ACIMALL: Italian Wood Technology Production Declines by 10.4% in 2025

The Italian market for machinery and technologies for woodworking and wood-based materials in 2025 registered an output value of €2.168 billion, down 10.4% from 2024. The figures processed by the ACIMALL Research Office - the Confindustria association representing Italian manufacturers of machinery, equipment and tools for the woodworking and furniture industry - confirm a trend of normalization after the post-pandemic boom years.

Sales on the Italian domestic market totaled €710 million (minus 2% from the previous year), while exports fell to €1.458 billion (minus 13.9%) and imports rose to €240 million (plus 5.3%). Apparent consumption remained broadly stable at €950 million (minus 0.3% from 953 million in 2024), while the trade balance stalled at €1.218 billion, down 16.9% from the previous twelve months.

The Post-Pandemic Context: From Explosive Growth to Normalization

To understand the 2025 figures, they must be seen in the context of a period deeply marked by the effects of the pandemic. The year 2020 - the “year of Covid” - ended with €1.848 trillion, representing a drop of 18.4% compared to 2019. What followed, however, was a spectacular rebound: 2.530 billion in 2021 (plus 37%), 2.646 billion in 2022 and 2.650 billion in 2023 - an absolute all-time record for the Italian industry.

This explosion in orders sustained the Italian woodworking machinery industry for three years, fueling an unprecedented level of investment that resulted in a deep and extensive renewal of the global machine fleet. Furniture manufacturers and woodworking companies around the world took advantage of this period to modernize their production capacities.

Inevitably, the following years marked a “return to normal”: 2024 closed with a production value of €2.420bn (minus 8.7% compared to the record in 2023), and 2025 confirms this stabilizing trend.

Multiple Factors of Decline: Beyond Normalization

“The exceptional wave of investment in recent years could only trigger a reversal in the current season,” explains Dario Corbetta, director of ACIMALL, “Unfortunately, this reduction - which I consider natural - has combined with other negative factors for our industry, first of all the ‘disappearance’ of some markets (Russia, Belarus and partly Ukraine) for reasons we all know.”

In the meantime, Chinese production has covered practically the entire Asian continent and has also moved closer to South America, where Italian and European suppliers are still maintaining their positions, but under increasing pressure. This expansion of Asian competitors is reshaping the global map of woodworking technology flows.

However, the Italian industry continues to succeed in North America and Europe, and Africa is becoming a destination of growing interest. “Africa remains the great challenge of the future,” Corbetta emphasizes, marking a strategic shift towards emerging markets with high growth potential.

The Italian Internal Market: A Pillar of Stability

“In this situation, the Italian market remains a key destination, reaching a value close to €1 billion which makes it one of the most important regions in the global flows of wood technology,” Corbetta adds. ACIMALL's constant contacts with companies in the industry show positive signs, confirmed by the relatively small decrease in benchmark values - from 725 million in 2024 to 710 million in 2025.

These positive signals will continue through 2026, as a result of new incentives for “made in Italy” and “made in Europe” cars introduced by the Italian government. In the broader European context, where furniture manufacturers have access to €6.3 billion in tax credits for the period 2024-2025, Italy is strengthening its position with specific measures to support investments in indigenous technology.

This shift towards European and Italian equipment reflects not only industrial policy considerations, but also a growing awareness of the advantages in terms of service, quality and long-term technological compatibility.

Xylexpo 2026: Industry Reorganization Showcase

The momentum created by the government incentives will have a direct impact on Xylexpo, the traditional wood and furniture technology exhibition scheduled for June 9-12, 2026. The event will reaffirm its role as a major showcase for Italian and international technology, providing an essential platform for redefining business strategies in this period of transition.

For manufacturers around the world, Xylexpo is an opportunity to assess technological directions and establish partnerships in the new market reality.

Divergent signals for 2026

Preliminary data for Q1 2025 provides ambivalent clues: while international orders continued to decline by 6.5% in Q4 2024, domestic orders increased by 7.1%. This divergence suggests that, despite global challenges, there is resilience locally and opportunities for regional consolidation.

The decrease in imports by 25.1% in 2024 indicates either a reduction in domestic demand for foreign machinery or successful import substitution by Italian producers - a sign of maintained competitiveness despite the reduction in overall production.

The Italian wood technology industry is in a moment of strategic redefinition. The post-pandemic investment wave has passed. Traditional markets have restructured. Asian competition has intensified. But the fundamentals remain solid: technological expertise, recognized quality, capacity to innovate. The question is no longer whether the industry will return to growth, but where and how it will find new engines of expansion. Africa, North America, European consolidation - these seem to be the directions. And Xylexpo in June will show how ready the industry is to follow them.