Fifth among manufacturing countries, after the revision of the time-series data carried out by the US association, Italy confirmed its third place among exporters and gained one position in the consumption ranking, where it came in fifth, as a testimony to the liveliness of its domestic demand. The positive trend reported since 2014 will continue throughout 2017 - the year in which production, export and consumption will grow, also supported by the measures of the National Plan Industry 4.0 – and it will drive both the deliveries of manufacturers in the domestic market and imports. No other

In the April-June 2017, orders for Italian woodworking technologies recorded 31.9% growth rates, compared to the same period of 2016 (previous quarter growth was 22.2%), reported Italian woodworking machinery and tools manufacturers’ association Acimall . The final figure results from the performance of foreign trade, with orders increasing by 34.8% in the quarter under scrutiny, and the trend of the Italian market, achieving a significant plus 18.7% after the negative result of minus 3.6% in January-March 2017. This “resurrection” has been driven by the long-awaited official document about

According to data compiled by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, the order index for textile machinery during the period from April to June rose by 26% compared to the same period in 2016. The value of the index stood at 117.3 points (basis: 2010=100). Specifically, significant increase in orders was recorded for domestic market, where the index stood at an absolute value of 92.9 points ( +66% over April-June 2016). On foreign markets, the increase amounted to 22%, and the absolute value of the index stood at 123.4 points. ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi

At the annual members’ meeting held on 30 June 2017, GIMAV officially presented and shared the data on the Italian Flat Glass and Hollow Glass industry. The report, titled “The Italian industry of glass processing machinery, systems, accessories and special products in 2016” – provides a comprehensive and detailed annual snapshot of the industry, highlighting its structural characteristics, sales, production activity, domestic and export markets (the latter in particular were cross-checked with data published by Istat, the Italian National Institute of Statistical Surveys). The last survey by

World trade is slowing, with political and economic turbulence emerging on many markets as well as uncertainty regarding a protectionist turn by certain world leaders, but the footwear, leather-goods and tanning machinery industry has delivered yet another positive year. “If we can take some credit – says Gabriella Marchioni Bocca, ASSOMAC President – it is for the fact that, despite all the uncertainty, our sector has managed to hold its ground. With world trade witnessing a slowdown in growth rates, footwear, leather-goods and tanning machinery has registered extremely positive levels in all

The journey along the road to the event continues with the opportunities for printing in every stage of the purchasing process as the common thread. Milan, 29 June 2017 - A sheet of paper, a canvas, a white surface gradually acquire colours, shapes, and content. Just like a printing process, the road to the next edition of Print4All continues, identifying needs, making suggestions, developing ideas and projects at the printing world’s service. With less than a year to go, Print4All, the event that will be held in Fiera Milano from 29 May to 1 June 2018, is set to be Italy’s most interesting

There’s innovation in the future of the Italian textile machinery, thanks in part to the stimulus provided by Industry 4.0, as stated at the Assembly held by the industry association ACIMIT by President Raffaella Carabelli, presenting the figures for the sector. In 2016, Italy’s production of textile machinery rose 5% compared to 2015, thereby reaching a value of 2.7 billion euros. During the same period, exports grew by 4%, amounting to 2.3 billion euros. This reinforces the positive trend already observed in 2015, and is the result of a substantial confirmation of the state of foreign

At the invitation of the Italian Trade Agency and UCIMU – Sistemi per produrre (Italy’s machine tool, robots, automation systems and ancillary products (NC, tools, components, accessories) manufacturers' association), I joined six representatives of Canadian manufacturing companies on a visit to Lamiera in May. Lamiera is Italy’s metal forming tradeshow, which was being held for the first time in Milan (it was previously held in Bologna). The show included 480 exhibitors, a substantial increase of 25 per cent from last year’s show. The Canadian manufacturers I had a chance to speak to were

McKinsey & Company and the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), a UI LABS collaboration, announced on June 1, 2017, the launch of the North American Digital Capability Center (DCC) – a unique digital manufacturing learning center offering companies access to next generation Industry 4.0 technology to help them advance their operations, design and productivity. The US Chicago center joins four other international McKinsey DCCs locations, one of which is already in Venice, Italy. For Italian companies, in particular those with a US presence, opportunities to take