Machinery orders continue to recover in the second quarter (+22%)

This seemingly striking figure must be contextualized by comparing it with the same period last year, which was down 17.5 percentage points and was part of a long series of negative trends. However, the 70.3% increase in machine tool orders on the Italian market in the second quarter of 2025 is undoubtedly positive, also because it continues the positive trend that began in the second half of 2024 and culminated in a 71.5% increase in the first quarter of this year, confirming the strength of the Italian machinery industry.

Order intake abroad was also positive in the April-June period, rising 9.5%, bringing the overall sector figure to 22%. "This latest survey also confirms the positive trend in order intake. Despite this, concerns remain because the economic conditions are worsening as the months go by," said Riccardo Rosa, president of UCIMU, commenting on the data presented during the First Economic Day organized by the association to illustrate to member companies the types and methods of using the data processed by the Research Center.

"Looking at the absolute indices," Riccardo Rosa continued, "the weakness of demand, particularly domestic demand, is still evident. The increase recorded by manufacturers in the domestic market is especially significant because it compares with a disastrous second quarter of 2024, the worst in the last ten years with the exception of 2020."

Regarding international affairs, the Trump administration's announcement of 30% tariffs on European products starting August 1st is raising serious concerns: "Once again, we manufacturing entrepreneurs must hold our nerve and await developments, knowing full well that the US president's stance is, to say the least, unpredictable. A war on Made in Europe exports would be a severe penalty not only for the Eurozone but also for the US and its people in particular," added Riccardo Rosa. "We therefore trust in the Brussels authorities' ability to engage in dialogue and bring Trump back to a reasonable negotiation. At this point, however, we can no longer ignore an alternative plan in case the dialogue doesn't yield the desired results."

This is because the uncertainty that has prevailed among entrepreneurs for months is blocking investments in production technologies not only in the United States but in general. "The situation impacts all the supply chains in which we operate, in all those markets that export goods to the other side of the ocean; I'm thinking of the automotive, mechanical engineering, and components sectors," adds the UCIMU president.