Exports of Italian marble Europe the major market

Value up, quantities of finished marble and travertine down

In the first nine months of 2007 Italy exported almost 3 and a half million tons of marble and granite, including raw materials, semi-finished and finished products to the tune of one billion 425 million euros, but recorded a negative 5.3% in terms of volume and a positive 2.7% in terms of value compared to the same period in 2006.
This information is given by the Internazionale Marmi e Macchine Carrara which, as always, processes the data collected by Istat, emphasising that if the most important items alone are considered (excluding therefore chips, powders, slates and pumice stone) the general outcome is much better, becomes positive in terms of volume and is around 0.5% higher in terms of value.

There is a particularly positive trend for marble and travertine varieties including raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, while granite exports are not looking so healthy. Exports of finished stones (especially porphyry) are rising too and have actually overtaken granite block exports in terms of value.

Finished marble products, with exports of 786.421 tons (+6,90%) for a value of 583.858.788 Euro (+7,69%), are the most important item for Italian stone exports and, together with exports of blocks and raw slabs, represent the strong point of the Italian stone industry ahead of granite exports. In actual fact, according to the IMM's research office, if the volume for finished marble is traced back to the raw materials, the total amounts to over 2 million tons, over 720 million Euro, while the same calculation for granite reduces the value to around 608 million Euros.

On the other hand, there is a steep decline in the volume for chips and powders (products with a low added value) which however make a decisive contribution to the negative exports balance.
Again in the first months of 2007 Italian exports went mostly to the European Union, which is still the major market, especially for finished products; the trend is positive for all values yet negative for granite volumes which further confirms that the market for Italian products is the high quality bracket.

With regard to current trends it is necessary to make a few considerations about the effects of the strong Euro, the consequences of which are not easy to assess since if a strong Euro makes our goods more expensive abroad, those who choose to buy Italian products despite the competition do so because of the obvious difference in quality of Italian products which is an undisputed value. This is the "problem" for Italian companies, i.e., they are positioned with high quality products at the high end of the market and have to offer a valid competitive solution to the global market.
Overall, exports to the EU are increasing in terms of value and decreasing slightly in terms of quantity while exports outside the EU are increasing both in terms of volume and value thanks to finished products.
Exports to Africa are increasing, especially in the Mediterranean area, as well as to central and southern America, albeit to a lesser extent.

There are some contradictions in the Middle East and Far East: in the former there is an increase in the average export value (high quality) but not in volume which confirms the general trend while in the Far East there is a significant increase in the quantity of Italian marble imported, both finished products and, mostly, raw materials and semi-finished products.
North America requires a separate consideration since building and renovation work have been on the decline for some time now and this has consequently affected the stone industry too. The US real estate market has also been stagnant for some time too and is now encumbered by the long electoral campaign which has just begun; over the last few months there has been a further slowdown in the building industry and the experts maintain that the market will continue to be unstable or even decline further up until the presidential elections. Exports on the US market in the first nine months of 2007 are clearly negative, with the only exception of finished marble products.

The strength of the Euro does not help to sustain Italy's competitiveness with new countries, despite the fact that Italy has been following new strategies to "dominate" the US market for some time now. Moreover the statistics shown in our tables are taken from customs figures and cannot take into consideration supplies based on work carried out abroad to integrate work carried out directly in Italy. Exports to the US market have increased in terms of the average unit value not only thanks to the strength of the Euro but also thanks to the quality of products made in Italy.

Imports follow market requirements, again with the help of the strength of the Euro, with 2.476.756 tons imported (+6, 53%) for a value of 469.717.612 Euro. The volume of imports is growing more than their value with the only exception of finished marble products which however is not a very significant figure in the overall picture. The Far East is the most significant area for Italian imports, with countries such as India and China holding a strong and increasingly important role.

The Apuo-Versilian area
In this context, compared to 2006 the Apuo-Versilian area has recorded a good increase in quantity with 782.093 tons exported (+12%) for a value of 388.282.744 Euro (+6, 7%), mostly for marble, including both raw materials and finished products. The average unit value for products exported is increasing too for almost all items and almost all markets. Worthy of note is the fact that for Tuscany the European market is not as important as it is for Veneto; Africa, the Middle East and the Far East are more encouraging markets.

In North America too, where the results are showing decreases for all stone products, marble from the Tuscan area is experiencing a positive trend, particularly finished marble products and both in volume and absolute value as well as average unit value. Hence for the Tuscan area what was said for the national stone industry is even more valid: marble is confirmed as a highly competitive material on all levels: from squared blocks to finished and unfinished slabs to high quality finished products. Only the Chinese market prefers raw materials and semi-finished products to finished products but the quality of the locally finished products imported by Italy's partner countries is increasing despite the strength of the Euro. Exports of finished granite products is on the other hand decreasing significantly recording 117.076 tons (-9, 78%) for a value of over 114 million Euro with a 7% reduction compared to the same period in 2006.