Recent data published by ACIMGA - the association of Italian manufacturers of machinery for the graphic, paper and converting industry - predicts constant growth from now to 2023 at an average +2.4% a year. This global trend, under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, will vary considerably from year to year: 2020 will close with a downturn of -6%, followed by strong growth of +9% in 2021. Italy is by no means immune to this situation, as Andrea Briganti, Director of ACIMGA, reminds us: "Italian exports of flexographic machinery follow the global trend – a peak in 2017-18 with overall sales worth 390 million euro, a slight downturn in 2019 (184 million) and heavy losses in 2020 valuing -15% of the value of exports. However the new year will see a changed situation and the start of an upturn".

This will affect the entire industry worldwide and over the coming years we can expect to see changes in the rankings of flexographic technology exporting countries. The first two positions, currently held by Germany and Italy, will remain unchanged, but their market share will drop. This will be mainly due to the rise of China, currently in fourth place, which is set to double its share over the next four years, from 6.2% to 11.8%. However, as Briganti emphasises, "China is not our real competitor. Italian machines are at the cutting edge of printing technology, while China is still offering low to medium cost solutions". This highlights the move towards higher value segments by Italian manufacturers over the last ten years: from 21.6% of machines made in 2009 to over 40% in 2019, with the medium to low value segments fading away.

The ranking of importing countries has the United States the clear top runner, at 176 million euro - 38 of which are for imports from Italy, second only to Germany. The other two top rankers are Mexico and India, both importing flexographic machinery primarily from Germany and Italy. Italy is the leader in the Polish market (sixth rank overall), which imported machinery worth 35 million euro in 2019 - 11.5 million euro of which went to Italy - and the market is predicted to continue to grow strongly.