Packaging Sector’s in Italy Record 3.6% Growth During 2018

The Italian Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association (Ucima) has confirmed in a report that the Italian packaging sector continued its expansion in the year 2018, with a record growth of 3.6%.

The total turnover of the packaging industry which includes packaging manufacturers and packaging technology providers (including packaging design) reached as high as €6.22bn, whilst exports rose by 1.2% when compared to the previous year’s statistics. These figures mean that the international packaging markets were responsible for the sector’s 81.2% of sales, said the Ucima.

As far as exports to the global packaging industry the main purchasers of Italian packaging technologies were countries within the European Union, with almost one-third of exports going to this region. The second biggest international area for purchases was countries in Asia that imported many of the Italian packaging systems in bulk.

Some interesting facts emerged when statistics were broken down to see what the largest industry to buy Italian packaging and packaging equipment was. As much as 31.8% of its turnover could be accounted to the food packaging industry machinery. The beverage packaging industry was a close second and accounted for 29.5% of sales which meant overall the food and beverage package industries combined accounted for over 60% of total sales.

The Packaging Sector in Italy Predicted to Post High Sales Volumes
The Chairman of Ucima, Giuseppe Lesce, said he is highly optimistic about the sales figure for 2019 as far as the packaging sector of Italy is concerned. Packaging companies in Italy that recorded turnovers of more than €25m constituted just 7.4% of the total among the industries that had generated the highest turnover in a Year. However, the share is the largest comprising two-thirds of the total share.

Most of the packaging industries in Italy are based in Emilia Romagna, which is situated in the northern part of the country. These companies accounted for 54.6% of the total turnover in the packaging market of the nation.

The Chairman also said that in the initial months, the main markets witnessed a slowdown in orders. However, the final sales figures show the market has successfully improved since then and this year to the expectations are that the market, especially within the packaging part, will post an amazing growth rate.

The Italian Packaging Markets
Packaging manufacturing is one of the most important industries in Italy. The country has a strong tradition in the design and manufacturing of package products and the country is home to many leading companies in the world.

Packaging innovations by companies in Italy are important as the huge volume of businesses competing for business is high, so companies need to keep ahead of their competition with quick reactions to consumer trends and constant improvements in the development of lowering the environmental impact of manufacturing processes.

The most popular packaging materials used in Italy are metal, paperboard, and glass items. The biggest demand from the food packaging industry means that the biggest manufactured items in Italian businesses are glass bottles, paper products to hold takeaway items, and beverage holders.

Paper is the most used material accounting for more than 50% of all packaging materials created in Italian factories. Despite current recycling goals, plastic materials are used at a level of 30% whilst metal and glass are less and are relatively smaller in production levels than the others.

Plastics are still widely used in the country and plastic waste can be a concern for the creation of consumer goods, so companies are always looking at ways of reducing waste alongside increasing demand for the products to be manufactured.

In Italy, as seen in most countries, there has been a huge growth in the food industry for takeaway food options in consumer spending, which has increased requirements for additional packaging to be made to accommodate the demand. Plastic packaging has increased in volume in the beverage industry whilst manufacturing brand owners have noted an increase in requests for new packaging products to enhance the customer experience and sustainability.

The manufacturing of packaging products is closely regulated by the Italian government as is its relationship with the global market.

To read more about the international packaging industry please browse our website.