Mixed picture for Italian off-highway machinery sales

Sales of Italian road machinery were up 23% to 432 units in H1 2024, with earthmoving machinery down 17% compared to 9,256 units. Overall, the first six months of 2024 saw 9,688 sales of construction machines, a downturn of 16% on H1 2023. 

The Unacea-analysed data showed that the market could not reverse its overall decline despite improved sales in the second quarter of 2024 (+27% for road machinery, including +53% in compactors). 

"The construction machinery market in Italy posted a downturn in the first six months of 2024, despite growth between the first and second quarters," said Michele Vitulano, president of Unacea, who was re-elected for another two-year term at the association's AGM in May 2024. "We must bear in mind that sales in previous years were very high, so the current setback was expected and is considered physiological."  

On the earthmoving machinery side, the only category posting positive figures in H1 2024 was dozers (37 units sold, +37% compared to the first half of 2023), compact skid steers (714 units, +9% on a trend basis) and articulated dumpers (71 units sold, +73%); The road machinery segment, on the other hand, saw rollers post a 50% increase in sales with 307 units.  

The latest forecast published by CER (Centro Europa Ricerche), based on Unacea data, suggests that the Italian road machinery market may fall by 11.3% for the full year 2024, in line with the general downturn in the Italian construction machinery sector. Analysts suggest that the causes of this slowdown in sales are found in a physiological decline after the high market levels achieved in recent years, together with the termination of calls for tenders related to Industry 4.0, which previously ensured a significant boost to sales. The effective exclusion of the sector from Transition 5.0 incentives will also negatively impact.