Analysing the company trends according to types of machinery or materials produced, processing machinery recorded positive turnover growth both in Italy and abroad and also saw good results in terms of employment. In both half year periods, the majority of companies in the sector occupied a growth range of between 0 and 5%. The other capital goods segment, that of packaging machinery manufacturers, reported growth but at slightly lower rates. A growing number of companies are seeing falls in exports and employment, although in both half-year periods the majority of companies reported business growth (62% and 75%, respectively). As observed in the packaging machinery sector, the packaging materials producers are also revising down their growth forecasts for the current half year, especially as regards domestic sales and employment. By contrast, export forecasts are improving. Component manufacturers have an extremely positive outlook, with less than 5% expressing a negative sentiment.
The survey also performed an in-depth analysis of the risks perceived by companies in the sample in terms of their business profitability. Albeit with varying intensities in different production segments, the main threats are the increasingly fierce competitive climate (20% of respondents), macroeconomic factors impacting sales (12%), rising prices of raw materials and energy (one in four of respondents), labour costs (13%) and adverse changes to the tax regime (12%). Threats that directly impact the financial management of companies, such as access to credit and the relevant costs, appear less significant and were reported by fewer than 4% of respondents.
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