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Home > Focus On
CATERING: ITALY BEHIND THE COUNTER
Roma - (Ign) - It is perhaps one of the industrial sectors in which the presence of Italian companies has the greatest relative importance on a world scale. This is the vast sector of equipment for bars, restaurants and the food sector in general (www.assofoodtech.it). This is an extremely varied sector, which necessarily brings together a wide range of experience and technological expertise: from cooling technology, stainless steel processing and precision mechanics, to fluid compression systems, food conservation technologies and systems for warehousing and logistics. This expertise is naturally combined with the constant innovation of materials, processes and equipment, in order to fully respond to the changing needs of the market.
The figures of the sector are extremely significant. There are around 500 companies, concentrated above all in three areas: Veneto, as far as regards systems dedicated to refrigeration; Friuli, where there is the greatest presence of companies dedicated to the construction of refrigeration systems for complete restaurant catering plants; and Emilia Romagna, which specialises in machinery for slicing and preserving food. Overall, these companies produced a turnover, which in 2004 exceeded the threshold of € 4 billion, three-quarters of which was due to exports. Italian products represent 30% of world trade in the sector, placing Italy first in the international league table.
Within this picture, there are particular points of excellence, production sectors in which Italian companies are not only recognised throughout the world, but represent an absolute benchmark. A case in point is espresso coffee machines and appliances for bars, almost a synonym of Italianness. The weight of exports within the total turnover of the sector is stable at over 90%, perhaps an absolute record for Italian industry as a whole. This result has been obtained thanks to continuous technological research, constantly improving functionality and increasingly reliable machinery. The need to adapt products to international safety standards is also a constant concern. Overall turnover in the sector stands at over € 500 million per year, and many of the brands have for years represented a symbol of Italy in the world.
Another sector of great importance is that of refrigeration. This is a vast panorama of plants and machinery ranging from refrigerators for food processing, compressors, cold counters and refrigerated display cabinets to industrial and commercial cold cells, refrigerated vehicles and ice cream distributors. The turnover of this division represents more than a third of the entire sector, at €1.5 billion per year, two thirds of which is accounted for by foreign markets. Another sector of Italian excellence is that of machinery for preparing food, from cooking surfaces in stainless steel to restaurant ovens. Lastly, there is the division of slicing machines. In absolute terms, it is not particularly large, since the overall turnover of companies in the field is € 300 million per year, but the importance of exports is here extremely large, accounting for around 90% of production, which makes slicing machines for hams and salamis an exemplary case of universally known and appreciated Italian products.
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