Plastics processing machinery: sectors where Italy leads the way

As documented in this article, Italy ranks among the world's leading exporters in the plastics processing machinery industry, holding the 3rd position worldwide in 2025.

The aim of this analysis is to highlight Italy's international competitive position, within the scope considered in the previous articles on the industry, across the following product segments:

• HS Code 847710: Injection-molding machines for rubber and plastics;
• HS Code 847720: Extruders for rubber or plastics;
• HS Code 847730: Blow-molding machines for rubber and plastics;
• HS Code 847740: Vacuum forming and other thermoforming machines;
• HS Code 847759: Machinery for moulding or otherwise forming products from rubber or plastics (excl. injection-moulding machines, extruders, blow-moulding machines, vacuum-moulding and other thermoforming machines);
• HS Code 847780: Machinery for working rubber or plastics or for the manufacture of products from these materials, not elsewhere specified in Chapter 84.

In particular, Table 1 highlights three competitiveness indicators for the various segments of the plastics processing machinery industry:

• the level and evolution of Italian exports over the 2019-2025 period, highlighting the most relevant product segments in terms of foreign sales by the Italian manufacturing industry;
• the level and evolution of Italy's share of world exports over the 2019-2025 period, identifying the segments where Italy holds the strongest international competitive position compared with other manufacturing countries;
• the level and evolution of the Italian trade balance over the 2019-2025 period, highlighting the product segments in which the Italian manufacturing system is most highly specialized.

Table 1 - Plastics Processing Machinery - Italy's international competitive position

Between 2019 and 2025, the Italian plastics processing machinery industry recorded a moderate increase in export values, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +2.7%, reaching 1 813 mln € last year.

Over the same period, Italy's share of world exports remained unchanged at 8.8%, while the country's trade surplus increased by 12%, reaching 1 375 mln €.

A breakdown by product segment within the Italian plastics processing machinery industry reveals:

• a widespread deterioration for HS Codes 847720 and 847740. For HS Code 847720, covering extruders, exports declined at an average annual rate of 5% over the 2019-2025 period, the global market share fell by 3.1 percentage points, and the trade surplus decreased by 22 mln €. For HS Code 847740, covering vacuum forming machines, the average annual decline reached as much as 30%, with a loss of 3.7 percentage points in global market share. Although still positive, the trade surplus fell from 69 mln € to 40 mln €n.
• mixed signals for HS Code 847710, injection moulding machines, and HS Code 847780, covering machinery not elsewhere specified. For HS Code 847710, exports grew at an average annual rate of 22.7% between 2019 and 2025, while the global market share increased by 0.5 percentage points. However, despite remaining positive, the trade surplus declined by 26 mln €. HS Code 847780 recorded both higher exports (CAGR of 22%) and an increase in the trade surplus (+87 mln €), although its global market share fell by 1.1 percentage points.
• the strongest performances were recorded by HS Code 847730, covering blow moulding machines, and HS Code 847759, covering machinery and equipment for moulding or otherwise forming plastic products. Exports of HS Code 847730 increased at an average annual rate of 36.3%, while its global market share rose by 2.3 percentage points and its trade surplus increased by 50 mln €. For HS Code 847759, exports recorded an average annual growth rate of 48.5%; over the same period, its global market share increased by 10.1 percentage points and its trade surplus grew by 92 mln €.

Competitive Position by Product Segment

One of the clearest signs of the strong international position of the Italian plastics processing machinery industry is that Italy ranks among the world's top three exporters in five out of the six product segments considered in this analysis.

As shown in Table 2, Italian exports rank:

• 1st worldwide for HS Code 847759 – Other machinery for moulding or forming. This is the flagship segment of the Italian industry, which holds the world leadership with a 25.0% market share, ahead of China (18.2%) and with a lead of more than twelve percentage points over Germany (12.4%).
• 3rd worldwide in four additional product segments.
  • HS Code 847730 – Blow moulding machines: Italy holds a 13.7% market share, behind China (28.6%) and Germany (19.8%).
  • HS Code 847720 – Extruders: Italy accounts for an 11.0% market share, behind China and Germany, both with market shares above 20%.
  • HS Code 847740 – Vacuum forming and thermoforming machines: Italy retains third place worldwide despite the decline recorded in recent years.
  • HS Code 847780 – Other machinery: although this is the segment with the highest value of Italian exports in 2025 (727 mln €), Italy's market share stands at 9.3%, well below China (30.5%) and Germany (27.9%).

Table 2 - Plastics Processing Machinery -
Italy's export ranking by product segment (2025)

Conclusions

The analysis confirms that the Italian plastics processing machinery industry continues to be one of the leading players in global trade. In 2025, Italy maintained an 8.8% share of world exports and generated a strongly positive trade surplus exceeding 1.3 bln €.

However, behind this overall result there are very different dynamics among the individual segments. Alongside segments that are significantly strengthening their international leadership – such as machinery for moulding or forming (HS Code 847759), where Italy ranks first worldwide with a 25% market share, and blow moulding machines (HS Code 847730), characterized by strong growth in exports, market share and trade surplus – there are also segments that are losing competitiveness, with declining exports, reduced global market shares and a lower capacity to generate trade surpluses.

These findings confirm that the industry cannot be considered a homogeneous sector: competitive positioning increasingly depends on the technological specialization of individual segments and on companies' ability to focus on areas with the highest international growth potential.

For companies operating along the value chain, having access to updated information on the competitive positioning of the different segments is therefore an essential tool to identify development opportunities in international markets, assess competitive pressure across different segments, identify the areas with the greatest growth potential, and more effectively guide commercial, investment and internationalization strategies.