(Finance) – Industrial production at + 16.6%, in 2021 for the Italian electronics and electrical engineering sectors not only begins the rise on the previous year, but even returns on positive sign beyond the pre-Covid levels. A percentage change that, compared to 2020, exceeds that of manufacturing (+ 13.5%) and which leads the two macro-sectors of ANIE to even exceed the production of 2019 by 3.5%. For the sectors headed by ANIE, the 2021 therefore translates into a turnover of 76 billion euros.
These are the key figures presented today by the President Filippo Girardi athe associates of ANIE Federation during the annual Assembly, at the Palazzo Parigi Hotel in Milan who outline a scenario that on the one hand the repercussions of the pandemic emergency are left behind and on the other hand, they require ANIE and the government to monitor the increases in commodity and energy prices, which have already started in the fourth quarter of 2021 to activate bullish dynamics on sector turnover. The starting point, today, is that the ANIE system is worth 76 billion euros in turnover in 2021. Of these, 49.6 billion from electrotechnical and electronic technologies; 19.8 billion from industrial plant engineering. And again: 22 billion euros are generated by exports, with a surplus of 7.3 billion euros for the trade balance.
In detail, the recovery of global demand in the first part of 2021 and the improvement of macroeconomic fundamentals together with the gradual restart of the investment cycle for the domestic market, had a driving effect on the volumes of industrial production and on the turnover of manufacturing, which rose respectively on average for the year to +13 , 5% for industrial production in volumes (-11.8% in 2020) and + 22.5% for aggregate turnover in value and at current prices (-11.4% in 2020). Also electrical engineering and electronics after the decline in industrial production volumes by 11.2% and turnover in value by 7.4%, recorded a double-digit increase in total turnover (+ 19.2% compared to 2020) and of industrial production (+ 16.6% compared to 2020); with a more sustained growth rate for electrical engineering (+ 20.2%) than for electronics (+ 17%). Unfortunately, the first quarter of 2022 shows a drop compared to the same period of the previous year of 5.5 percentage points, while the corresponding figure for manufacturing growth stands at + 1.2%. In March, a slightly more contained decrease compared to the quarterly average with -3.3%.
In Electrotechnical Area, the renewable energy supply chain grows by 16% thanks to the constant increase in installations on the domestic market and a positive dynamic on foreign markets. The rebound in the cables sector, on the other hand, is amplified by the sharp increases in the prices of raw materials; copper in the first place. While the restart of investments in construction supported the recovery for the Lighting (+ 19%), Components and Systems for Plants (+ 19.2%) and Lifts sectors, where the dynamics are the result of opposite trends (+ 9.1% Italian turnover and -3.6% exports). Rail and electrified transport saw sustained growth in the electrification segment (+ 18%).
While in Electronics Area, Automation marks + 20.8%, a similar trend for Electronic Components at + 15.9%. Lastly, the Building Security and Automation sector also recorded a rebound (+ 12.3%) following the restart of the construction market; that of private security services is more contained (+ 4.1%). For exports, the best performances come thanks to European demand, to which over 60% of cross-border sales are destined, with a growth of 23.4%, and the confirmation of Germany and France as the top markets for exports of Italian technologies . Outside Europe, the United States (+ 17.4%), China (+ 38.1%) and Turkey (+ 15.2%) are the three best performing markets for the ANIE system in 2021.
“The economic scenario that ANIE companies are facing in this 2022 it is very complex, turnover grows asymmetrically due to the increase in the price of mineral and energy commodities compared to the decline in production. We see it already in the first three months of this year. It is part of what the Confindustria Study Center has called the 3 + 2 shock, i.e. the interruption first and then the slowdown of the supply chains due to the global restrictions on the pandemic and the continuous lockdowns in China, the availability on the markets of components and insufficient raw materials compared to the demand and finally the latest setback due to the war in Ukraine. This combined provision applies to Italy 2.2 points less than GDP “, declared the President of ANIE Federation Filippo Girardi.
“ANIE. Continues – has on its side a necessary propensity to make proposals. From the TELCO table to the 4.0 transition plan, up to the working group in close contact with the MISE for proposals for improvements to the European Chips Act that Brussels has promptly prepared to overcome the lack of microchips on the markets. ISTAT has recently photographed the centrality of our system. With 100 the basis of companies, in manufacturing it is 58% of these that express an innovative potential. But for electrical engineering the percentage reaches 73 % and 86% for electronics. And again: in manufacturing, 56% of spending on innovation goes to research and development. In our sectors, this percentage rises to 77%. In this photograph, the centrality of the system is ANIE to take up the PNRR challenge. We are not innovators following a market shock, we have always innovated to stay on the market “.