After a turbulent 2024, Italian manufacturers of machine tools, robots, and automation systems entered 2025 with high hopes of recovery – but what they actually experienced was a year of stagnation. Production grew only moderately, hampered by a sharp downturn in exports that was not offset by the weak rebound in domestic market activity.

Looking ahead, 2026 promises improvement, but forecasts remain cautious given the highly unstable global context. These insights come from the preliminary figures for 2025 and projections for 2026 released by the Studies Department and Business Culture Centre of Ucimu-Sistemi Per Produrre.

In 2025, production reached 6 420 million euros, marking a modest 1.5% increase over the previous year. However, exports told a different story, they fell dramatically to 3 710 million euros, down 13.2% compared to 2024, as nearly all major markets for Italian-made products in this sector posted negative performances – a clear reflection of the challenging international environment. Ucimu’s analysis of ISTAT data for January to August 2025 shows the main destination markets for Italian machine tools were the USA (423 million euros which is -8.1%), Germany (196 million euros, -29.7%), France (145 million euros, -0.5%), India (135 million euros, -4.2%), and Poland (135 million euros, +13.3%).

Domestic front positive
On the domestic front, consumption rose by 20.5% to 4 465 million euros, driving deliveries from Italian manufacturers to 2 710 million euros – a 32% increase over the previous year. Despite these gains, results remain far below the highs of previous years. The export-to-production ratio continued its downward trend, settling at 57.8%. Forecasts for 2026 suggest a moderate rise in key indicators. Production is expected to reach 6 590 million euros, up 2.6% from 2025.

Positive territory
Exports are expected to return to positive territory with a slight 0.7% increase to 3 735 million euros, while domestic deliveries are projected to climb 5.4% to 2 855 million euros, supported by stronger local demand. Italian consumption of machine tools, robots, and automation is forecast to grow by 5.9% to 4 730 million euros, with imports rising 6.8% to 1 875 million euros. The export-to-production ratio is expected to decline further to 56.7%.