Today and tomorrow for Brazilian processors

According to the information and statistics recently published by the trade association Abiplast regarding the trend in the Brazilian processing industry, 2013 ended on a positive note with production, foreign trade and investments all recording positive figures. Expectations are thus high for 2014. However, it must be pointed out that the increase in consumption of plastic articles (+8% for 2013 over the previous year) was almost entirely satisfied by imports, significantly worsening the deficit in the balance of trade, which has tripled since 2007.
As regards application, packaging - and especially food packaging - is in first position in terms of rosy prospects with expected growth in the range of 2.5-3.5%, followed by construction (+3.5-4.0%). Meanwhile, the automotive components market may benefit from the "Inovar auto" program, aimed at modernizing the automobiles in circulation.
In the period January-September 2013, Italian exports of machinery for plastics and rubber processing to Brazil amounted to just under 60 million euros, with nearly 10 million going to extruders and 7.5 million to injection machines. A look at the previous three-year period reveals a slight contraction of Italian supplies to Brazilian converters with total exports falling from 100 million euros in 2010 to 90 in 2011 and 80 in 2012. Germany and China, on the other hand, Italy's main competitors, have increased their sales.