Double-digit growth compared to previous averages. Outperforming Germany and France. Strengthened by a global share of almost 9%, which puts us in fourth place in the world in terms of exports.
Ingenium, not by chance, is the title of the analysis carried out by the Confindustria Study Center in collaboration with Federmacchine on the capital goods sector, one of the areas of excellence of Made in Italy, with a production of 55 billion lire. Perimeter limited to 202 categories of “Act” goods, i.e. characterized by Automation, Creativity and Technology. Winning mix that sees almost the entire perimeter analyzed gravitate to the first quartile in terms of global competitiveness and as many as 30 categories to see a price premium compared to France and Germany, a sign of the presence of the high-end in terms of added value. Sectors that in the world are worth an export of 28 billion euros, “capital” expanded in the last period thanks to important performances. Comparing the growth of 2022 to the average of the previous three years, the progress is 14%, in addition to what was achieved by France and Germany.
Growing electronics
Among the 12 sectors analysed, which range from robots to packaging, from textile machinery to machining centres, from fluid dynamics to rubber-plastics, we observe an increasingly pervasive presence of electronics compared to the mechanical part, a growing drive to adopt solutions ” sartorial” compared to large series, a growing content of digital services in the offer. An area that is confronted on the one hand with an unfavorable trend (-2.8% global exports between 2018 and 2020) and in general with an increasingly fierce competitive arena which between +2018 and 2020 decreased by 1.4 points our market share. Which however, remaining close to 9%, keeps Italy at the top, behind only Germany, China and Japan.
Potential of 16 billion
The manufacturing system today faces a more challenging period, between a downward revision of global growth and a leap in interest rates, which nevertheless can count on exports of 28 billion euros. Figure to which in the estimates of the Confindustria study, to which Sace also contributed, a potential of another 16 billion can be added. In part by exploiting the demand from Western countries, primarily the United States (+1.7 billion), Germany and France. In part by making the most of the potential of other more remote areas. Starting with China, favored by growth rates above the global average, where 52% of the potential is still exploitable: around 2 billion. Or from Turkey, in second place among the emerging countries, where it is possible to almost double the current levels of one billion euros.
We need a system policy
«Capital goods – explains the vice president for internationalization of Confindustria Barbara Beltrame Giacomello – are the strong backbone of Italian excellence exported abroad. Without them many of the consumer goods, which in our imagination represent Italy in the world such as fashion, furniture and food, would not be feasible.