Spotlights on Mexico, a growing market

A total of 34 Italian companies will take part in the collective exhibition coordinated by the category association Amaplast at the Plastimagen trade fair, scheduled to take place in Mexico City from 11 to 14 March 2025. It will be the largest European collective in terms of exhibition space, covering almost 700 square metres. At the centre of Pavilion D in the Citibanamex exhibition complex, the following Amaplast-associated companies will be exhibiting: Amut, Bausano, BG Plast, BMB, Campetella Robotic Center, Colines, Euroviti, Fesp Mold, Fimic, Folcieri Bruno, Frigosystem, Gefit, Giurgola Stampi, HT-Cooling, IPM, Itib Machinery International, Magic MP, Moretto, Moss, OMG, Plas Mec, Previero-Sorema, Sica, Sima, Syncro, and Tecnova. Numerous other Italian companies will exhibit through the stands of their agents or local branches.

For the Italian manufacturing sector of machinery, equipment, and moulds for plastics and rubber, Mexico represents an increasingly important export market. The post-pandemic rebound has been vigorous, and 2023 saw a historic record in supply value, reaching 220 million euros (+56% compared to 2022). Given the trend recorded in the period from January to September 2024 (+22% compared to the same period in 2023), this threshold could be surpassed by the end of the year, confirming Mexico’s position as the third-largest destination for Italian exports in the sector.

The particularly strong performance of recent years has further raised the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of exports to +10% over the 2014-2023 decade – the best trend among Italy’s top ten commercial destinations. The most significant contributions to this average came from the supply of injection moulding machines, thermoforming machines, blow moulding machines, and flexographic printing machines.

According to the Mexican association Anipac, despite the complex global economic and geopolitical landscape, Mexico’s plastics industry – which includes over 4,000 processing companies and a workforce of 195,000 employees – could grow by 3.5% in 2025. Key growth drivers include applications in the automotive, packaging, and construction sectors, as well as the recycling segment.

To support its associated companies in their approach to the Mexican market, Amaplast has launched – in collaboration with Ucimu-Sistemi per Produrre, the association of machine tool manufacturers – a market monitoring project with a dedicated desk called “Oficina de Promoción México, Amaplast-Ucimu”. The initiative aims to assist companies seeking to strengthen their presence in Mexico, act as a bridge with local businesses, and support the association’s promotional activities.