Sales of Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery grew 11% in the first half of 2021 versus the year-earlier period thanks to strong demand at home and abroad, according to the country’s sector association Amaplast (Milan; www.amaplast.org).

The trade group reported a 46% surge in first-half orders and a 25% jump in exports thanks to a strong recovery domestically and “double-digit growth in sales to primary destination markets such as the United States, Germany, China, and Poland.”

Amaplast said, “The outlook for the upcoming months is marked by optimism bolstered by the positive signals arriving from various markets and applications.”

The data on the state of the industry were presented at Amaplast’s annual meeting in mid-September 2021 in Milan, where association members confirmed president Dario Previero and vice-presidents Gabriele Caccia and Massimo Margaglione for two-year terms from 2021 to 2023.

Amaplast said a survey among some 350 manufacturers showed that the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery industry generated revenues of nearly EUR 3.6 bn in 2020 with a total workforce of 13,000, and 76% of those earnings were from exports. The client sectors for machinery builders are led by packaging with 43% of the total – with food at 31% and non-food at 12% – followed by automotive at 19% and construction at 9%.