The trade balance of the Italian stone industry is still slightly on the decrease, but signs of recovery have emerged on the international front - and Italian companies are looking to make the most of it. These are the findings of Internazionale Marmi e Macchine (IMM), as stated in its long-awaited yearly survey, just before CarraraMarmotec, the international marble fair which took place from May 31 to June 3.
In 2005, Italy exported over 4.7 million tons of marble, granite and other stone materials - up 1.1% over 2004 - with a value of 1.77 billion euros ($2.23 billion U.S.) - down 0.5% from 2004. On the import side, Italy imported 3 million tons of stone in 2005 - an increase of 1.3% over the previous year - worth 552 million euros ($694 million U.S.) - an increase of 4.08%.
The national export trends are extremely varied. For example, exports of marble blocks and slabs increased 6.7% from 2004 to 2005, while exports of granite blocks and slabs increased 1.1%. However, annual exports of marble blocks and slabs declined in value by 2.7% in 2005, and exports of granite blocks and slabs decreased 14.2% in value. In fact, the only significant increase in value can be found in the category of finished granite, which rose 3.2% in value during 2005 (even though tonnage dropped by 4.4%). A decrease, which is just slightly offset by finished granite (+3.3 %).
“These results are less than expected,†read a statement from Giancarlo Tonini and Paris Mazzanti, president and CEO, respectively of IMM. “The fall-off concerns all entries, nor is it set off by the new East European and North African markets. Despite this, some interesting signs of recovery can be seen: the consumption of stone products is actually expanding across the world - an opportunity to be made the most of, since our competitive chances are still strong in many important areas.â€
North Africa and the Middle East have expanded their role in the marketplace, and have been actively importing finished marble and granite. Additionally, North Africa has been growing as an importer of marble blocks and slabs.
“A lot will depend on the euro,†explained Tonini and Mazzanti. “If the euro/dollar exchange rate remains like this, it will help the whole European economy.â€
With regard to stone-processing machines, the Italian leadership is sound, but competition is getting fiercer in the lower market ranges, a trend which in the future could affect the volume of Italian exports, even if perhaps not its values, IMM reports.
Market trends were illustrated during CarraraMarmotec with the presentation of “Stone Sector 2006,†a new statistic yearbook about world trade patterns.