This detailed and comprehensive study enables companies to make three-year forecasts for packaging machinery demand based on their specific production and sales characteristics. According to the study, the world market will see annual growth of 4.9% over the next three years to reach an estimated value of 40.3 billion euros in 2018. Chief drivers of this growth will be demand from Asia, Africa, and Oceania (+7.1%), followed by that of Latin America (+5.6%).
As for market sectors, the highest global growth in packaging machinery will be for the cosmetics industry (+6.6%), followed by the chemicals industry (+5.4%), and then food (+5.2%). In absolute terms, food will remain the main client sector, accounting for 31.8% of total demand (12.8 billion euros) followed by beverages at 31.5% (12.7 billion euros).
Wrapping machines are expected to see the biggest percentage growth over the three-year period (+5.6%), followed by filling machines (+5.2%), and then labelling machines (+5.0%).
The EU will see 3% growth to a total market value of 10.7 billion euros, driven by 4.8% growth in cosmetics industry machinery, 4.1% in food machinery, and 3.5% growth in machinery for the chemicals industry.
Italian machinery exports are expected to outperform the world average with higher than average growth in the EU (+3.2%), North America (+4.6%), Africa and Oceania (+7.7%). In particular, Italian exports will mark up the biggest growth percentages in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Peru, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Turkey, and Iran.
Ucima says the world of packaging has changed dramatically with the creation of Ipack-Ima Srl, the new company set up jointly by Ucima with its Food Pack division and Fiera Milano with its Ipack-Ima business unit. This marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Italy’s leading processing and packaging exhibition and one of the largest such events in the world, acquired last June by Fiera Milano.
“Our association’s involvement in the ownership and management of Ipack-Ima Srl will help put Italy firmly back in the centre of the international trade fair scene and will finally offer companies in our sector an Italian exhibition platform that does justice to their international leadership position,” says Ucima’s chairman Giuseppe Lesce.
“Ipack-Ima will benefit from the network of international relationships that our association has built up in recent years and from the design and operational support provided by member companies in creating a show that meets their commercial needs and the demands of their international clientele,” continues the Chairman of the new company and Vice Chairman of Ucima, Riccardo Cavanna.
“After years of absence I’m sure that the big Italian companies in the sector will also return to Ipack-Ima as exhibitors,” adds Andrea Malagoli, Chief Executive Officer of IMA Spa. “In particular they will have the opportunity to showcase their latest technological innovations and welcome their most important international customers in Milan.”
Ipack-Ima has already begun national and international promotion of the next edition of the show, which will be held in May 2018.
