There are three different well-balanced segments in the Italian chemical sector, each playing a key role in the country’s market. The foreign capital companies and the Italian small as well as medium-sized companies, each account for nearly 38% of the country’s total chemical production value. The medium and large Italian groups, however, contribute to around 24% of the production value. Most of the Italian companies are active in the foreign market with production units.
Important chemical clusters in Italy
Italy’s chemical industry is concentrated in the North of the country, near the downstream European markets and the local customers. According to the Italian chemical industry council, northern Italy accounts for nearly 78% of the chemical sector employment. Lombardy has a strong foothold in the chemical sector. It is home to more than 30% of the country’s chemical firms and more than 40% of the jobs. It is also among the top five chemical regions in Europe. The chemical sector in this region has distinct features from the other European sub-regions.
Italy’s share of the global chemical market in 2012 was nearly 2.6%. Italy’s exports have continuously increased over the past few years. The country holds a firm position in the export of pharmaceutical ingredients. The trade balance of the country indicated a large surplus of USD 4.366 billion in the year 2018. Italy’s most important trading partners include certain countries in the European Union. These include Germany (15% of Italy’s exports), Spain (6.4% of the total produce) and France (accounts for 9.6% of the country’s exports). Additionally, United Kingdom and United States of America are also the key recipients of Italy’s exports.
Italy produces a wide range of chemical products including fertilizers, consumer chemicals, detergents, adhesives, inks, chemical fibres, etc. The chemical industry in the country holds a significant position in the commodity chemical market. However, the country specializes more in consumer chemicals and specialty chemicals. In 2010, around 41% of the country’s produce included commodities and fibres. Fine and specialty chemicals also accounted for 41% of the country’s production. The remaining 18% of the output were consumer products. Chemical Market Forecast provides Chemical Market Research Reports with an objective of bridging the gap between the institutions, trade bodies, associations and industry participants.
Major chemical companies
Italy is home to more than 40 major chemical companies. M&G is one of Italy’s largest chemical company. It is also the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate manufacturer. It produces almost 1.6 million tons/year of PET. M&G is also a leader in the biochemistry and biofuels sector. The ENI Group is Italy’s most important multinational company. It employs more than 78,000 people across almost 90 countries. The company operates in the petrochemicals, chemicals, oil and gas and construction sectors.
ENI holds a prominent positon in the European industrial gas sector. A subsidiary of the ENI Group, Versalis is the largest Italian petrochemical company. It offers employment to more than 5,700 people. Versalis produces a large number of commodity chemicals, including butadiene, benzene, ethylene and polypropylene. It is also involved in the manufacture of styrenics, polyethylene and elastomers for a wide range of applications including the chemical, electronics and automotive sector. Mapei Group is the second largest chemical company in Italy. The Italian chemical sector consists of motivated and highly qualified chemists, with particular skills in areas including adhesives, leather chemicals, pharmaceuticals, polyurethanes, cleaning additives, etc.
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