If we can believe the numbers, as would usually be the case, for Italy's machine producing industry, the year 2011 ended on a rather pleasant note. It's true that the beating we all took in 2008/2009 has taken a long time to heal, but growth over the last two year is turning out to be much more than a flash in the pan. Overall production rose by 13.2% in 2010 over 2009, and another 12.2% in 2011. As we know, most of the credit goes to exports, which shot up by 15.8% in 2010 and 16.4% in 2011, while domestic consumption, even though it posted a promising +8% in 2010, slowed to a trickle last

GIMAV reported that in line with the entire capital goods sector, the glass-processing machinery, accessories and special products sector also showed promising signs of growth in 2010. The sector closed 2010 on positive ground, especially due to the industry's hollow glass component which witnessed the revival of some of those investment projects that had been abruptly put on hold between 2008 and 2009. {pagebreak} Flat glass exports also rose, but seemed to be struggling more due to the continued crisis of the outlet sectors for some of its products, with the building industry being the most