Full sail ahead

According to Assocomaplast data, Italian exports of plastics and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds posted an excellent result in the first half of 2011 with a 21% increase with respect to January-June 2010 and an estimated value of over 1.1 billion euros.
Imports rose by a mere +7%, thus indicating further improvement in the trade balance.
There was a remarkable jump in exports of injection moulding machines (+50% compared to the first semester of 2010) while the trend in sales abroad for extruders was in line with the total 21% increase.
Germany (holding a 15% share) leads the field among main destination countries for Italian exports, followed by China, France, United States, and Poland.