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Home > UNITED KINGDOM > Focus On
Graphics machinery, Italian leadership
Rome - (Ign) - Constant product innovation, without ever falling into the trap of a desperate chase after new technology, which is not always economic or efficient. According to the research carried out by the association of Italian companies in the sector, this is what has allowed Italian manufacturers of printing machinery for the graphics, paper and cardboard industry (www.acimga.it) to maintain their position of leadership on the international stage. And this is true even on markets, such as that of North America, where the euro-dollar exchange rate has made it more difficult to maintain the successes of previous years. Recently, this has been an industrial sector in full development, which, despite the difficulties caused by the European and international economic slump, shows no signs of crisis. On the contrary, in 2004 the overall turnover of companies operating in this sector was €1.6 billion, 6.8% up with respect to the previous year, and in the early months of 2005 this positive trend was confirmed, leading to predictions of a further increase in sales by the end of the year. As much as 75% of this turnover was accounted for by foreign markets, where Italian companies occupy a position of undisputed leadership in a number of important sectors. Success is due above all to continuous product innovation, aimed at simplifying running of the machinery and optimising printing processes, with particular reference to the down time necessary at each change of shift.
This is a sector characterised by increasingly high specialisation, and Italian industries lead the world in the sector of machines for rotogravure printing, flexographic printing and for the paper and cardboard industry. Machinery used for packing printing also sees Italian industry strongly committed on all international markets, where some companies have now achieved a position as sole world leaders. A case in point is Cerutti from Casale Monferrato, in Piedmont, the world's leading constructor of machinery for full-colour printing of daily newspapers. Other examples include companies specialised in niche processes, which have led the way also on the international market, such as Rossini from Milan, a leader in the production of drums and other components for printing machinery. Italian manufacturers at the industrial level number around 150, accounting for 7500 jobs. This is a sector typical of the larger world of Italian advanced mechanics, with a few major companies and a large number of small and medium-sized businesses, which have made their manufacturing and technological specialisation and flexibility a point of strength. This is a highly interconnected system of companies, thanks to a dense network of sub-suppliers, also able to ensure working standards of extremely high quality. The major companies in the sector represent almost 10% of the total, but employ almost half of the workforce, while 50% employ fewer than 50 workers. Another characteristic of the sector is the strong territorial concentration of production facilities, whereby almost three-quarters of jobs are found in Lombardy and Piedmont. Leading customers of Italian companies in the sector are the United States and Germany which, added together, account for a quarter of Italian exports. These are followed by France, Spain, United Kingdom and other European countries. But some new markets, where the Italian presence is constantly growing, are also extremely important: South Africa, India, Turkey and Mexico.
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