Positive signs are at last being seen in the Italian woodworking machinery industry, with a 16% growth recorded during the first quarter of 2004.
Acimall (the Italian woodworking machinery and tools manufacturers’ association) said the growth, compared to the same quarter a year ago, follows a deeply negative 2003 in which exports dropped by 13%.
Luciano Costa, Acimall president, said: “It is an encouraging signal. Our companies were expecting positive rates, even though we cannot confine the tough months to the past yet.”
Foreign orders were up 34.4%, while domestic orders suffered from a 20.8% decline. However, the overall growth on the previous quarter was less impressive at 4.4%.
Prices increased by 0.36% on average between January and March, with the period of assured production stretching to around 2.5 months.
