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Advanced Manufacturing Outlook 2021

The Advanced Manufacturing Outlook is a survey that measures Industry 4.0 engagement among manufacturing business owners and senior executives in Canada. For a second consecutive year, research firm R.K. Insights in Toronto conducted the survey through June and July form Canadian Manufacturing and PLANT magazines, in partnership with Machines Italia (The Italian Trade Commission), Lapp Group North America and Alps Welding Ltd. 185 manufacturers participated in Advanced Manufacturing Outlook 2021 with the survey findings strongly representing the industry with a margin of error is +/- 6%, 19 times out of 20. The focus of the year’s research is Industry 4.0 in all its aspects and dimensions such as automation, interconnectivity, machine learning and the analysis of real time data that involves the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the Internet of Things (IoT), the cloud, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence.

Canadian Manufacturers Outlook 2019

The Canadian Manufacturers’ Outlook is a survey conducted, on a yearly basis, by PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia with the Italian Trade Commission. This year's survey is based on 501 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error of ± 3.6%, 19 times out of 20).  PLANT’s Manufacturers’ Outlook 2019 survey conducted from Aug. 1 to Sept. 11 shows uncertain business conditions are affecting the attitudes of senior company executives. Thirty per cent are optimistic, which is down from last year’s sample (44%), and most (51%) qualify their optimism with caution. Looking at the next three years, optimism declines markedly to 23% of respondents compared to last year (38%) as caution is registered by 54%. The same is true of Canada’s economic growth. Only 11% are optimistic compared to 22% last year. The global view inspires even less confidence (9% optimistic compared to 19% last year). Sixty-five percent of companies are very concerned about US protectionism, a considerable increase from last year’s 54%. Concern about the Trump administration’s impact on nation-to-nation relationships is also higher at 61%, compared to 45% in 2018. The NAFTA negotiations were high on the list (56%), although a deal was reached after the survey was closed.

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Canadian Manufacturers Outlook 2018

The Canadian Manufacturers’ Outlook is a survey conducted, on a yearly basis, by Northstar for PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia, a project by the Italian Trade Agency. The findings - based on 495 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error +/- 4.27%, 19 times out of 20) - show that Canadian manufacturers have a positive view of their prospects in 2018 although they are concerned by how Trump administration policies and other factors might affect their businesses. PLANT’s Manufacturers’ Outlook 2018 survey conducted from July 11 to Sept. 5 shows 44% of senior company executives are optimistic about the coming year, although most (50%) qualify their optimism with caution. Looking at the next three years, the percentage of those who are optimistic declines (38%) as caution increases (57%), along with their view of Canada’s growth (22% and 66%). The global view inspires even less confidence (19%) with 65% favoring caution. Manufacturers are also either very or somewhat concerned about what’s going on in the US. American protectionism is worrying 92% of executives, followed by rising global protectionism (90%), US President Donald Trump’s impact on nation-to-nation relationships (88%) and the NAFTA renegotiation (88%).

Canadian Manufacturers Outlook 2017: Growth 4.0

The PLANT Manufacturers’ Outlook 2017 is a survey is conducted by Northstar for PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia with the Italian Trade Commission and it is based on 526 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error of +/- 4.27%, 19 times out of 20). 

According to the survey, although economic growth was disappointing this year, Canadian manufacturers have a positive view of their prospects next year when GDP for Canada and the US is forecast to rise a bit above 2%. The survey also shows 36% of senior company executives are optimistic although most (55%) qualify their optimism with caution.

Most of their companies (65%) fall into the small business category (under 100 employees); 23% are medium-sized (under 500); and 13% are large firms (500 or more).

More than half of the senior executives are expecting orders and sales to increase (by an average 15% and 16%); but costs will also increase (by 9%). Pricing will stay the same for 55% but 33% expect increases (of 8%). Forty-two per cent see profits rising an average of 13%.

USA: TAX GUIDE

This Guide is part of a two-volume mini series that includes the legal guide "USA Practical Guide to Investing - Frequently Asked Questions" available at www.machinesitalia.org. This second handbook also stems from a collaboration with ASSOCOMAPLAST (National Association of Manufacturers of Plastics and Rubber Machinery and Molds) with the aim of concisely presenting, to interested companies, the U.S. scale and accounting system.

The U.S. scale discipline is, as a whole, quite complicated and is constantly evolving. It is federalist in nature and is based on the principle of "progressivity" (i.e., taxes grow as income increases), with taxation on three different levels: local, state, and federal. Generally speaking is subject to the scale jurisdiction of the U.S. each sical or legal person who manufactures, sells goods or services or is a member of a partnership or Limited Liability Company.

