Exports of Italian-made printing and converting machines went up 10% in 2008. Considering the unfavourable business climate, this is a very encouraging result, confirming the positive attitude of international markets to this sector of Italian technology. So, the next staging of the Upakovka/Upak Italy trade fair in Moscow from January 27th-30th 2009 is the first opportunity in the New Year for Italian producers looking for new opportunities on the international scene to test out the response of an expanding market.

The Russian Federation, in that sense, is potentially one of the most receptive economies for this sector of industry: in fact, the Russian market for packaging is going through a phase of growth which analysts say should last for a long time. Indeed, the constantly growing demand for consumer goods also guarantees a similar demand for high-quality packaging. And this tendency is as true for food, drinks, sweets and biscuits, as it is for cosmetics and non-edible consumer goods.

The exhibition was initiated in 1984 as an exclusively Italian trade-fair under the name of Upak Italia. From 2002 onwards it was incorporated into Upakovka, an international exhibition dedicated to manufacturers of packaging and wrapping machines, printers, paper and cardboard production and converting machines, allied to the preparation and printing of packaging. Upakovka is the main Russian trade event for this sector and the last time it was staged it attracted 24,000 visitors and welcomed 330 exhibitors from 22 nations. The major participant was Russia, with 103 companies, followed by Italy with 95 companies represented, eighty-one of which were attending under a joint initiative organized by ICE, the Italian Trade Commission.

The Italian presence, in terms of numbers, exceeded even that of Germany, Russia's number one foreign supplier, emphasizing the interesting prospects in this part of the world for Italian producers. Russia is the sixth largest export market for Italian packaging and wrapping machines, amounting to 5.1% of its total exports. Figures for 2008 are not yet available, but in 2007 the value of Italian sales came to approximately 156 million Euros, up 15% on the preceding year. On the other hand, in the sector of printing machines and machinery for paper and cardboard production, Moscow is our ninth market, accounting for 3% of Italian exports, a quota which remained stable in 2007. Italian companies were massively represented at the 2008 Upakovka/Upak fair and the joint participation, organized by ICE, in the 2009 event aims to confirm Italian interest in Russia, one of the key target markets for the sector.

Within this branch of Italian industry, the sector concerned with the production of packaging and wrapping machines is amongst the most export-driven. According to the most recent statistics produced by UCIMA, which collects data from different sectors, exports went up again by 8.4%, with an incidence of just over 90% on total turnover. In general, the sector registered earnings of 3.61 billion Euros, up 10.2% at current values. Italian manufacturers of industrial printing machines, paper machines, and machines for converting and refining are recognised by ACIMGA. According to the association's official study, the sector registered a turnover of 1.6.billion Euros in 2007 (+0.6%), with an export quota of over 1.3 billion (+0.9%).