During 2018, 14,645 construction machines have been sold in the Italian market, with a growth of 16 per cent compared to last year. Earthmoving machines sold were 14,144 (+16 per cent y-o-y), while road machineries were 501 units, up by 2 per cent.

?The year 2018 has been an encouraging for the Italian market of construction equipment, confirming the recovering trend which has lasted for some years now,? said Mirco Risi, President of Unacea. ?Despite the uncertainty about investments in the construction sector, the market of construction equipment enjoyed the general economic recovery of the last years, particularly driven by the need to replace a fleet that has become obsolescent during the years of the crisis. However, this machine replacement rate will not be able to continue its effect of market driver in the medium term. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a revitalisation plan for the construction sector, supported by adequate investments,? he added.

Looking at the national construction industry, the residential sector was the main driver of growth in 2018, with an increase in investment of 2.6 per cent, according to the Samoter Outlook, the report of Prometeia released last December. The trend is different for infrastructure, which after the fall in 2017 (-2 per cent), continued its stagnation also in 2018 (0.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, the export of construction equipment reached ?2.4 billions between January and October 2018, up by 6 per cent compared to the same period of 2017. Export of earthmoving machines grew by 12.8 per cent. Growth trends were also visible in tower cranes export (+11.4 per cent) and crushing and screening equipment (+1.2 per cent). There was a slight decline for the export of drilling equipment (-0.7 per cent), as well as concrete equipment (-2.1 per cent) and road machines (-7.3 per cent). Conforming to the performance of the domestic market, import of construction equipment grew by 12 per cent, reaching ?809 million. The balance of trade is positive for more than ?1.6 billion, and achieved a growth rate of 3.7 per cent.