Garden machinery: Italian market growing
Sales rose 9.2% in the first half of 2014 and the estimate for the full year points to a balance sheet in the black with a 4.3% gain. The EIMA Green Salon scheduled for November in the setting of EIMA International in Bologna will come as an occasion for monitoring machinery and equipment demand on the world markets
The first half of the year was positive for the garden and groundskeeping machinery market in Italy which rose 9.2% over the same period last year. Data provided by the Comagarden manufacturers association in FederUnacoma, elaborated in cooperation with Morgan, show increases of 9.1% for mowers, 10.5% for chainsaws, 21.5% for brush cutters and 22% for lawn tractors and declines of 20.4% for trimmers, 12.3% for hedgecutters and 22.5% for ride-ons for professional use. On the basis of this first-half performance and the outlook for the second half, 2014 is expected to close with a positive balance sheet for a 4.3% gain over 2013 thanks to more than 1,051,000 machinery and equipment items sold compared to 1,008,000 the previous year. Expectations are for a 5.6% increase in mower sales and over average gains for brush cutters, up 11.6%, bioshredders ahead by 6.2% and lawn and ride-on tractors for hobbyists climbing by 9.2% and 10% respectively.
The recovery of the Italian market and prospects for the development of those abroad – following downturns reported in recent years in the wake of the global financial and economic crisis which reduced maintenance investment capabilities for private parties, goundskeeping enterprises and public administrations – will be closely monitored in dedicated meetings held during the run of EIMA Green. Comagarden reports that this specialized salon focused on machinery and equipment for groundskeeping, set within EIMA International in Bologna for 12 to 16 November, will take over an area of 20,000 m² in pavilions 33 and 34 for more than 200 exhibiting industries plus an area totally dedicated to floriculture, seeds and plants hosted in pavilion 49.
Due to the salon's international approach and technical content, EIMA Green will come as an occasion for interpreting the evolution of technological demand for such activities as the maintenance of parks, the care of private and public green areas, urban décor and the maintenance of sports facilities in growth and linked to the increasingly importance concept of quality the developed and emerging countries.
