The year 2020 was not a good one for ceramics machinery: in fact, the sector experienced the side effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, suffering a drop in sales.
The loss had already been predicted and, therefore, there were no particular surprises when the official data came out. According to preliminary figures compiled by MECS-Centro Studi Acimac, industry turnover is around 1,470 million euros (down 15 percent on 2019).
Part of the weight of the downturn can be attributed to lockdowns and shutdowns, which have halted production, as well as the general stalemate in the world economy, which has generated a drop in demand. There is also to be said that the uncertain situation has led many companies to freeze investment, putting off all
Italy's data
According to preliminary data compiled by MECS-Centro Studi Acimac, the Italian market has also been affected by the pandemic.
The market declined 25.4 percent to 349 million euros.
Black year also for exports, down 11.2 percent from 2019.
"The downturn in turnover in our sector," said Paolo Mongardi, president of Acimac, in a note circulated on the website, " had already begun in 2019 and, for obvious reasons, continued in the year that is coming to an end. As for the future, although caution is a must, we believe that after two years of modest investment by customers, the end of the Covid emergency could coincide with the physiological recovery of the ceramic machinery sector. This is certainly our hope for 2021."
