Italian woodworking technology has come to the end of a three-year “positive cycle” during the first quarter, according to ACIMALL, the Italian woodworking and machinery manufacturers’ association.
A trend survey by Acimall has found that orders shrunk by 5.8% year-on-year during the first quarter, with stagnation in the European market and the downturn in the US economy hitting sales.
Almost half of those polled by Acimall said that the number of domestic orders, which went down by 8.5%, expected the market to stay at a subdued level, with the same amount expecting stability in the foreign market.
The study also found that prices went up by 1.5% during the quarter, and that more than two-thirds expected production to stagnate or decline, three-quarters expected employment to remain stable and 71% saying that available stocks will be stable.
