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Italian exports suffered in 2025


Exports of Italian machinery dipped in the first nine months of 2025. Industry body Amaplast said that


foreign sales fell 6% compared to the same period in 2024. There was a fall in sales to all


geographic areas other than Asia – thanks to a 22% increase to China and a 53% increase to India. However, sales to Europe saw a dip of seven percentage points, while


IN BRIEF...


Robert Domodossola has been appointed president and CEO of Canada-based injection moulding specialist Husky. He has been at the company since 1996 and was most recently president of its systems and tooling division. The company’s products include injection moulding machines, moulds, hot runners, controllers, and ancillary products. www.husky.co


KraussMaffei has made several changes to its senior management. Alex Li now becomes CEO – taking over from Chi Zhang, who returns to being chairman after two years as CEO. Li’s vacant role of CFO will be filled by Michael Hofmann, who joins from Putzmeister. At the same time, Dirk Musser will become managing director of KraussMaffei Technologies. He was previously head of group transformation. Musser’s tenure in the role begins on 1 April. www.kraussmaffei.com


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those to North America were variable – up 5% to the US, but down 41% to Mexico. In South America, sales to Brazil fell 37%, but rose by 61% to Argentina and 75% to Chile. In Africa, sales to Egypt rose 19%,


exports to Kenya and Nigeria had a “positive third quarter” but South Africa’s purchases dropped by half. The “positive performance” of the domestic market – which saw imports


grow by sixteen points – was not enough to balance out falling exports. “Though the full-year forecast for the domestic market is positive, Italian manufacturers are concerned about the geopolitical situation, especially the climate of uncertainty that obliges companies to move cautiously in planning investments,” said Massimo Margaglione, president of Amaplast. �www.amaplast.org


Mixed results at OPmobility


OPmobility – the Tier One supplier that was formerly Plastic Omnium – reported a rise in profits last year, despite a small dip in sales. Sales fell around 1% to €11.5 billion, while EBITDA grew nearly 8% to break €1 billion. “We achieved strong


annual results, illustrating our ability to combine long-term strategy with short-term agility to create value over time.,” said Felicie Burelle, CEO of OPmobility. There were mixed


fortunes in terms of busi- ness areas. While the Modules segment grew sales by nearly 4%, there were declines of 3% for Exterior/Lighting and 2% for Powertrain. At the same time, joint ventures – such as


Tier One supplier OPmobility saw 2025 profits rise and sales fall


its YFPO exterior systems company in China – saw a near-14% growth to around €1.3bn. In Europe, where the


market fell last year, it reported flat sales; in North America, sales fell by nearly 6%; but in Asia, sales grew by nearly 12%, which included 5% growth in China alone. This year, the company


has plans to expand in Asia and North America – such as IN its plan to acquire a controlling stake in Hyundai Mobis’ lighting business. It also attained scopes 1 and 2 carbon neutrality in 2025. In addition, the company aims to improve metrics including operating margin and net debt, compared to 2025. �www.opmobility.com


Engel provides new PU expertise


Engel has opened a competence centre for its Clearmelt process. In the process, polyure- thane floods directly inside the injection mould and is commonly used in automo-


INJECTION WORLD | March/April 2026


tive applications. It is establishing itself as an alternative to downstream coating of thermoplastic components, says Engel. “Clearmelt delivers


excellent surface quality


with high scratch resistance that can’t be achieved with pure thermoplastics,” it said. The ‘centre’ is not a single


site, but brings in experts from various Engel locations. � www.engelglobal.com


www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: OPMOBILITY


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