The mini series enriches the wealth of information already available on the ICE Agency website (www.ice.gov.it) and joins the list of publications edited by the ICE Network in the US. These include the "Practical Guide to Intellectual Property in the U.S." edited by the Intellectual Property Protection and Trade Barriers Assistance Desk at ICE New York

USA: PRACTICAL GUIDE TO INVESTING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This Guide is a collaboration with ASSOCOMAPLAST, the National Association of Plastics and Rubber Machinery and Mold Manufacturers, with the goal of providing a simple and agile initial orientation tool for companies interested in expanding their business or manufacturing presence in the United States. In 2015, plastics and rubber processing machinery recorded one of the highest growth rates in the entire mechanical engineering sector (2.9 billion euros of exports in 2015 of which 260 million were directed just to the United States, a 50 percent increase over 2014).

The continuous growth of Italy-US interchange, amounting to 54.3 billion euros in 2015, with Italian mechanics representing the first item of our exports with a share of 23%, is accompanied by a parallel steady growth of Italian companies that decide to establish permanent roots in the United States. A stable presence is in fact an essential, though not sufficient, condition to be able to grow and do business in the US. This is especially true for Italian companies in mechanics and in general in sectors where technical assistance, spare parts services and after-sales services represent negotiating factors of fundamental importance.

ICE-Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies has mapped, in the mechanical and industrial goods sectors, the stable presence of more than 500 companies with investments ranging from small marketing and service facilities, assembly to actual production on U.S. soil. Companies mostly located in the main U.S. manufacturing zones: "MidWest," with over 170 companies, and "South-East" with 150 presences. In the plastics and rubber machinery sector alone, there are more than 30 companies permanently present. 

The Guide is part of a mini series that will include a second handbook introducing the U.S. tax and accounting system.  

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Perceptions and Opportunity: Packaging and Packaging Machinery in the USA

A presentation of a customized study by Euromonitor on the Packaging Machinery in the US for the Food & Beverage Industry on the occasion of Pack Expo International held here in Chicago in November 2016. 

The study is based on in-depth industry Interviews with over 25 U.S. Food/Beverage processors and Packaging Machinery Survey results  from over 150 U.S. Food/Beverage processors. The study was sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency Chicago USA and Italy's packaging machinery manufacturers' association, UCIMA.

The two major objectives to this report were to identify the perception of certain types of packaging machines based on country of origin, company size, while also identifying the primary purchasing decisions for US food and beverage manufacturers. And secondly, to dive into the opportunity available in the US market for Italian packaging machinery manufacturers by looking at imports into the US, key consumer pack type trends, and future purchasing decisions for US food and beverage manufacturers.
 
 
Relevant Sectors:
Canadian Manufacturers Outlook 2017

The Canadian Manufacturers’ Outlook is a survey conducted, on a yearly basis, by Northstar for PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia, a project by the Italian Trade Agency. The latest edition of the survey report is fresh off the press.  The findings - based on 526 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error +/- 4.27%, 19 times out of 20) - show that 36% of the respondents are optimistic although most (55%) qualify their optimism with caution.

Italian Trade Agency & Society of Manufacturing 2016 Industry 4.0 Survey
This survey of Industry 4.0 was conducted by the Italian Trade Agency Chicago USA Office and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in November 2016 with over 325 companies based in the US taking part (2/3 of which currently use Italian machinery and technology in their production lines). The report provides insight and analysis to determine the latest trends in Smart Manufacturing to determine how manufacturers are reacting to Industry 4.0. Questions included plans to adopt the connected factory on the shop floor in regards to technology acquisitions, upgrades and migrations to benchmark current awareness/understanding and the perceive ‘role’ of digital solutions, identify current adoptions and areas of focus. Over the last decade, the evolution of the Internet of Things, Big Data and the desire for ever-increasing productivity has driven the smart manufacturing movement. Today, manufacturers can see and react to the performance of their machines and integrated systems with analytics in real time. They can enable machines to talk to one other, control operations remotely, predict challenges and even share live data with the supply chain. Advancements in cloud computing, as well as mobile and app technology, increasingly puts power into the users’ hands.

 
Fresh Off The Press...PLANT Manufacturers' Outlook 2017
Although economic growth was disappointing this year, Canadian manufacturers have a positive view of their prospects next year when GDP for Canada and the US is forecast to rise a bit above 2%. The PLANT Manufacturers’ Outlook 2017 survey shows 36% of senior company executives are optimistic although most (55%) qualify their optimism with caution. The survey, conducted by Northstar for PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia with the Italian Trade Commission, is based on 526 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error +/-4.27%, 19 times out of 20). Read or download the full report.