Italian construction machine market growing

A slow but steady improvement in machine sales is being observed in Italy as the market recovers. Over the first three months of 2016, 1,977 construction machines have been sold into the Italian market, according to the country’s construction equipment manufacturing association, the 2539 UNACEA. This gain in sales represents an increase of 29% compared to the same period in 2015. The sales were for 1,879 earthmoving machines and 76 road machines.

“The growth recorded in the first quarter confirms the observation made last year, the Italian market seems to have chosen the recovery path,” said Paolo Venturi, president of Unacea. “However, we are facing very low figures if compared with the pre-crisis level. The expectations and the climate of business confidence are advantageous, especially in the residential and infrastructural construction industry. The risk is that expectations will not be fulfilled, cancelling any benefit both for industry and market. This is the reason why we continue to ask the government for a greater intervention policy on the infrastructural development of the country. We continue to ask the local authorities the implementation of clear rules for construction. Finally, we demand a radical change of the outlooks of our industry made by the credit system, that continue to consider in a conservative way companies in the sector of construction industry”.

Less optimistic is that construction machine exports in January 2016 were €135 million, a drop of 11.6% compared to the performance for the same period in 2015.

The export of road equipment increased by 12%, while exports of tower cranes dropped by just 0.2%. However negative trends were seen for sales of other construction machine types. Exports of crushing and screening equipment fell 31.5%, while exports of earthmoving machines and attachments dropped 8.6%, concrete equipment by 7% and drilling equipment by 4%. A positive note for the Italian construction market overall was that imports of machines climbed 2.7%, although the trade balance decreased by 15.5% but maintained a surplus of more than €98 million.