NEWS
EARTHMOVING MACHINES
Italian market still in recession in the first quarter of 2011
Unacea asks specific measures for the sector
The Italian earthmoving machinery market is still in crisis with 2.236 units sold in the first quarter of 2011 and a downturn of 14 percentage points compared to the same period in 2010. The loss is even more serious (-38%) if we do not take into account the effects of the tax breaks and compare the first three months of 2011 with the last quarter of 2010, when the units sold were 3.633. "By now, we can speak of an Italian anomaly", maintains Enrico Santini, Unacea president "Almost all over Europe a new spring has started, with Germany taking a leap forward of more than 100% and other markets such as France and the United Kingdom growing respectively by 50 and 37%. Our country, on the contrary, is still in winter. We only survive thanks to the exports, which are increasing and contribute to reactivate production, although unfortunately only in part". Among earthmoving machines particularly severe has been the sales drop of small-sized machines (–17% for miniexcavators; –22% for skid steer loaders) and of backhoe loaders (-36% complexively), while road machines (compactors and finishers) have decreased by 42%.
"We need a signal from the government to get out of the shoals of recession," adds Franco Invernizzi (New Holland Construction – Fiat Industrial), Unacea vicepresident. "The convocation of a Table for costruction equipment at the Ministry of economic development was a first step we considered very positively. But now we need specific measures for the sector. Many of these are at no cost for public finances and could be passed immediately. We think in particular of provisions for environmental protection that would increase the efficiency and safety of building yards. For example, the attribution of extra points in tenders to the building firms that carry out the works employing machines no older than three years; a prohibition to use machines older than 10 years for public works, or older than 6 if they are to be employed in urban centres; a check at the start of the works to make sure that the machines employed correspond with those declared by the firm".
"The long crisis of the sector" affirms Enrico Prandini (Komatsu Utiliy Europe), Unacea vicepresident "is making even more harmful the distortions produced on the market by the importation of non-compliant machines, which are dangerous for the safety of workers and damaging to the environment. Italian and European producers are required to adhere scrupulously to the numerous regulations concerning the construction of machines, while non-compliant vehicles are allowed to be present on the market. In this way, the companies cannot recuperate their investments in research and development. According to us, this problem must be solved through a real policy of surveillance of the market, as well as the creation of a registry where it should be compulsory to insert all construction machines put on the market".
