The 2023 preliminary figures for the Glass Processing Technology Sector were presented during the GIMAV Shareholders’ Meeting on January 17. These figures, compiled by the GIMAV Study Centre, were commented on by the President Dino Zandonella Necca, as follows: “2023 was a year of consolidation, characterized by growth that could be defined as normal, in the best sense of the term.
“The positive results we are seeing are the result of the work of all the industry players who, thanks to investments and innovations, for example in the field of energy efficiency, are helping to keep the industry vibrant, modern and increasingly sustainable. If we look at the real estate market, for example, we can see that, in a context in which the other sectors involved are in recession, the glass sector, instead, is reacting well, much more competitively with regard to alternative materials, something which the technology industry also benefits from as a consequence. Considering all this, we can speak of an industry which has returned to its prime.”
The industry which, for the first time in its history, is expected to exceed EUR 3 billion in sales, despite uneven trends in the three divisions composing it. Exports continued to be the most important item of sales, totalling around EUR 2 million, which is equivalent to two-thirds of total sales, indicating the importance of the international market for the industry, despite not being a particularly lively year. Exports also showed differentiated trends, with accessories and flat glass down slightly on 2022 and hollow glass, instead, up by 6.2 percent.
Leaving aside the stable, actually slightly improved performance on the international market, the domestic market performed even better. Italian manufacturers (+8.1 percent in domestic deliveries) took particular advantage of this lively domestic market compared to their competitors in the international market (+1.9 percent in imports).
“We can say that 2023 was a year of positive normality,” commented GIMAV Director Fabrizio Cattaneo. “Overall, good results for all segments, which, with the exception of perhaps a couple of specific cases, consolidate the trend of the past year. Those suffering a slight slowdown to a greater extent were, perhaps, the Made in Italy accessories which, however, as the competitiveness indices show, stand out more than other sectors for their niche production, not exactly the most typical investment choice in a phase of consolidation.”