Italian export is the global industry benchmark in the field of high-tech machine tools. Propensity to continue internationalisation has always been a distinguishing feature of this production division. Exports increased further (+9.5%) in the first nine months of 2008, with good results in all traditional outlet areas: Germany (+12.9%), China (+9.4%), United States (+7.7%) and France (+10.1%). Among the emerging economies, performance in Russia (+25.2%) and Brazil (+140,3%) was particularly impressive.

China, the world's number one importer of machine tools, is hosting the next edition of CIMT , to be held from April 6^th to April 11^th 2009 in Beijing. Now at its 11th edition, CIMT is organised every two years by CMBTA, the Chinese association of machine tool manufacturers, and is the most important industry event in Asia. Italian companies will be in attendance, their collective participation organised by the ICE (Italian Trade Commission) in collaboration with the professional federation UCIMU (Union of Italian Machine-Tool Producers). The ICE has been coordinating the participation of Italian enterprises at the Chinese trade fair since 2001; having gradually consolidated its presence, the event is now a regular fixture. At the 2007 edition, there were 1066 exhibitors from 28 different countries taking part. The number of visitors almost doubled to 245,000.

The development of the Chinese economy calls for increasingly larger quantities of capital equipment: the most recent import figures show an annual increase of 7.1% to 11,225.4 million Euros. The trend is driven by the development of mature industries like the automotive industry and the excellent prospects offered in the railway, aviation, infrastructure, and shipping sectors. The record number of visitors at the 2007 edition of this major event is a good enough motivation to showcase Italian technology at CIMT.

In the machine tools industry, Italy is the fifth global supplier to China (with a 5% import quota) after Japan (33%), Germany (18%), Taiwan (17.7%) and Korea ( 8%). For Italian companies, China is the second largest market after Germany. There has been a steady rise in Italian exports since 2001, with a record amount of 254.4 million Euros in 2006. Definitive data for 2008 are not yet available, but preliminary numbers suggest a further increase of around 10% in sales.

For Italian manufacturers of machine tools, robots, and automation systems, the "fragmentation" of production undoubtedly features among their various divisions: the majority of the sector's 400 companies are SMEs. In any case, being smaller is not necessarily a disadvantage because it allows Italian manufacturers to succeed on a global scale with a flexibility and agility that no other competing industry has ever been able to fully demonstrate. "Made in Italy" machine tools can provide customised solutions and systems, depending on the specific needs of the user. And let's not forget the additional technological value brought to the productions: nearly 70% of all machine tools manufactured in Italy are produced electronically. Of these, 20% are part of integrated systems (cells and systems made up of more than three machines). So let’s say that, even in terms of hi-tech content, international competitors have nothing on what Italy can produce.