India-Italy : Championing Synergy

Each country has their own strengths and resources which, when brought together, can create results that are greater than the sum of their parts. This truth must be the key enabler in recently getting Italy’s biggest trade and investor delegation to India to boost bilateral relations in its areas of expertise including food processing, infrastructure, heavy machinery, automotive, renewable energy, advanced technology, as well as information and communication technology.

Italy is currently 13th largest investor in India with over 600 Italian companies present here. And Italy is India’s fifth trading partner in EU. The bilateral trade in 2016 amounted to around €7.3 billion and Italian foreign direct investment in India amounts to around €5 billion.

Machine Tools scene

The Italian machine tool exports to India reached its all-time high in 2012, when sales amounted to €147 million. The trend had a progressive reversal post this. In 2016, sales did not exceed €70 million, making India the eleventh market of destination for the Italian product offering of the sector, from being seventh in 2012, noted Massimo Carboniero, President, UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, Italian Machine Tools, Robots & Automation Manufacturers Association.

“Despite the registered downturn, India always remains a very important market for the Italian manufacturers worldwide,” he added. Hence, the association is involved in an intensive activity aimed at promoting the sector’s Made in Italy within this area. This materializes in specific actions, such as those developed in partnership with Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), or those carried out by PLATFORM INDIA that provides assistance and advice to the Italian enterprises interested in working in the area.

ITC India, Italian Technology Center deserves a particular mention: With regard to the technologies requested by the market, the Indian users are interested both in metal cutting machines: grinding machines, non-conventional technologies and machining centers, representing 61percent of total exports; and in metal forming technologies: folding machines, bending machines, trimming machines and presses.

“A constant growth is registered with regard to the Italian imports from India that has now become one of the major manufacturing countries in the world, capable of ensuring a satisfactory technological level for many types of machining, especially for the machines with a medium technological degree,” said Carboniero.

In 2015, Italian imports from India increased by 51 percent compared to the previous year. Around 91 percent share of imports is related to the sector of cutting machines, parti-cularly machining centers and milling machines.

Italian offerings for aerospace sector and medical engineering

“The Italian products of the sector are well-recognized for their high standards and strong customization, “he shared. However, due to the incentives offered by the Italian Government, the enterprises of the sector have been working intensively on the technologies of Industry 4.0 that are increasingly being integrated in the solutions made in Italy. “This is all for the users’ benefit; they actually have at their disposal not only well-performing and easily reconfigurable machines, but also systems capable of interacting within a factory according to the principles of a more and more extended digitalization,” pointed out Carboniero.

UCIMU plans at EMO Hannover

With massive work underway for making Italy Industry 4.0 ready, the country is looking forward to be an active participant at EMO Hannover 2017, which has its special focus on the advanced manufacturing trends. As a testimony to its high importance to the Italian manufacturers, 270 Italian companies are to showcase their innovative developments in the area. “The Italian enterprises will certainly not miss the opportunity to show themselves to the international public that is coming to Hannover over the six exhibition days,” said the President. “Considering the positive context and the strong acceleration, I am sure that EMO HANNOVER will turn out to be a profitable occasion for all players, in particular for the Italian enterprises.”.