From the data collected and analyzed by Confindustria Ceramica, in 2021 the Italian ceramic industry reached a turnover of 7,5 billion euros (+15,4% compared to 2019), of which 5,2 billion deriving from sales in foreign markets. Positive performances, which however risk being weighed down by the current international situation: "The very strong increases in the costs of gas, raw materials and logistics put the international competitiveness of the sector and the company's profitability at risk". Overall, there are 263 companies in the sector active in Italy, which employ 26.537 direct workers. In particular, the internationalization of production in Europe and North America of subsidiaries of Italian ceramics exceeds 900 million euros in sales.
Export 2021: Italy first bicycle producer
A great surprise for exports comes from research “Bicycle Ecosystem” created by Banca Ifis: with over 3,2 million pieces manufactured in 2021, Italy is the leading European bicycle manufacturer and a leading smart mobility country. The market share is estimated at 21%, followed by Germany and Portugal, with a positive export/import balance of bicycles for 1,3 million pieces and up by +23% on the previous year. A growth driven by the e-Bike phenomenon and reshoring, with the return of production activities to Italy. Turnover increased by +7,4% compared to 2020, equal to 1,6 billion.
The increase in demand supported revenues: +7.4% the annual increase and +7,3% the average growth in the turnover of producers expected in the two-year period 2022-2023, at the end of which it could exceed 1,8 billion euros. 25% of producers increased the share of investments in the two-year period 2020-2021 and another 70% kept them unchanged. In the foreground the eBike, which with a +25% comes to represent 11% of production (from 9% from 2020). Reshoring is one of the trends that are driving the growth of the sector, driven by the crisis in global supply chains. Banca Ifis estimates that the manufacture of 2,8 million bicycles a year will return to Europe, with an acceleration in the two-year period 2022-2023, corresponding to 18% of total European production. However, 30% of companies seem to have difficulty finding suitable professional figures and 24% will increase investments in training.
Export engine of growth for the milk-cheese sector
After a 2020 hit hard by the pandemic, during which the dairy sector has shown great resilience, effectively guaranteeing the survival of the supply chain, according to data released by Absolute in 2021 the engine of growth was precisely exports. Overall, dairy products generated 4,1 billion in turnover, of which 3,5 billion related to cheese alone. The latter exceeded 500 tons for the first time, settling at 521. However, expectations have been disappointed this year due to increases in raw materials and energy. Among the heaviest, natural gas grew by 400%, that of container freights by 170%, while cardboard had average increases of 48%, plastic by 73%, pallets by 46%.
The association of dairy producers has highlighted how milk deliveries in 2021 grew by +3,3% reaching 13,1 million tons. The production of derivatives was able to express increases among the highest in the EU. The availability of butter rose by +2,1%, yogurt and other fermented milk products by +6,4%, drinking milk by +7,2%, cheese by +5,3%. In detail of the cheeses with almost 400 thousand tons, mozzarella was confirmed as the most produced cheese. Good growth performance also for other fresh products, such as mascarpone and burrata. As regards the DOP sector, half of the national dairy production, with 35% of the volumes, Grana Padano ranks first. Followed by Parmigiano Reggiano (28%), Gorgonzola and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (11% and 9%, respectively), Pecorino Romano (6%), Asiago (4%) and Taleggio (2%).
From the point of view of target markets, the EU area remains a guarantee. Double-digit increases in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Sweden affected almost all product categories. The highest percentages were recorded by Mascarpone (+42%) and Provolone (+20%). Good results also from the non-EU area, where the average variation in export volumes (+9,7%) hides increases that are actually much more significant in some key partners such as the USA (+20%), China (+26%) , South Korea (+28%) and Ukraine itself (+43%).
