Acimall has revealed the market figures for Italy’s wood and furniture technology industry in 2021. Export figures reached €1.7 billion, a 30.8% increase from 2020 and a 10.1% increase from 2019, and import figures have also increased to €244 million, a 59.4% increase from 2020 and a 21.4% increase from 2019.
The domestic market has also showed signs of liveliness in 2021, reaching €790m with a 52.5% increase from 2020 and a 15.1% increase from 2019. Production amounted to €2.5bn, up by 36.9% in 2020 and by 11.6% in 2019.
“The 2021 figures speak for themselves, showing that the technology industry has emerged from two difficult years, going back to pre-COVID levels,” said Dario Corbetta, director of Acimall. “State incentives have certainly played a key role, but they have not altered the market trend: the growth we are seeing now is not only driven by incentives, which have basically caused a concentration of investment decisions in a narrow time frame, but also by a significant market rally that has brought business back to its normal development patterns.
“So, we want to reassure those who fear that the current trend is doped by the incentives, and once this window of opportunity has closed, we will have to face a period of stagnating demand. Such belief is supported by the economic figures of the early months of 2022, which clearly indicate a structural expansion of our industry, which is going to last.”
According to the press release by Acimall, the Russia-Ukraine crisis has only caused a limited reduction of Italian export so far, with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus together representing an approximately 5% of Italian export. Export flows to these countries are continuing, though with a reduction.
The top exporter of Italian wood and furniture technology is the US, with €164.2m, a 13.9% increase over 2020, followed by France with €118.2m, a 10.3% increase over 2020, and Poland with €110.6m, a 34% increase.
Germany is at number four with an expenditure of €106.3m on Italian machinery, up by 11% compared 2020, followed by the UK, Spain, Russia, China, the only country to experience a negative trend by 19%, Belgium, and Austria.
Acimall believes that the positive trend will continue in 2022, although supply chain disruptions and unpredictable events related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the development of the COVID-19 pandemic might happen again.
“We are now looking forward to Xylexpo next October, which will be a great opportunity to check the health of our industry and the trend of international trade flows,” concluded Corbetta.
