ITALY – According to the results of the periodical trend survey by the Studies Office of Acimall (Italian Woodworking Machinery and Tools Manufacturers’ Association) the third quarter 2017 closed with an order increase for Italian woodworking machinery and tools of 42.9% compared to the same period of last year.

Foreign orders, with 51.5% growth (versus 34.8% in second quarter 2017) were the driving force behind this excellent trend.

Domestic orders were also very positive. Acimall reports that after some indecision at the beginning of the year, waiting for the application guidelines of the recent “Industria 4.0” plan by the Italian government, in Q3-2017 orders were up a healthy 19.7 percent.

Moderate optimism is also emerging from the forecast survey: 32 percent of respondents expect expanding orders from abroad in the short term, while 68 percent predict a stationary trend. The domestic market is expanding according to 21 percent of the sample; it will remain stable according to 63 percent and shrink according to 16 percent.