FERIAS
Ipack-Ima Monitor: optimism reigns in the first half of 2017
The final figures and forecasts for the Italian processing and packaging sector confirm the industry’s growth in the second half of 2016, with the majority of companies expecting to see the positive trend continue over the first six months of 2017. Major perceived threats include the competitive and macroeconomic climate, prices of commodities, labour costs and taxation.
An industrial sector in a good state of health with an annual turnover in excess of 44 billion euros and a strong export propensity which opens up exciting business opportunities is the picture of the Italian processing and packaging industry painted by the Ipack-Ima Monitor, the half-yearly business study conducted over a sample of companies representing the entire supply chain. The industry, consisting of manufacturers of processing and packaging machinery, suppliers of components and producers of materials, serves a range of downstream industrial sectors divided up into a number of business communities: Food, Fresh & Convenience; Meat & Fish; Pasta, Bakery, Milling; Beverage; Confectionery; Chemicals, Home & Industrial; Health & Personal Care.
The results of the study reveal a sector that saw between 0% and 5% growth in the first half of 2016 across most of its product categories and business communities, a factor that significantly boosted the positive sentiment of business leaders in the current half year. Exports in particular have proved to be the driving force behind sales, while the first six months of 2017 are expected to bring higher growth in the domestic market, boosted directly or indirectly by the “hyper-amortisation” measures for purchases of capital goods launched by the Italian government.
Looking in greater detail at the various business communities, most companies in the Food Fresh & Convenience segment have seen substantial growth (up +5%), although a significant number (one in five) have reported double-figure turnover growth (+10%). Moreover, the forecasts for the current half year mark an improvement on those of the previous period.