Meccanica sets a new record across the border
Exports in the mechanical engineering sector totalled 20.4 billion in the first half of the year. Almici: “The ability to seize opportunities even in a challenging environment”
The United States and China. Then there are France and Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Spain. Looking at the major export markets for general engineering, 2026 is set to see growth, in some cases even in double figures, as is the case for Riyadh and Beijing.
Figures compiled by the Anima Federation highlight widespread growth that has exceeded expectations, with turnover in the first half of the year exceeding 20 billion euros (20.4) for the first time, representing an average increase of 2.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2025. The figures were presented during the Brescia leg of the Anima Export Days, an initiative dedicated to the internationalisation of the Italian mechanical engineering sector, organised in collaboration with MAECI and ICE, which from 28 September to 1 October is bringing together companies in the sector with selected international buyers.
These growth and diversification initiatives are nothing new for companies, as demonstrated, for example, by the surge achieved in a historically secondary market such as Algeria. Here, half-yearly sales – following a 70 per cent increase in 2025 – have more than doubled, rising from 173 to 428 million. The result was driven primarily by technologies such as gas turbines (accounting for around half of exports to the country), valves and taps, as well as pressure vessels and equipment. Although these trade flows are often linked to one-off contracts, the figure highlights the ability of Italian companies to capitalise on opportunities even in non-traditional markets.
More generally, against the backdrop of an increasingly complex geopolitical environment for international trade, Anima’s record figures for the first half of the year paint a broadly encouraging picture.
Among the sectors, valves and taps remain in first place, although the strongest growth (+20.7 per cent) was recorded in the turbine sector. Geographically, the United States remains the leading export market for the Anima sectors, with €2.38 billion in the first six months of 2026, up 2.4 per cent on the same period the previous year. This is followed by Germany, with €1.99 billion (+4.8%), and France, with €1.81 billion (+2.9%). Alongside the more established European markets, a number of particularly significant trends are emerging in non-EU regions, starting with China, the Middle East and North Africa.
