December 18th, 20914 (Milan, Italy): Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association, belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups to-gether some 170 machinery manufacturers) has compared ISTAT foreign trade data for January-September of the current year with data for the same period in 2013 and confirms further growth in both imports and exports. Exports rose by over 4% while purchases from abroad grew by over 7%. This has also led to a consolidation (+3%) of an already strong balance of trade. However, we must underscore that the positive trend in exports, traditional driver for Italian

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, tthe Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 makers of machinery, moulds and equipment for plastics and rubber, has produced its 2013 full-year forecast for the industry on the basis of foreign trade data for the first nine months of the year provided by ISTAT, Italy's National Institute of Statistics. The slight dip in exports (-2.8% with respect to January-September 2012) could be recovered in the fourth quarter thanks to the expected economic recovery, early signals of which have been noted recently by the CONFINDUSTRIA Research

After a still-positive trend in January and February (in the wake of the +5.9% result at the end of 2012), the first quarter of 2013 instead closed with a downturn for Italian exports of plastics and rubber processing machinery, according the Italian National Institute of Statistics - ISTAT figures processed by Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 manufacturers). In fact, foreign sales in this sector fell 4% compared to January-March 2012, set against a 9-point drop in imports. The result is on the whole not surprising, given

Milan, June 18th 2013 – Marco Calcagni (Omet) is the new President of ACIMGA for the two-year period 2013-2014. Elected during the General Member Assembly that took place today in Milan, Calcagni will be flanked by Vice-President Aldo Peretti (Uteco Converting) and by the following offices: Board of Directors Ugo Barzanò, past president (IMS Deltamatic), Silvana Canette past president (Flexotecnica), Felice Rossini past president (Rossini), Daniele Barbui (ACE di Barbui Davide&Figli), Alberto Brivio (BP Agnati), Giovanni Cama (Cason), Alfredo Cerciello (Nordmeccanica), Costanza Cerutti

This January 2013, in Hannover, Germany the signing of a business agreement took place between Deutsche Messe AG and Ipack-Ima Spa for the creation of the new exhibition INTRALOGISTICA ITALIA 2015, planned for May 19-23, 2015 at the FieraMilano exhibition center in Rho. The show will be held in conjunction with IPACK-IMA and the EXPO – two extremely prestigious, public-drawing events. In order to offer an even more comprehensive exhibition portfolio in line with market needs, Deutsche Messe AG and Ipack-Ima Spa will cooperate in the creation of an event capable of giving proper visibility to a

ASSAGO, ITALY -- Italian plastics and rubber machinery makers expect to produce 4.2 billion euros ($5.5 billion) in equipment this year, with exports of 2.6 billion euros ($3.45 billion), according to Italy's plastic and rubber machinery association Assocomaplast. The association examined imports and exports from the first nine months of the year and found that exports increased 9 percentage points, while imports increased 2 percent. Compared to 2010-2011, the balance of trade for the sector increased 11 percent to 1.41 billion euros ($1.5 billion). Europe is still the top export destination

According to statistics provided by the association, Assocomaplast, Italian imports and exports for the sector recorded new gains in the first half of 2012 with respect to the same period in 2011. Italian exports for the sector, marked a substantial increase (+11%) exceeding 1.23 billion euros overall. This has produced measurable improvement in the balance of trade, which has reached figures well in excess of 900 million euros. Regarding the principal types of machinery exported, extruders, accounting for roughly 12% of the total, continue to record double-digit growth, approaching twenty