Extrusion International 3-2022

17 Extrusion International 3/2022 Positive 2021 Balance Sheet and Encouraging Outlook for 2022, Although not without Some Uncertainty for Italian Manufacturers of Plastics and Rubber ProcessingMachinery  With outcomes in some cases exceeding the forecast year-end results, the Italian industry of plastics and rubber processing machinery, equipment, and moulds closed the year 2021 with double-digit growth in production (+14%, with value exceeding pre-pandemic level) and equally en- couraging results in foreign trade. According to data from the MECS-AMAPLAST Statistical Studies Centre (the national trade association in Confndus - tria) combined with ISTAT data, the strongly positive fnal balance was driven in particular by excellent performance in the domestic market, close to +30% over 2020. The share of exports is in line with previous years and close to 70% of production. Foreign sales also recorded a signif - cant rebound (+9%) while not making it past the peak of 3 billion euros, which was abundantly exceeded in the three years preceding the crisis. The main destination region is Europe, albeit with a slight decrease with respect to 2020. On the other hand, Italian companies in the sector benefited from trans- atlantic sales, a significant portion in North America, where the strongly growing U.S. economy expressed healthy demand, albeit with some contradictions. In par- allel, strong increases in supply to priority markets such as China and India have strengthened the importance of the Asian continent. As for Russia – a key market that has shown notable oscil- lations over the years – already in 2021, as if anticipating recent, dramatic developments, Italian machinery exports witnessed a decrease of 16%, barely exceeding 80 million euros. (Exports to Ukraine, historically more limited, did not exceed 7.5 million euros, -39% with respect to 2020) In terms of product categories, after losses registered for various types of machinery in 2020, recovery was recorded in 2021 across most categories, from core machinery to auxiliaries and moulds. For example, foreign sales grew by 29%for injection and blow-mouldingmachines, by 18%for plants for mono- and multiflament, and by 6% for moulds (representing nearly a fourth of the total). AMAPLAST member companies outperformed other frms in the sector, with an average increase in revenues of six- teen points over 2020. For approximately half of the com- panies that closed the year boasting positive growth, these increases were equal to or greater than +20%. And given this positive performance, it is not surprising that the num- ber of employees of member companies also increased (+8% over 2020, with one third of the sample showing even more impressive hiring fgures). It is quite diffcult to venture forecasts for the coming months: there are many factors that may influence the glob - al economic context that are diffcult to quantify and may accumulate or overlap over time. Shortages in raw mat eri- als and components and the resulting increase in prices t hat companies have been lamenting for over a year could get evenworse due to the recent closure of the port of Shan ghai as part of China’s drastic measures to combat Covid. This will probably affect logistics and distribution chains. Essential materials for various manufacturing processes are produced in areas affected by the Russian-Ukraine conflict, which has also caused energy prices to skyrocket to levels that are un- sustainable for many production chains. Companies thus fnd themselves operating in an exceed - ingly complicated and also paradoxical situation: in spite of the above issues, orders continue to accumulate and it may become complicated for many companies to fulfl them. Indeed, the latest survey by AMAPLAST among its members regarding the frst quarter of 2022 shows that demand for plastics and rubber processing machinery, equipment, and moulds continues to grow, particularly in foreign markets (+28% with respect to January-March 2021). Outlooks for the second quarter are also characterized by optimism, at least as strictly regards incoming orders, expected to grow by another 6-7%. This trendwill naturally be conditioned to some extent with the issues mentioned above. Not surprisingly, AMAPLAST has urged policymakers to draw up another Industrial New Deal to protect European manufacturing with immediate measures and also long-term programmes regarding raw materials, energy, and logistics. A Più S.r.l. www.a-piu-srl.com www.amaplast.org 10 Pike Street West Wa rwick, RI 02893 USA sales@guill.com Attention: Bill Conley Series 800 crosshead for two to six layers Guill AD5448 “Series 800” EI 2022 The latest generation of the Series 800 crosshead is designed to run two to six layer extrusions for high quality, high accuracy 1/8” to 6” OD tubing for medical, automotive, appliance and industrial applications. Ideal for fluoropolymer multi-layer tubing for fuel lines or thin layer combinations of polymers and adhesives to 0.02mm or less. Please visit www.guill.com