2019: a Year of Stability

The autumn edition of the FEDERTEC Economic Day was organized on October 29th at RHO FIERA MILANO. In partnership with AZIMUT LIBERA IMPRESA, the event summed up the performance of the Italian power transmission and Fluid Power industries. After a period of exceptional growth, the first three quarters of this year saw a slowing of the trend with expectations of stability for year closing.

by Silvia Crespi

On the 29th of October, the FEDERTEC autumn Economic day was held, the traditional appointment that crystalizes the performance of the power transmission and Fluid Power macro industrial sector.
The event was organized at RHO FIERA MILANO, just outside Milan, in partnership with AZIMUT LIBERA IMPRESA the independent fund manager supporting companies in searching out new business opportunity, growing skills and professional networking.

An overall slowing of the macro-sector
FEDERTEC represents the Italian technology and know-how for automation and control of industrial products and processes.
The pay-off for the Federation, which aims to become the real fulcrum for the mechatronic supply chain, is in the transversal technologies involved.
This concept was focused on during the opening of the event by the FEDERTEC president, Fausto Villa, who left the stage for the co-directors Fabrizio Cattaneo and Marco Ferrara to take the mike and present the data concerning sector performance.
In comparison with the spring edition, data coming from the third quarter paints a picture of slowing economic activity, with 2019 closing stable on the previous year.
Let’s not forget that data presented at the General Assembly in September had already indicated a taste of things to come over the first two quarters.

Power transmissions, hydraulics and pneumatics compared
Let’s begin with the ASSIOT sector, which, in the first seven months of the year registered performance still strongly in positive territory, albeit, with great disparity across the micro compartments within the sector. Gears keep its spot at the top of the tree (+0.8), while bearings fared less well (-2.4).
This data suggests a close of year 2019
(+ 0.2%) principally at 2018 levels.
Exports are growing slightly (+0.7%) the domestic market less so (-0.4%)
The Fluid Power sector, represented by ASSOFLUID, data shows that over the first three quarters, production grew by 1%, however, with a drastic gap between hydraulics (+2.8%) and pneumatics (-6.2%).
Following on from this, Fluid Power is expecting to close 2019 with stable figures for production, a drop in domestic market but a small growth in exports. Readers can study aggregate data and revenue forecasts in the presentation.
Commenting the data, Fausto Villa referred to the international situation and its impact on the sector, concluding with the words: “The Fluid Power and power transmission macro sectors, following a period of unmitigated growth, have slowed down somewhat, but what remains a key factor is long term strategy implementation after carefully considered study, and not losing the head of optimism we have built up! The market imposes its rules, it is our job understanding how to follow them.”

A sales and marketing consultancy partner
After the sector data session, Cristano Valtolina, of BIZUP Consulting took to the floor, illustrating the services available to FEDERTEC members. Valtolina went through the BIZUP CONSULTING strategy steps which must always begin with a preliminary diagnosis of the maturity level reached by a company in terms of Sales & Marketing, a kind of company mapping. Once this evaluation is complete, it will be possible to work in different ways: sharing of best practice, opening up internal or B2B success stories or creating educational moments for sharing techniques and tools. l