Photo: Contributed
Luigi De Vito, president of Acimall.
ACIMALL, the Italian Woodworking Technology Association, is reporting a dramatic increase in orders for wood-furniture machinery and tools of more than 100 per cent compared to the same period last year.
For the first six months of 2021, orders for wood-furniture machinery and tools increased by 100.3 per cent compared to 2020.
The demand from international markets saw an 88.7 percent increase, while the domestic market was even stronger with orders up by 190.8 per cent.
These results are quite significant, but we have to consider that they compare to the first half of 2020, the period when the COVID-19 pandemic had its strongest impact on the world's entire economy and production system. Nevertheless, this growth trend is positive, not just a simple "rebound," but a significant structural expansion.
The first half 2021 showed a positive trend compared to the previous six months, from July to December 2020, with orders growing by 42.2 percent (plus 31.9 percent for international demand, plus 49.2 percent in Italy).
“These are encouraging numbers and help us forget the troubles we have been going through in our industrial and economic life”, said Luigi De Vito, president of Acimall.
“If we add that the January-June 2021 period recorded a 40.2 percent growth compared to the first half 2019, we cannot really describe what is happening as just a "rebound," but an organic and structural trend, witnessing to the global competitiveness of our industry and our role of reference partner for the Italian manufacturing industry, an established model of style and quality.”
“Unfortunately, a few doubts remain about the near future, mostly due to the scarcity of raw materials, components and aggregates. This situation is negatively affecting the lead time of material supplies, a problem that must be solved as soon as possible to stop the rising trend of prices,” De Vito said.
