Recovery in exports, which gained momentum particularly in the last quarter of 2013, with a last minute surge in December, allowed the Italian manufacturers to compensate for the lasting weakness in the domestic market which can be seen in Exhibit 1. The very slight decline in demand from abroad, which represents over 65% of total production, kept revenue losses within 2.5% with respect to 2012 and further improved an already very positive balance of trade. In terms of revenues and exports in 2013, Assocomaplast member companies performed better than the average for the sector, with a positive

In Italy’s leading segments for instrumental mechanics industry, the graphic and paper machinery industry looks optimistic in correlation to the increasingly aggressive international competition and stagnant domestic market. Revenues from exports and export-generated is growing despite balancing the delayed difficulties in the domestic market which in turn is keeping the employment levels stable. This in sum comes from the market survey conducted by the research department of Acimga – the Italian Manufacturers Association of Machinery for the Graphic, Converting and Paper Industry – with

ASSOCOMAPLAST, tthe Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 makers of machinery, moulds and equipment for plastics and rubber, has produced its 2013 full-year forecast for the industry on the basis of foreign trade data for the first nine months of the year provided by ISTAT, Italy's National Institute of Statistics. The slight dip in exports (-2.8% with respect to January-September 2012) could be recovered in the fourth quarter thanks to the expected economic recovery, early signals of which have been noted recently by the CONFINDUSTRIA Research

The analysis by Assocomaplast, the Italian trade association, belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 160 manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing machinery) of the latest ISTAT, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, figures for Italian foreign trade shows that, in the first half of 2013, imports in the sector were somewhat weak compared to the same period in 2012 whereas exports held relatively firm, as summarized in Table 1. The downturn in imports is a symptom of a domestic market that still struggles to recover. However, a potentially promising sign, on this

During the second quarter of 2013, new orders for textile machinery, as elaborated by ACIMIT’s economics and press department, showed signs of growth compared to the same period for 2012 (+12%). The absolute index stood at 92.2 points (basis 2010=100). These figures are the result of a growing rate of new orders abroad (+14%), and a stable domestic market (-1%). Compared to the previous economic quarter, the orders index appears to have improved both domestically and abroad. ACIMIT President Raffaella Carabelli confirms, “Overall figures show a definite improvement with respect to the previous

After a still-positive trend in January and February (in the wake of the +5.9% result at the end of 2012), the first quarter of 2013 instead closed with a downturn for Italian exports of plastics and rubber processing machinery, according the Italian National Institute of Statistics - ISTAT figures processed by Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 manufacturers). In fact, foreign sales in this sector fell 4% compared to January-March 2012, set against a 9-point drop in imports. The result is on the whole not surprising, given

Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 makers of machinery, molds and equipment for plastics and rubber) has issued its report on the sector's performance in 2012 – based also on the Italian National Institute of Statistics - ISTAT foreign trade statistics. Even more than in the past – and more markedly than in other Italian mechanical equipment sectors – production output was driven by exports, with an upward trend that, despite levelling off over the year, enabled Italian equipment manufacturers offset extremely weak domestic

Orders of Italian textile machinery are on the rise for both the domestic and foreign markets. ACIMIT's President Sandro Salmoiraghi stated "What's needed now is to boost investments in capital goods and work together in foreign markets." Based on an industry study conducted by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, during the fourth quarter of 2012, the orders index for textile machinery rose by 22% compared to the previous quarter, for an absolute value of 130.4 points. Even more significant was the increase with respect to the same period the previous year (+46%