Speciale_EMO_Hannover

SPECIAL EMO 2023 17 domestic market, which will achieve a new peak of 4,155 million euros (+9%). Imports will also rise to reach a value of 2,680 million euros (+7.3%). Export will grow to 3,595 million euros (+3.7%), re- turning to pre-Covid levels. According to Ucimu’s analysis based on Istat data, the main markets for Italian machine tools in the first three months of 2023 were: United States (126 million euros, +35.4%), Germany (89 million euros, +43.8%), China (55.5 million euros, +23.3%), France (54 mil- lion euros, +33.9%), Poland (38 million euros, +10.2%), Turkey (34 million eu- ros, +86.8%), Mexico (29 million euros, +49.7%), Czech Republic (27 million euros, +118%), Spain (25 million euros, -16.5%), and India (24 million euros, +38.9%). Summary data from last year According to the final data compiled by the Ucimu Studies and Business Culture Center, in 2022, the Italian production of machine tools, robotics, and automation reached 7,280 million euros, record- ing a 15% increase compared to 2021. Consumption grew by 26% to 6,311 million euros, leading to an increase in both deliveries in the domestic market (3,812 million euros; +21.6%) and im- ports (2,499 million euros; +33.3%). The market share covered by foreign machin- ery amounted to 39.6%. Exports also increased, reaching 3,468 million euros in 2022, which is 8.5% higher than the previous year. The export-to-produc- tion ratio decreased from 50.5% in 2021 to 47.6% in 2022. In 2022, the main markets for Italian exports were: Unit- ed States (482 million euros, +43.5%), Germany (306 million euros, -13.3%), China (226 million euros, -0.7%), France (193 million euros, +9.6%), Poland (188 million euros, +6.2%), Turkey (124 mil- lion euros, -3.9%), Spain (119 million euros, +19.7%), Russia (99 million eu- ros, -3.9%), Mexico (84 million euros, +5.2%), and Switzerland (74 million eu- ros, +36.8%). The trade balance decreased by -26.6%, reaching 969 million euros. The posi- tive performance of the Italian industry in this sector was reflected in the level of capacity utilization, which significantly increased from 80.2% in 2021 to 86.6% in 2022. The order backlog also grew, reaching 8 months of assured produc- tion, compared to 7.3 months in the previous year. Machine prices increased by +8% compared to the previous year. The sector’s turnover reached a figure of 10,482 million euros. Four challenges for the future In response to the widespread uncertain- ty that is affecting order collection in the first half of this year, Ucimu has identified four challenges that companies intend to focus on in the medium to long term: dig- itization and sustainability, availability of skilled personnel, servitization, and inter- nationalization. The real challenge for manufacturers in terms of innovation today is the combi- nation of digitization and sustainability. The association urges the government to confirm and strengthen the Transition 4.0 Plan, which, in its opinion, should structurally include a modular system of fiscal incentives that can be combined and accumulated, giving greater rewards to those who invest in new machinery where digitization also enables sustaina- bility. “Specifically, we believe that a sec- ond tax credit for investments in machin- ery that are integrated with each other to create a system that implements both physical and digital value chains should be added to the first measure, which is currently in force and consists of a tax credit for investments in state-of-the-art digital production technologies”, says Barbara Colombo, President of Ucimu. “Finally, there should be a third measure that guarantees a tax credit for sustain- ability, in order to encourage companies to move towards green manufacturing in line with European directives”.