Restart out of breath for the Italian industry of plastics and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds.

According to the to provisional year-end results worked out by Assocomaplast - the Italian trade association gathering about 160 manufacturers of plastics and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds - in 2009 the sales in Italy plunged by more than 20 percent from 2,338 to 1,850 million euros. Exports fell 26 percent to 1.8 billion euros and imports declined by 24 percent, to 450 million euros.

During 2009, overall Italian production of machinery, equipment and moulds for plastics and rubber dropped by 24 percent to 3.2 billion euros. The sharp decrease of production reflects both the downturn of export and the deep crisis of the domestic market.

Moreover, a moderate optimism comes out from the latest survey carried out by Assocomaplast among its Members: the vast majority (81%) of respondents has elements for expecting an increase of turnover in the first semester of 2010, in comparison with the second half of 2009, also thanks to an improved logbook of orders in last January, with respect to November-December 2009. Better prospects regard in particular European Union countries, South America and Asia except China, where the recovery of sales is somehow weaker.