According to interim reports prepared by Mecs, the ACIMAC research centre, the expected decline in turnover in technologies for ceramics has eased. Company chair Mr Lamberti commented : “The market remains sluggish, constrained by excess installed capacity and increasing competition from Asia”
The Italian market for machinery and equipment for ceramics represented by Acimac is closing 2025 with revenues totalling €1,732 million. The figure is down by 5.1%with respect to the €1,825 million turnover recorded in 2024, despite the significant -24% decrease registered that year, taking the market back to the same levels as 2019. This is the information coming from the MECS-ACIMAC research centre, which has published its interim data for 2025.
The contraction concerns both exports and the domestic market, with domestic market recording a turnover of €518 million, marked by a 3.1% decreaseon last year. The surge in exports has come to a halt at €1.214 billion, marking a fall of 5.9% with respect to 2024.
These figures are part of a complex landscape that features both a still unsteady international socio-economic context and growing competitive pressure from international manufacturers, in particular from the Asian market, in addition to a natural period of adjustment following the significant investments made in recent years by the major ceramic manufacturing groups. In spite of this, the downturn is not as significant as original forecasts were predicting, confirming businesses’ resilience and the presence of factors which are conducive to recovery in the not-too-distant future.
«If the interim data is confirmed — commented Acimac’s chair Paolo Lamberti— performance in 2025 will be better than expected at the beginning of the year.We are operating in a complex landscape, within which international competition, in particular from China, is becoming increasingly aggressive and requires us to maintain constant focus on our sales and manufacturing strategies.Nevertheless, we are encouraged by certain circumstances that could drive up demand, such as the prospects of a recovery in the building industry over the medium term, and the need in various countries to replace obsolete plants. This need for upgrades represents a significant opportunity for Italian businesses to offer high-tech, value-added solutions. Finally, we support Confindustria’s call:it is important that the European Union supports and develops its own manufacturing system and European-made products, to create a more level playing field vis-à-vis international competitors».