Skip to main content

Italian construction equipment sales inch upwards, Unacea reports

In the first quarter of 2015, sales of construction equipment in the Italian market reached 1,605 units, a rise of 19% year on year. Sales of earthmoving machines were up 16% to 1,556 units and road machine sales jumped nearly 400% to 49 units. Paolo Venturi, president of Unacea, the Italian Construction Equipment Association, said the first quarter figures look promising and continue an upward trend that started last year. But there is still a long way to go because there has been an 80% loss of sales in
April 30, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Italian manufacturers get pumped over sales trend
In the first quarter of 2015, sales of construction equipment in the Italian market reached 1,605 units, a rise of 19% year on year.

Sales of earthmoving machines were up 16% to 1,556 units and road machine sales jumped nearly 400% to 49 units.

Paolo Venturi, president of 2539 Unacea, the Italian Construction Equipment Association, said the first quarter figures look promising and continue an upward trend that started last year. But there is still a long way to go because there has been an 80% loss of sales in the past seven years.

Peak sales were in 2008, topping €5.216 billion. The Italian industry of construction equipment and attachments directly employs about 6,000 people, with related industries employing another 30,000.

He said Unacea will continue to call for greater action, especially by the government, to stimulate sales. The entire sector is waiting for the government’s three-years public works plan to be announced by the minister of infrastructure and transport Graziano Delrio.

In 2014, according to the data of the Italian institute of Statistics (Istat) processed by Unacea, export sales of construction equipment reported totaled €2,460 million, falling by 1% compared to 2013. The most significant decline was for drilling equipment, down 33%. But there were drops also for concrete equipment (-6%), road machineries (-4%) and earthmoving machines (-1%).

But exports were up for crushing and screening equipment (+19%) and tower cranes (+17%).

The value of imports rose by 25% year over year to €545 million.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UAE: Mohammed Bin Zayed City to get road improvements
    March 14, 2016
    Major roadworks within Mohammed Bin Zayed City are among recently announced projects, including electricity, street-lighting and storm-water drainage systems, to be funded by more than US$128 million. The projects covered by the funding were announced by Abu Dhabi officials in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier this year, the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai awarded contracts worth $131 million for a series of road, bridge, crossing and tunnel upgrades. The projects include a new flyover, a signa
  • Wacker Neuson confident of strong financial performance
    May 13, 2014
    Munich-based light equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson reports a healthy balance sheet despite difficult conditions. The company says that group revenue climbed by 13% for the first quarter, compared with the same period last year. This a new record for the first quarter of €291.6 million, compared with €257.1 million for the same period in 2013. The performance was affected by currency fluctuations as currency values in many emerging markets as well as the US dollar lost ground against the Euro in the fir
  • XCMG sets out six stage path for future plans
    October 14, 2013
    XCMG has seen strong exports, with one deal in particular providing a major boost to turnover - Mike Woof writes It is rare that a single machine order can provide a substantial portion of a large manufacturer’s annual results. However the firm’s massive contract signed with the Venezuelan Government was a major boost to XCMG; the supply of no less than 6025 machines in a deal worth some US$750 million. This order came at an important time for the company when the world demand for construction equipment sl
  • European construction market remains strong
    June 19, 2019
    Construction activity remains strong in Europe, according to data from the industry body FIEC. The data from the FIEC reveals a 3.5% growth in activity in the overall EU construction industry in 2018 and forecasts a 2.2% growth for 2019. “Although the situation continues to vary from one country to the other, the overall picture is currently positive, with activity in new housebuilding even booming in several countries.” said FIEC president Kjetil Tonning, presenting construction’s annual statistics. “In