Exports drive growth for Italian packaging sector
Preliminary figures compiled by the Mecs – Ucima Research Centre reveal 3.5% sales growth for the Italian packaging technology sector.
According to the body, the Italian packaging technology sector is set to close 2024 with impressive results, indicating a total turnover of €9.5 billion, marking a 3.5% increase compared to 2023. This achievement represents the fourth consecutive record year.
Exports continue to drive the industry’s growth, reaching €7.5 billion, an increase of 3.8% over the previous year and representing approximately 80% of total turnover. The strongest performances were seen in key markets such as Africa and Oceania (+10.3%), Asia (+3.3%) and the European Union (+6.1%). Strong growth was also recorded in individual countries, notably Mexico (+18.8%) and Spain (+11.1%). Domestically, the Italian market ended the year with sales of €2 billion, up 2.5%.
Looking ahead to this year, Mecs noted that with seven-plus months of production already secured for the coming year, the sector is confident despite macro challenges ahead. The forecasts for 2025 predict further growth, with revenues projected to reach €9.6 billion.
Ucima’s chairman Riccardo Cavanna singled out the technological excellence of Italian companies for the success.
“Exports continue to be the backbone of the industry, but we are also focused on strengthening the domestic market, partly through tools such as the Industry 5.0 plan which has yet to be fully implemented,” Cavanna explained. “The recently introduced changes to the incentives may also not fully benefit companies due to the limited time left to access them. In addition, the government’s plan to restrict Industry 4.0 incentives in 2025 will certainly not make the situation any easier. Despite these challenges, as an association and as a sector, we remain committed to promoting innovative solutions, particularly through the use of artificial intelligence. Looking ahead, the forecasts for next year are positive and we expect to maintain the strong results achieved this year.”
