Woodworking Machinery: powerful rebound

The second quarter 2010 brought significant signs of recovery, though highly diversified among the companies included in the statistic sample selected by Acimall, the Italian woodworking technology manufacturers’ association.
The periodical survey indicates that the industry has grown by 69.8 percent from the same period of the previous year: orders from abroad recorded a 63.6 percent increase, with an even stronger trend on the Italian market (up by 83.3 percent). It should be noticed that this strong rally on the domestic market results from a situation where domestic sales had dropped to very low values, although there are good hopes that the next quarters may bring additional expansion to push the industry up to acceptable levels again.
From April to June 2010, prices recorded a slight increase (plus 0.4 percent), while the period of ensured production was 2.2 months at the end of June.
Looking at turnover, there was a massive increase over the first quarter (plus 70.5 percent).
According to the quality survey, 44 percent of the interviewed companies indicate a positive production trend, 52 percent stable and 30 percent decreasing. Employment is considered stationary by 83 percent of the sample, falling by the 8 percent and increasing by the remaining 9 percent. Available stocks are stationary according to 65 percent, decreasing according to 22 percent and growing according to the remaining 13 percent.
The forecast survey outlines possible trends in the next few months: after the positive rebound of orders, a period of stability is expected to consolidate the results obtained in the first half of the year.
Foreign orders will grow according to 30 percent of the sample, while they are expected to stay at the same level according to 48 percent. The remaining 22 percent predict a drop (balance plus 8). The Italian market is expected to have a constant trend according to 61 percent of the interviewees, it will shrink further for 22 percent and it will expand for the remaining 17 percent (balance minus 5).