According to the 2025 forecasts of the Anima Confindustria Research Office, the sector should close the year in the red (-1.4%). Almici «A critical scenario that requires targeted interventions by institutions
On the occasion of the event organized by Anima Confindustria at the Marriott Hotel in Milan, "How to support the competitiveness of the mechanical engineering industry", the Federation provided a detailed overview of the forecasts for the production and exports of various mechanical engineering for 2025. The data presented clearly speak of a slowdown that has continued for two years and reflects the negative influence weighing on the industrial sector, resulting from geopolitical tensions, the imposition of trade duties and the volatility of international markets.
The overall production of the sector will reach 100 million euros in 2025. an estimated value of 59.1 billion euros, recording a contraction of 1.4% compared to 2024 and confirming the second consecutive year of decline - after the 1.3% drop recorded in 2024 compared to 2023. None of the six macro-sectors represented by Anima recorded growth compared to the previous year, a clear sign of the seriousness of the situation.
On the export front, Italian mechanical engineering exports are estimated at 32.9 billion euros in 2025, a decrease of 1.7% compared to 2024. This is therefore a worsening compared to the weak positive signal of last year, when exports had recorded growth of 0.7%. This last figure is crucial, as exports remain the driving force of the sector, with a share of turnover destined for international markets exceeding 55% of total production. The contraction represents a significant threat to the competitiveness of Italian industry and, consequently, to the national trade balance.
The main sector by turnover within Anima Confindustria is declining. Construction plants, machinery, and products, a sector worth over €20 billion, are down 2.4% compared to 2024, with exports down 1.9%. Food industry technologies and equipment are down 0.7%, while the logistics and goods handling sector is expected to close the year with a decline of 0.8%. A negative year is also forecast for industrial technologies and products (-1.0%). Going into detail, the sector of machinery and systems for energy production and for the chemical and petroleum industries, production is estimated at 16.5 billion euros in 2025, marking a decrease of 1.0% compared to 2024. Exports of the same sector will suffer a contraction of 1.7%, reaching 9.6 billion euros.
The most stable sector is expected to be that of machinery and systems for the safety of people and the environment. Production is expected to be 5.1 billion euros in 2025, a slight decrease (-0.05%) compared to 2024, with domestic market growth impacted by exports falling by 2.0%.
On the employment front, the entire sector represented by Anima is expected to have over 224,000 employees in 2025, recording a reduction of 0.1% compared to 2024. Although this decline is minimal, it testifies to the sector's continuing difficulty in maintaining employment levels.
The president of Anima Confindustria, Pietro Almici strongly reiterates the need for decisive and coordinated intervention by Italian and European institutions. The mechanical engineering industry is no ordinary sector: it provides employment to more than 224,000 workers, generates a turnover of nearly €60 billion annually, and represents a significant portion of the entire national manufacturing GDP. Allowing this sector's competitiveness to decline further would mean watching, willfully helplessly, a potential decline that would threaten the country's economic prosperity. The Federation appreciates the growing recognition shown by institutions over the past year and calls for targeted interventions that concretely address current challenges: a coordinated response to US tariffs, the restoration of stable industrial policies to support innovation, and the constant involvement of trade associations in industrial decision-making processes.
Despite the complex scenario, Anima remains confident and emphasizes the tenacious ability of the Italian mechanical engineering industry to resist and face this difficult moment.
"Over the decades," Almici continues, "the sector has demonstrated its ability to adapt and innovate in response to various global crises. However, this resilience alone is not enough: it is vital that institutions provide the necessary support. The Transition 5.0 plan could have been a tool for recovery, but the exhaustion of funds and the subsequent closure of the plan have increased uncertainty for the entire manufacturing industry. The mechanical engineering sector, represented by Anima, remains the beating heart of the Italian economy, as well as the true driver of its global competitiveness. Protecting this reality represents a matter of national interest that requires the establishment of a different strategic vision and, above all, a concrete commitment from all institutional actors.
ANIMA Confindustria is the industrial trade organization that, within Confindustria, represents companies in the various and related mechanical engineering sectors, a sector that employs 224,006 people for a turnover of 59.1 billion euros and an export/turnover share of 56% (Anima Research Office 2025 forecasts). The macro-sectors represented by ANIMA are: construction and infrastructure; handling and logistics; food production; energy production; industrial production; safety and environment.
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