MADE IN ITALY EXPORTS OF MACHINERY FOR BEVERAGES, OENOLOGY AND BOTTLING SOAR. BOOM FROM NON-EU COUNTRIES IN 2023 (+18% ON 2022)
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With almost 2.5 billion euros in exports and a positive trade balance of more than 2.1 billion, 2023 seals the revival and recovery to pre-Covid levels for the beverage, oenology and bottling machinery sector. The processing of ISTAT data by the Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv) Wine Observatory, carried out on the
occasion of the 30th edition of SIMEI (Fiera Milano Rho, 12-15 November), shows last year's balance sheet at +18,5% compared to 2022 – which had almost broken even with 2019 – and +13.2% compared to the pre-pandemic performance. This positive trend, confirmed by a further 12.7% trend growth in cross-border sales in the first 7 months of this year (for a value of almost 1.6 billion euros), is expected to push the net exports balance at the end of 2024 up to at least 2.2 billion euros, barring unforeseen events. "It is one of the sectors with the highest propensity for exports – the general secretary of the Unione Italiana Vini, Paolo Castelletti explained –, another record for the Made in Italy brand and an asset for the entire wine and drinks sector that finds its strength in technology and innovation".
According to the Observatory's analysis, the recovery of the sector in the last 5 years has been sustained in particular by non-EU markets, which last year represented almost two-thirds of international sales of machinery for beverages, oenology and bottling, up 15% compared to 2019 figures. The recovery has been driven by exports to the first market for Italian wine, the USA, which in the five-year period has expanded its market share from 10.5% to 15.5% thanks to a jump in sales of 67.5%. It is therefore no coincidence that a delegation of 70 high-profile buyers has been attending SIMEI from the USA, together with another 31 delegations with foreign operators (selected together with Italian Trade Agency) from all continents. The value of sales in the EU markets has also grown in double digits, but below the average (+9.9% on 2019), with Germany and France doing particularly well (+16.8% and +14.7%) respectively), yet slowing down between January and July of this year. In the face of a timid growth in EU markets (+2.4%, the overall result of the area in the 7 months), exports to France are in fact down by 16.2% while those to Germany are stable, Germany being overtaken by Spain (at +11.5%) in value of sales. On the other hand, sales on extra-European markets continue to soar, scoring +18.4%, with Asia at +31.6%, North America at +11% (the US at +9.9%) and South-Central America +9.8%.
With 575 companies and brands on show, more than 30,000 square metres of exhibition space and foreign delegations from 32 nations, SIMEI has been the reference point in terms of international fairs for oenology and bottling machinery. Now in its 30th edition, the event organised by the Unione italiana vini (Uiv) took stock of new products and innovations in technology applied to the wine supply chain and the beverage industry in all its stages, with a focus on wine, liquid food, oil, beer and spirits.
