Italian exports of goods are expected to recover by 3.7% in 2024 and to consolidate at +4.5% next year. This is revealed by SACE’s Doing Export Report, a practical guide for companies to evolve, monitor and intercept export opportunities in a complex but fairly positive international context. The report, presented at the end of June, highlighted an increasingly flexible and dynamic approach on the part of Italian companies, which anticipate changes, innovate and constantly seek new solutions; in short, a SPARKLING approach: Smart, Proactive, Agile, Revolutionary, Kinetic, Leader, Innovative, New and Green.
The positive performance of Italian cross-border sales also relies on technological innovation across all sectors: from agriculture to machinery, the greatest business opportunities will come from the evolution from traditional sectors to industries of the future. The development plans for the green and digital transition will be a growth driver, stimulating above all the demand for capital goods. Italy, in particular, is a leader in the export of low-carbon technologies (LCT). The export of LCT goods amounted to EUR 35 billion last year and is expected to grow at double-digit rates in the coming years (+11.1% this year and +13.7% next year).
The adoption of new technologies is also boosting the evolution of consumer goods: from the fashion industry to the wood-furniture sector employing innovative products and processes, such as 3D printing. With regard to intermediate goods, positive signals will come from areas such as the cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors this year, with the contribution of a recovering chemical sector starting in 2025. Agrifood remains one of the leading sectors for Made in Italy foreign sales, once again thanks to the digital and sustainable transformation: sensors, smart irrigation devices, crop monitoring and management platforms are just some of the solutions adopted by Italian companies to meet the challenges of the future. Indeed, companies that have invested in digital technologies and adopted digitised production processes over time – and continue to do so today – experience measurable and lasting productivity benefits.
In addition, more widespread production growth is expected in the coming year for companies that have invested in both digital technologies and training compared to those that have not invested on training despite adopting 4.0 technologies (36% vs. 29%). In particular, companies that use artificial intelligence tools are almost 10% more likely to register an increase in exports in the coming years, a figure that doubles in the case of small companies.
SACE forecasts have confirmed the good performance of Italian exports in the most dynamic markets, especially in Asia and the Middle East. A number of countries are particularly promising destinations for Made in Italy products due to their high potential in terms of growth and development, so much so as to be qualified by SACE as GATE countries, i.e. the gateway to the future of Italian exports. These are 14 countries to which about EUR 80 billion worth of goods were directed last year, a figure that will grow by 5.4% this year and 7% next year: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, India, Vietnam, China, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Serbia, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa.
