Skip to main content

Low Italian machine sales

The number of construction machines sold on the Italian market decreased by 36% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012, according to Unacea, the association for Italian construction equipment attachment manufacturers. In Q1 2013, Unacea says 1,157 machines were sold domestically, of which 1,106 were earthmoving machines, 23 were road machines, and 28 were concrete machine/equipment sales. Moreover, according to the foreign trade monitor of the Construction Equipment Outlook publish
May 22, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
Italian equipment manufacturers are relying heavily on exports at present
The number of construction machines sold on the Italian market decreased by 36% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012, according to 2539 Unacea, the association for Italian construction equipment attachment manufacturers.

In Q1 2013, Unacea says 1,157 machines were sold domestically, of which 1,106 were earthmoving machines, 23 were road machines, and 28 were concrete machine/equipment sales.

Moreover, according to the foreign trade monitor of the Construction Equipment Outlook published by Unacea and Prometeia, Italian exports of construction machines reached €131 million in January 2013, a decrease of 1.8% compared to the previous year. After the increase by 3% over the whole of 2012, Unacea claims the January decrease appears to be connected to the parallel decrease in intra-3287 EU trade (-19%), and trade with Eastern Europe and Turkey (-28%), where the largest part of exports is directed.

By contrast, there has been a 51% increase of Italian manufactured construction equipment trade on African markets, and an 18% increase in Asian market sales. An increase has also been registered in exports of crushing and screening equipment ( 6%), tower cranes ( 46%), concrete equipment ( 17%) and drilling machines ( 18%), as opposed to a decrease in exports of earthmoving machines (-16%) and road machines (-20%). Trade balance of the whole section is said to remain a positive €107 million, an increase by 7% compared to January 2012 – this positive result is due to the persisting internal market stagnation, whose imports  (23.816 million euros) have decreased by 29% compared to last year.

“In Italy, the construction machines sector keeps on being extremely affected by the lack of growth-focused policies,” said Enrico Prandini, vice president of Unacea. “The economic crisis and the lack of adequate controls determine a paradoxical situation where, despite huge investments required by European legislation, non-compliant machines are still employed in construction sites, thus distorting competition and being a possible risk to safety and the environment.”

Prandini said that Unacea is demanding that the newly-installed Italian government introduce award systems in tenders in order to favour companies using latest generation, safer, efficient and environmentally-friendly machines. “We also demand that non-compliant machines are no longer placed on the market and that adequate surveillance arrangements are made, starting from the institution of a construction equipment register.” added Prandini.

Davide Cipolla, 2203 CIFA managing director and Unacea councillor for the concrete equipment sector, added: “The Italian market of concrete equipment follows the general decrease of the whole division in terms of causes and range. The number of machines in use is obsolescing, and this may have negative consequences on end-user undertaking efficiency, as well as on environment and safety. In this respect, we report that around 85% of industrial production of concrete in Italy is still carried out through the dry system, i.e. with plants lacking mixer, despite premixing processes have been scientifically proven to ensure high quality and reliability of the product.”

Cipolla said that Unacea is asking for the introduction of measures aimed to spread the culture of premixing as a tool to increase concrete quality and performance, in favour of building safety and quality.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Strong equipment exports are aiding Italian construction equipment manufacturers
    May 18, 2012
    Details from the Italian construction equipment manufacturing asscoaition, UNACEA, show that domestic machine sales are still falling, while exports keep on growing. However exports are growing at a slower rate than in 2011. Over the first quarter of 2012, 1,820 construction machines were sold on the Italian market, a drop of 22.4% from the same period in 2011. These included 1,734 earthmoving machines, a fall of 22.4% compared to the first quarter of 2011, while there were 40 road machines sold, a drop of
  • Italian machine sales solidifying
    July 26, 2016
    Sales of construction machines have been improving in Italy. Data from the Italian equipment manufacturing association, UNACEA, shows how the market picked up during the first six months of 2016. The report reveals how sales in the Italian market rose 22% compared to the same period of 2015. The UNACEA quarterly study shows that 4,723 construction machines were sold during the first six months of 2016, including 4,617 earthmoving machines and 106 road machines. Compared with the same period for 2015, this e
  • Italian construction machine firms see resurgence
    July 25, 2017
    The Italian construction machinery builders association, UNACEA, reports a resurgence in demand for equipment during 2017. According to UNACEA’s latest report, the first six months of 2017 have seen 5,109 machines sold in the Italian market, an increase of 6% compared to last year. Looking more closely, sales of earthmoving machines grew 6% with 4,910 machines sold, while sales of road equipment increased by 9% with 199 machines sold.
  • Research highlights Italian construction equipment sector difficulties
    November 16, 2012
    Global turnover recorded by Italian construction equipment companies in 2011 totalled €2.69 billion. Despite their global turnover increasing by 6.4% in 2011 compared to levels achieved in 2010, Italian construction equipment company turnover is still down 42% compared to 2008. Details of Cribis D&B’s findings following research commissioned by the Unacea trade association were revealed during the recent Construction Equipment Day at Ecomondo Fair in Rimini, Italy. Further Cribis D&B figures for 2011 show