In the first eight months of 2024, Italian exports of machinery, tools, and equipment for natural stone processing experienced a notable decline, decreasing by 11.4% compared to the same period in 2023. This downturn reflects challenges in global demand and shifts in the dynamics of major markets.
Mixed Performance Across Key Markets
Among the top ten buyers of Italian machinery, the export trends varied significantly:
- Positive Trends:
- Turkey: Registered an impressive 82.7% increase, becoming the second-largest market.
- Saudi Arabia: A remarkable growth of 328.4% made it the fastest-growing market.
- France (+34.8%), the UK (+26.5%), Spain (+2.8%), and Brazil (+5.7%) also showed positive trends.
- Negative Trends:
- United States: The largest buyer, saw a sharp decrease of -25.9%.
- Germany: Exports fell significantly by -32.7%.
- Poland (-21%) and Canada (-4.6%) also experienced declines.
The United States: Still the Largest Buyer Despite Decline
Despite the contraction, the United States maintained its position as the leading importer of Italian machinery. Its share remains substantial, with the value of exports to the U.S. being approximately 1.7 times higher than exports to Turkey (the second-largest buyer) and about 2.2 times greater than those to France (third-largest).
Source: Markets Trends Analysis Office CONFINDUSTRIA MARMOMACCHINE Association
