The statistical analysis performed by Assocomaplast (Italian trade association, part of CONFINDUSTRIA, representing over 160 companies) on foreign trade data provided by ISTAT regarding the first six months of this year , reveals – in comparison to January-June 2014 – a markedly positive performance for Italy's exports and imports of plastics and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds. The growth recorded since the first months of 2014 has continued this year and actually has increased: by the end of June 2015, the rise in purchases from abroad approached 17%. This provides further reassurance

In December 2012, Italy's trade association, ASSOCOMAPLAST started to take part in the InnoREX Project along with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, Pfinztal (Germany), a project which is funded by the European FP7 Program. Along with ASSOCOMAPLAST, the project consortium consists of twelve partners, including seven enterprises, two research centers and two universities. With the help of alternative energies such as ultrasound, laser light or microwave energy, dynamic control of the reaction and the resulting molecular structure of the polymer within a commercial co-rotating

Italy's INglass Srl recently broke ground on its first facility in the US, which will be located in Byron Center, Michigan. INglass Srl, an Italian maker of molds for the plastics industry is investing $17.6 million in the West Michigan project and plans to employ 109 people over the next four years. Facility highlights The 45,000-square-foot facility, located at 920 74th St. SW in Byron Center, will house INglass’s HRSflow division, which manufactures hot runner systems for plastic injection molding. The facility will feature significant roof windows and natural daylight, and will also

Recovery in exports, which gained momentum particularly in the last quarter of 2013, with a last minute surge in December, allowed the Italian manufacturers to compensate for the lasting weakness in the domestic market which can be seen in Exhibit 1. The very slight decline in demand from abroad, which represents over 65% of total production, kept revenue losses within 2.5% with respect to 2012 and further improved an already very positive balance of trade. In terms of revenues and exports in 2013, Assocomaplast member companies performed better than the average for the sector, with a positive

Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 makers of machinery, molds and equipment for plastics and rubber) has issued its report on the sector's performance in 2012 – based also on the Italian National Institute of Statistics - ISTAT foreign trade statistics. Even more than in the past – and more markedly than in other Italian mechanical equipment sectors – production output was driven by exports, with an upward trend that, despite levelling off over the year, enabled Italian equipment manufacturers offset extremely weak domestic