After an extraordinary 2022, with hotels and restaurants returning to 2019 levels and, indeed, with even higher final balances, for producers of professional equipment – 45 companies belonging to the EFCEM-APPLIA confindustria association – the trend in the first quarter of 2023 confirms the positive trend of turnover with a +4,5%, adjusted for inflation, but above all due to the increase in exports. He declared it yesterday Tuesday 16 in Milan, Andrea Rossi, president of EFCEM-APPLIA. “These results come after a growth in 2022 of 10% in value on 2021, the year of full post-pandemic recovery, and 17% higher than 2019 (pre-pandemic year), for an estimated value of almost 6 billion euros”. Two years, therefore, at full speed, with exports recording a new record in 2022 (5,2 billion euros), exceeding the pre-pandemic period by 23% and constituting 2023% in the first months of 80 of revenues. Just in recent days in Brescia, during the 73rd assembly of Federalberghi, it was announced that the 2022 tourist season recorded 57 billion in tourist consumption with increases, also foreseen for 2023, which created jobs and turnover along the entire chain.
2023, slowdowns but also optimism
“However, the first signs of a slowdown are starting to appear – underlined Rossi – with a drop in orders from the domestic market of 5,5%, compared with a smaller drop, 2,2%, in orders from abroad. Despite the slowdown in domestic demand, we are still moderately optimistic. And as for the second quarter of the current year – underlined Rossi – the turnover should be substantially stable”. Caution e optimism, despite the general increases in the prices of raw materials, electronic components, logistics, the conflict in Ukraine and, consequently, the double-digit adjustments of the price lists: these are the watchwords of the summit of an association that brings together companies from the food-tech with excellent technologies, skills and innovations, from refrigeration to washing and cleaning, from cooking to food treatment.
Today, the most famous chefs, the most beautiful hotels and hospitality venues all over the world know that having professional equipment from Italy is a qualifying factor of the service and of the entire activity. As for the cost increases, after the increases of the last few years, in the first quarter of 2023 the quotations of sectoral raw materials decreased: -10% (compared to the first quarter of 2022) for energy, -3,3% for stainless steel, while slight countertrend (+3,8%) were the electronic components. As regards instead the sales price lists of the sector, the first quarter of 2023 shows slight increases (+3.5%) compared to the same period of 2022, on levels in the order of +20% higher than in 2021.
No relocations
Almost all of the production sites are located in Italy, with many highly specialized SMEs, but also with some global giants in the hands of foreign groups such as Electrolux Professional (independent spin-off from Electrolux) and the centenary Angelo Po since 2016 of Marmon Holdings, Warren Bufffett's Berkshire Hathaway company. However, unlike the domestic appliance sector, the risk of relocations it is decidedly smaller, almost non-existent since it is a sector with very limited numbers and almost unique skills. An underlining by Rossi in this regard is very effective: "When we speak of skills and related industries, we are referring, for example, to how important it is for a restaurant or hotel, in the event of equipment failure, to be able to count immediately on the intervention of the 'assistance. And always be able to do it. Furthermore, in this supply chain the all-Italian value of an agro-food, hospitality and tourism that is increasingly appreciated and which boasts gigantic related businesses is increasingly important". According to the first Federalimentare-Censis report, presented on 11 May, the entire supply chain, which goes from the field to the table, the turnover of the Italian agri-food sector is the first national manufacturing and has reached 607 billion euros, equal to 31,8 .XNUMX% of the national GDP.
“It is precisely on this value that the association – as Rossi underlines – is working in connection with the others in the food, tourism, agri-food and food-tech sectors to obtain the declaration of strategic chain for the Italian economy. We are aware that, despite having noted interest among the other associations, it is a complex operation that must still be carried forward". Also because in this period Europe is defining the attribution of strategic sector to some European manufacturers in order to make them recognizable and protect them.
Weigh the delay in energy efficiency
But to maintain the levels of image, exports, employment and value, it is necessary to eliminate some heavy legacies of a mentality that is often indifferent to the changes that have become imperative today, the first of which concerns the delay in energy efficiency of an old and energy-intensive fleet of cars as few as it makes up 30% of the entire tertiary sector. And with rising costs that have recently decimated hundreds and hundreds of small businesses. At what point is this very delicate question? There is not yet theenergy label of the professional equipment but only a first step for the refrigeration equipment, while everything else is missing, with a very heavy influence on cooking management costs… “The incentives? They had a poor result” commented Rossi adding that “we are in any case moving forward, also because with the conflict in Ukraine, our energy costs are higher than those of our European competitors. And because starting from 2025 our companies will be obliged to present the certified energy balance".
Renew the equipment in the name of sustainability and digitization
Today these costs consist, as far as cooking is concerned, of gas costs which will gradually be replaced by electricity, an inevitable trend also imposed by the transition energy which is spreading in the domestic sector with the transition to induction. It is a series of changes as well as that of the digitization, which will become inevitable for those who intend to stay on the market. “If until a few years ago significant updates of the equipment were scheduled every 8-10 years, today this process – concluded Rossi – has speeded up also thanks to the connectivity and electronics of the product. After the increases of the last few years, in the first quarter of 2023 the prices of sectoral raw materials are decreasing: -10% (compared to the first quarter of 2022) for energy, -3,3% for stainless steel, while they are slightly against the trend (+3.8%) the electronic components.
As regards instead the sales price lists of the sector, the first quarter of 2023 shows slight increases (+3,5%) compared to the first three months of 2022, on levels in the order of +20% higher than in 2021.
