Bonuses are driving investment in machinery
Plant manufacturers and engineering firms are reporting a recovery in orders. However, the regulatory process is still incomplete.
“The initial figures are generally encouraging,” explains Riccardo Rosa, “and looking at what’s happening in my company, I’ve already seen confirmation of over three million orders from Italia.”
The result achieved by the president of Ucimu is not an isolated one, with machinery manufacturers seeing a partial upturn in orders following the release of the new incentives – a turning point that arrived on 12 June after months of waiting, with the operational rules and the opening of the GSE portal for submitting investment applications. This was a much-needed turning point, given recent results, with a clear slowdown evident in the figures for orders received in Italia during the first half of the year. The situation was particularly weak for machine tool manufacturers, who saw a fall in domestic orders of over 30 per cent between January and June, and almost 40 per cent in the second quarter. This slowdown was also felt across the capital goods sector as a whole, at Federmacchine level, with a reduction in domestic orders of more than 9 per cent.
“This new measure,” explains Rosa, “will certainly give a boost to investment in new technologies, and indeed orders are coming in, with more expected when business picks up again in September. I see a buzz of activity in the defence sector, but more generally in mechanical engineering and mould-making too. The outlook? Credit must be given to the Ministry of Economic Development for having introduced a measure that will run for several years, and this is definitely important for the sector.”
“June, following the enactment of the decree, was actually a very good month for us,” adds Massimo Carboniero, owner of the Veneto-based firm Omera, “with ‘dormant’ orders worth over three million euros being released. “There is a resurgence in investment across several sectors, including heating and ventilation, and household goods. But also in the automotive sector, particularly amongst those working in the premium segments.”
“Thanks to June and July, when there was a 20 per cent surge,” adds Mauro Biglia, owner of the Piedmont-based lathe manufacturer of the same name, “Italian orders for 2026 are 6–7 percentage points above last year’s levels. The market has picked up, although I must say that, working with numerous subcontractors, we’re still seeing a great deal of caution: global uncertainty is holding back projects and, in many cases, customers say they want to wait until September. This is also because, as we’re dealing with a multi-year scheme, thankfully there isn’t a frantic rush to claim the incentive.”
