Italian plastics and rubber machinery sector holds steady in 2025

During the annual Amaplast member assembly, held on 30 June at Villa Baiana in Monticelli Brusati (Brescia), President Massimo Margaglione reviewed the performance of the industry in his annual address, commenting on the findings of the sixth edition of the National Statistical Survey conducted by the Mecs–Amaplast Research Centre. The survey covered 435 manufacturing companies, employing almost 15,300 people, which generated total turnover of 4.62 billion euros in 2025 (-4.2%), with exports accounting for 73% of sales. Approximately 51% of the companies are located in Lombardy, followed by Emilia-Romagna (15%), Veneto (14%), and Piedmont (almost 8%).

In terms of company size, the largest category (around one-third of the total) represents the smallest businesses, with annual turnover not exceeding 2.5 million euros, collectively accounting for a modest 3.8% of total industry sales value. At the opposite end of the scale, the largest companies (annual turnover exceeding 50 millions) represent just 2.5% of the total but generate 29% of the total value of sales. Once again, the survey confirms that average turnover per employee increases with company size, as does proportion of exports, exceeding 84% among the largest companies, as opposed to 46% for the smallest. Similarly, larger companies, benefiting from well-established commercial organizations, tend to serve more distant markets, whereas smaller businesses generally concentrate on European destinations.

With regard to client industries, the overall picture remains broadly stable compared with previous years. The largest share of turnover is generated by sales to the packaging sector (approximately 31% from food packaging and 16% from non-food packaging, both showing slight growth), followed by automotive, which declined slightly to 14%, construction at 11%, and medical applications at 5%, both remaining broadly stable. In terms of machinery categories, excluding the heterogeneous "other machinery" segment, extruders and relevant downstream equipment remain the largest product group, accounting for 18.2% of total industry turnover. They are followed by auxiliary equipment at 14.6%, and moulds and dies at 9.2%.

Exports, historically the industry's principal growth driver, declined by 5% compared with 2024 after four consecutive years of expansion, settling at a total value of 3.41 billion euros, according to Istat data. It is worth noting that, from the low point recorded in 2020, export flows had rebounded by 32% by the end of 2024. Looking at the main destination regions, Italian manufacturers recorded the strongest export growth in the Far East (averaging around +12%), driven by the excellent performance of the two largest markets, China (+8%) and India (+40%).

Within the European Union, exports remained broadly stable overall, although the two leading destinations – Germany (-4%) and France (-12%) – both showed a downward trend. Germany continues to experience a difficult market environment, with conditions proving even more challenging than those faced by Italian machinery manufacturers. The decline in technology supplies to German plastics processors, combined with the simultaneous increase in exports to the United States (+9%, despite the difficulties and uncertainties caused by the introduction of tariffs), has brought the US virtually level with Germany as the leading destination for Italian exports in the sector, with exports to each market amounting to around 380 million euros. Such a narrow gap between the two countries is a completely novelty. Elsewhere in the Americas, while the US market remained resilient, exports to Mexico declined by 32%, although the country had experienced exceptionally strong growth during the preceding period. Further south, the difficult economic situation in Brazil weighed heavily on performance, with Italian exports falling by 45%, a decline only partially offset by the recovery in demand from Argentina (+32%).

Given the challenging regional environment, the 20% decline in exports to the Middle East is unsurprising. Across Africa, however, performance was mixed: exports to Mediterranean countries increased by an average of 12% (with Tunisia the only exception), whereas shipments to sub-Saharan African markets contracted by 30%, despite positive performances in Nigeria and Kenya.

According to Istat data, imports increased significantly by 23%, reaching a value of 1.17 billion euros. This trend can largely be attributed to the effects of the Industry 4.0 and Transition 5.0 investment incentive programmes. Most recent Istat foreign trade data for the first quarter of the current year indicate a slowdown, with imports declining by approximately 31% and exports by around 4%.