2009 preliminary figures provided by the Study Office of Acimall – the Italian woodworking machinery and tools manufacturers’ Association, member of Confindustria – do not leave any doubts: the Italian production decreased by 48.3 percent as compared to 2008. A similar situation was recorded as to export figures (- 48.7 percent), a particularly significant trend if you think about the export-oriented approach of our companies.
Imports dropped by 40.6 percent, a value which contributed to set the trade balance at – 50 percent as compared to 2008 and to decrease apparent consumption by 46 percent. These are strongly negative figures and they might not be relieved by the results obtained during the last months of the year – that are currently under an evaluation process but that seem to show a slight “recovery”.
Another figure that contributes to define the difficult situation comes from the analysis of the use of ordinary redundancy funds, a support tool leveraged by 50.5 percent of companies – figures updated in November 2009 – against 10.8 percent in 2008 (6.8 percent of companies took special redundancy funds, while in 2008 none of them used them). In the next twelve months 43.7 percent of the companies will ask for ordinary redundancy funds, 13.6 percent for special funds, with a significant share of entrepreneurs that have not decided yet what to do (27.2 percent of the sample as to ordinary redundancy funds, 30.1 percent as to special funds).
As to 2010 it is very difficult to make some forecasts, also considering the trend of companies that prefer not to reveal the real business and recovery opportunities of the next twelve months. Indeed, according to the analysis carried out by the Study Office, we are in front of a definitely inhomogeneous situation. A growth by some percentage points is expected – between 5 and 10 percent – as compared to 2009 final balance, especially thanks to the long-awaited recovery of some foreign markets (especially the United States, Spain and Russia) which were weakened by the crisis in a more important way as compared to our Country.
