Italian manufacturers form breakaway association

Six of Italy's largest construction equipment manufacturers have formed a new trade association, breaking away from Comamoter, the established Italian association, and a member of the Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE).

The new Rome-based association is called Unione Nazionale Aziende Construction Equipment & Attachments (UNACEA) and the founder members are Fiori, Ihimer, Indeco, Komatsu Utility Europe, New Holland Kobelco and Simex.

According to UNACEA, the presence of Komatsu and New Holland in the association means that it represents 50% of the Italian earthmoving equipment industry in terms of the number of machines manufactured.

Fiori's Enrico Santini, the president of UNACEA said, "UNACEA was created to promote a unitary process of re-birth of entrepreneurial leadership in the construction equipment sector."

It is understood that the new association was created because the founding companies felt the industry's interests were under represented in the existing trade association structure.

Comamoter is a sub-association of Unione Nazionale Construttori Macchine Agricole (UNACOMA), the Italian association of agricultural equipment manufacturers.

According to UNACEA, it has already received membership enquiries from 3M-Metalmeccanica Moderna, Lameter, MB, Messersi, Romea Equipment and FM Group. The association's secretary general is Luca Nutarelli, formerly of Comamoter.