The packaging sector continues to be one of the leading sectors in Italy and is one of the healthiest sector of the Italian industry. As we often mentioned, the packaging sector has grown significantly in the last ten years, which implies an increasing number of constraints to fulfil, including the environmental sustainability.
A predominantly exporting sector
Packaging machines and goods are exported very well. For instance, as we already mentioned in a previous article, many machines and related packaging products are exported to Russia. Today we will change board and will focus on the exports to South America. Italian packaging machines enjoy a worldwide reputation in quality, thanks to the famous “Made in Italy” branding and the prestigious “Packaging Valley” based in Bologna. This sector, which works closely with the pharmaceutical industry, and the food, beverages, and cosmetic sectors exports 90 % of its production abroad, and keeps on growing and developing itself worldwide. The forecast for 2014 is very positive : the global packaging sector is expected to reach nearly 36 billion dollars in sales.
Great potential in Mexico
China, Russia, the United States and now Mexico. The demand of Italian machinery and technology in the packaging and bottling field is very high in the countries mentioned above, especially Mexico, that buys for about $ 500 million per year of packaging machines from Italy. Indeed is Italy the official supplier of Mexico, with a market share of 30% , ahead of the United States (23 %) and Germany ( 16%).
The explanation for this success is simple: Mexico has a great culture of edible products (cereals, vegetables , fruits, … ) and beverages (for instance Corona beer which is sold and famous). Products that obviously need to be packaged and conditioned. Also note that Mexico is the largest consumer of soft drinks per year (163 liters / person ), and holds the record of the highest consumption of vegetables, tortillas and biscuits. Furthermore, the number of Mexican companies (small and medium enterprises , supermarkets, multinationals) is constantly increasing, which is a great opportunity for the Italian industrial packaging sector.
To sum up, the Mexican market is very promising for the packaging industry in Italy. On another hand, the advent of the used machinery market is also a great opportunity to purchase lowed priced quality packaging machines.
