Italian sales rose in 2016

A rise of 26% in construction machine sales has been seen in the Italian market, according to Unacea, the Italian trade association for construction equipment firms.

It said that in 2016, 10,984 machines were sold in the Italian market. These figures were made up of 10,517 earthmoving machines – a rise of 25% – and 467 items of road equipment, which was an increase of 44%.

Paolo Venturi, president of Unacea, said, “The growth of the market is stabilising quarter after quarter, and this demonstrates that Italy remains a strategic country for our industry, both production and market-wise.”

He said that despite these figures, they were still far from the pre-crisis levels, and effort was needed to consolidate the recovery and boost the entire sector.

With this in mind, Unacea, which said it was active in several advocacy campaigns to influence market dynamics positively, is organising a networking lounge at Samoter, the international earthmoving and building machineries exhibition, to be held in Verona, Italy, from 22 to 25 February.

Unacea said the lounge would provide a dedicated area for business meetings and encounters, “and it will be right place to discuss new challenges and opportunities for the sector”.