World trade is slowing, with political and economic turbulence emerging on many markets as well as uncertainty regarding a protectionist turn by certain world leaders, but the footwear, leather-goods and tanning machinery industry has delivered yet another positive year. “If we can take some credit – says Gabriella Marchioni Bocca, ASSOMAC President – it is for the fact that, despite all the uncertainty, our sector has managed to hold its ground. With world trade witnessing a slowdown in growth rates, footwear, leather-goods and tanning machinery has registered extremely positive levels in all

An industrial sector in a good state of health with an annual turnover in excess of 44 billion euros and a strong export propensity which opens up exciting business opportunities is the picture of the Italian processing and packaging industry painted by the Ipack-Ima Monitor, the half-yearly business study conducted over a sample of companies representing the entire supply chain. The industry, consisting of manufacturers of processing and packaging machinery, suppliers of components and producers of materials, serves a range of downstream industrial sectors divided up into a number of business

2016 closed with a positive sign: this is the final result of a 12-month period characterized by a clearly positive trend of technology, equipment and tools for wood and wood-based materials. As we wait for final figures, the Studies Office of Acimall – the Confindustria member association that represents the companies of this excellent “made in Italy” sector – estimates that production in 2016 amounted to 2,078 million euro, 11.5 percent more than 1,864 in 2015. This percent variation is very similar to the result of 2015 versus 2014, when an 11.7 percent increase was recorded. The growth of

The orders index for textile machinery compiled by ACIMIT, the Association Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, for the period from October to December 2016 rose by 5%, compared to the same period for the previous year. This growth affected both the foreign markets, where the index registered an absolute value of 5% and Italy. In this case, the increase compared to the period from October to December 2015 was 16%. On an annual basis, and compared to 2015, the index registered an average increase of 4%. Domestic sales were up significantly, rising by fully 14%, confirming the vigour of the

On November 22, 2016, CanadianManufacturing.com and Annex Business Media hosted the 2016 Ontario Export Awards. The third annual awards ceremony paid tribute to the success and innovative approaches of Ontario manufacturing exporters. Extending across industries and including rural and urban representation, the awards are a celebration of the contributions exporters have made to both the provincial and national economy and a showcase of leading companies who invest in their businesses and operations to be more competitive in global markets, and to forge international supply chains. The event

The Canadian Manufacturers’ Outlook is a survey conducted, on a yearly basis, by Northstar for PLANT Magazine in partnership with sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, SYSPRO Canada and Machines Italia - Italian Trade Commission. The latest edition of the survey report is fresh off the press. The findings - based on 526 replies from senior manufacturing executives (margin of error +/- 4.27%, 19 times out of 20) - show that 36% of the respondents are optimistic although most (55%) qualify their optimism with caution. More than half of the senior executives are expecting orders and sales to increase (by

Every year, GIMAV conducts a survey of the Italian glass industry with the aim of providing an overview of the sector and information on its structure, sales, production and export markets. GIMAV is the Italian Association of Glass Processing Machinery and Accessories Suppliers and represents almost 80% of the Italian glass industry. The results were more than encouraging: the positive trend for Italian glass processing machinery, accessories, and special products posted a year earlier was repeated and consolidated in 2015. The report signaled a new wave of optimism for everybody

The Italian Trade Agency, together with the Piedmont Agency for Investments, Export and Tourism conducted its first combined Italian automotive supplier tour of the Midwest, March 9 - 16, 2016. This tour was to provide a unique opportunity to a selected number of prestigious Italian manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry to have a better understanding of the needs of US OEMs, First and Second Tier suppliers when they are sourcing new suppliers for their manufacturing and production needs. The tour started in Detroit on March 9th, with meetings at Roush, followed by

The Ontario Export Awards – OEA - recognize the innovative approaches and unique contributions of Ontario registered export manufacturers across sectors and in all regions of the province, as well as the individuals who contribute to their success. The OEA is spearheaded by CanadianManufacturing.com (Annex Business Media), which is one of Canada’s top sources of daily industrial, manufacturing and economic news and has over 100,000 industrial readers across the country. Applications for the various OEA categories are now open. Companies may submit their application directly or send nominations

Machines Italia and Ceipiemonte, the Piemonte Agency for Investments, Export and Tourism, organized a trade delegation of Canadian companies to the Fiera della Meccanizzazione Agricola that took place in Savigliano, Italy from March 17 to 20, 2016. With 850 exhibitors over 48,600 square meters of floor space and 60 thousand visitors, the Fiera della Meccanizzazione is the main trade show in the region for agricultural and horticultural technology. Selected Canadian distributors of machines and equipment were invited to the event. Among the delegates were Nick Quali and Phoebe Strain from the