Italy's plastics and rubber machinery import and export started to take off this year

Assocomaplast, the industry association of Italian plastics and rubber machinery equipment and mold makers, said that in the first quarter of 2012, the import and export of Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery continued to show a positive trend. Overseas sales increased by 17% compared with the same period in 2011.

According to the Italian Statistical Agency's (ISTA) data, this increase masked the "moderate deceleration" of extrusion equipment and injection molding machines, while the outlook for the export of molds and blow molding machines was also optimistic. Assocomaplast said in a statement that imports of the industry have also seen a 22% increase, driven by mold and extruder purchasing activities.

The main target of Italy's export of plastics and rubber machinery is Germany, which has experienced “significant growth” (19%), with sales close to 90 million euros and accounting for two-thirds of the mold exports. On the contrary, China’s sales fell by 19%, ranking third in terms of approximately 34 million euros. Sales in France rose 37%, ranking second. Among other countries, the U.S. grew by 34%, Poland by 30%, Brazil by 28%, and Turkey by 17%.

With the use of machinery for active resins, imports fell slightly to 203,000 euros, while exports rose by 3% to 8.1 million euros. Imports of machinery for foaming materials remained virtually unchanged (865,000 Euros) while exports fell by 5% to 4.9 million Euros.