On the annual Amaplast Member Assembly held on June 30, Massimo Margaglione, the President of Amaplast, reviewed the performance of the industry based on the findings of the sixth edition of the National Statistical Survey conducted by the MECS–Amaplast Research Centre.

Massimo Margaglione, the President of Amaplast, at the annual Amaplast Member Assembly on June 30.

The survey covered 435 manufacturing companies, which generated total turnover of EUR 4.62 billion in 2025 (-4.2%), with exports accounting for 73% of sales.

Company size affects the market they serve

The largest category, around one-third of the total, represents the smallest businesses, with annual turnover not exceeding EUR 2.5 million, collectively accounting for a modest 3.8% of total industry sales value.

At the opposite end of the scale, the largest companies, annual turnover exceeding 50 million, represent just 2.5% of the total but generate 29% of the total value of sales.

The survey confirms that proportion of exports increases with company size, exceeding 84% among the largest companies, as opposed to 46% for the smallest.

Similarly, larger companies, benefiting from well-established commercial organizations, tend to serve more distant markets, whereas smaller businesses generally concentrate on European destinations.

Export generally declines

Exports, the industry's principal growth driver, declined by 5% compared with 2024 after four consecutive years of expansion, settling at a total value of EUR 3.41 billion, according to ISTAT data.

For main destination regions, Italian manufacturers recorded the strongest export growth in the Far East (averaging around +12%), driven by the excellent performance of the two largest markets, China (+8%) and India (+40%).

Within the European Union, exports remained broadly stable overall, although two leading destinations, Germany (-4%) and France (-12%), both showed a downward trend.

The decline in technology supplies to German plastics processors, combined with the simultaneous increase in exports to the United States (+9%), has narrowed the gap between Germany and US, with exports to each market amounting to around EUR 380 million. While the US market remained resilient, exports to Mexico declined by 32%.

Packaging remains as major client industry

For client industry, the overall picture remains broadly stable compared with previous years. The largest share of turnover is generated by sales to the packaging sector – approximately 31% from food packaging and 16% from non-food packaging, both showing slight growth.

This is followed by automotive, which declined slightly to 14%, construction at 11%, and medical applications at 5%, both remaining broadly stable.

Extrusion-related equipment as largest product group

Excluding the heterogeneous "other machinery" segment, extruders and relevant downstream equipment remain the largest product group, accounting for 18.2% of total industry turnover. Auxiliary equipment comes as second at 14.6%, and molds and dies at 9.2%.