The alarm had already been sounded last year, when a plan was launched by the Arab countries protectionism against imports of technology products from abroad. The purpose was evidently designed to make it difficult to import those appliances and goods that are required and sold in the UAE area and in general in the 22 Gulf countries because the local ones do not meet the needs of consumers. But the confusion had been such as to convince those responsible to review everything. And here is the - useless - debut of the Gulf Mark, which was followed in 2018 by a series of technical regulations without which not even a pin can enter Arab countries. And least of all machines, equipment and consumer goods of different types. It's about a real threat which, among other things, hangs over a very important segment of our exports, household appliances, grew by 2018% in the first seven months of 17,7.
We wanted to interview a company that has a very high percentage of sales on world markets (about 90 percent) the Meneghetti Group, which with the Fulgor Milano brand is one of the brightest protagonists of the medium, medium-high and high-end made in Italy.
“We are very worried, and not just us - declares CEO Gianni Meneghetti - these protectionist measures are based on technically uncertain certifications, among other things, there are no certifying bodies capable of resolving a very worrying conflict and uncertainty of interpretation and application. And that is blocking everything. We risk losing our share of sales on Middle Eastern markets, a share that reaches 25 percent of the total”.
Focusing, as Italian companies have always done on the area, rich and dynamic, like the Middle East, is now at risk, and the case of Meneghetti is particular because on the one hand the company exports directly with the luxury brand Fulgor Milano , and from another indirectly since it is Meneghetti, which manufactures (in Italy) and supplies most of the multinationals and small and medium-sized companies that export here, medium-high range cooking appliances with excellent performance. The company is the first European subcontractor of hobs, ovens for the built-in all stainless steel, with special machining and with very diversified collections of models.
Finally, there is a further worrying risk factor for the entire Italian export of the sector to the Middle East and that is that the technical standards have been issued in such a short time that it is almost impossible for the producers insert the required adjustments into the appliances.
Especially since, for one inadequate training of the certifying body's personnel, the path for checks today is practically blocked. And here several tens of billions of dollars of our trade balance are dancing. A gigantic hot potato for the next foreign minister who should be particularly competent in commercial exchanges of technologies to discuss with the representatives of the 22 countries of the Middle East area. Because the personnel of the Ministry are certainly not enough to discuss this problem.
Source: Paula's house
