quarter to +1 per cent in January-March 2016. Domestic consumption by families is on the rise and employment figures are showing a positive trend. Furthermore, export data is positive, as is balance of trade, and growth in investments in machinery, which is confirmed by a leap of nearly 32 percentage points in machine tool orders.
Italy's plastics and rubber industry exported goods for a record value of €22.6 billion (£19.3 billion) in 2015, and in 2014 Italy was world leader in balance of trade for 45 products from the plastics-rubber-machinery-moulds system.
Managing Director of Fiera Milano Corrado Peraboni also took to the podium to discuss the characteristics and potential of the Innovation Alliance, which includes the PLAST 2018 expo and the tradeshows IPACK-IMA, Intralogistica Italia, Print4All and Meat-Tech.
This is a wholly unique group of fairs with significantly amplified international resonance, which will completely fill the Milan fairgrounds, with visitors able to tour the entire event with a single ticket.
The decision to bring these events together represents a highly strategic choice: the packaging, converting and mould sectors are complementary and synergistic to the plastics and rubber industry. Additionally, Intralogistica, which focuses on warehouse management, complements the above nicely.
The Assembly also witnessed the 40th anniversary of MacPlas, published by Promaplast srl, Assocomaplast's service company, with awards for the preeminent advertisers.
Addressing members at the conclusion of the Assembly, Assocomaplast President Alessandro Grassi provided an overview of trends in the sector, once again stressing how 2015 was a good year for most companies, while production increased the most important figure regards exports, which witnessed further growth to over €2.9 billion, actually exceeding the pre-crisis record set in 2007 for sales abroad.
“I am firmly convinced of the great potentials in our sector, but above all of our companies," stated Grassi. "Throughout the years, first with the advent of the euro and then with the economic recession, we have proven to be capable not only of holding our position but actually of improving it. I believe that through collaboration as an industry we can achieve even more than we have in these years."
ISTAT data on foreign trade of machinery, equipment and moulds for plastics and rubber for the first quarter of 2016 shows stability in exports with respect to the same period in 2015, substantially balancing out the downturn of January and February of last year. While still enjoying growth of a full +10 per cent, imports have not registered figures close to or greater than the 20 percentage points characterising the previous twelve months.
The inversion of trend in exports is attributable essentially to positive performance in the types of machinery (as well as moulds) that historically have represented the lion’s share of the market: extruders, flexographic printers, and injection moulding machines.
Looking at things from a geographical point of view, considering only those destinations where sales reached at least €20 million in January-March 2016, a positive trend is noted toward EU markets (among the principal: Spain +27 per cent, Czech Republic +17 per cent, UK +15 per cent, France +14 per cent), with the notable exception of Poland, where sales declined by 25 per cent with respect to the first quarter of 2015. Supplies to Germany remained unchanged at just over €91 million and outside of the European Union, exports remained stable to Russia, coming in at €11 million.
Assocomaplast added that sales were decreased to the US and Mexico, by six per cent and 56 per cent respectively. On the other hand, exports to Brazil tripled, approaching €20 million, while those to China remained stable at just under €30 million.
The latest Assocomaplast member survey shows a positive trend in order portfolios in the current semester, with increases forecast by more than half of the respondents.
Before the presentations and market analysis, delegates voted in the new Executive Committee and Board of Auditors for the two-year term 2016-2018, and the Panel of Arbitrators for the four-year term 2016-2020.
The new members of the committee are: Mauro Drappo (AMUT), Maria Grazia Colombo (BFM), Gianni Luoni (ELBA), Alessandro Balzanelli (F.B. BALZANELLI AVVOLGITORI), Anthony Caprioli (MACCHI), Tiziano Caprara (NEGRI BOSSI), Dario Previero (PREVIERO N.), Gabriele Caccia (SYNCRO), Corrado Zanga (UNILOY MILACRON).
The new Board of Statutory Auditors are: Guglielmo Comerio (COMERIO ERCOLE), Elena Cribiù (CRIZAF); as substitute statutory auditor: Sergio Ceriani (BANDERA).
The new Arbitrators are: Elisabetta Cirielli (CIBRA NOVA), Simone Maccagnan (MAC.GI), Maurizio Toniato (MOBERT), Flavio Giordani (PLASTIBLOW), Romeo Varisco (TERMOSTAMPI).
The Assembly also met in extraordinary session to approve new articles of association, revised on the basis of guidelines of the CONFINDUSTRIA reform. The most significant changes include the shift from three levels of governing bodies (President and Vice-President; Board of Directors; Executive Committee) to two (President assisted by three vice-Presidents; Board of Governors).
