The association representing Italian agricultural machinery manufacturers was founded in 1945 - under the name Unacoma (Unione Nazionale Costruttori Macchine Agricole - National Union of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers) - just after the end of World War II. In 76 years of activity, it has represented its members’ interests and has seen and guided the evolution of a sector that started out as a craft workshop and has become one of the most important industries in the world.
The main feature of Italian agro-mechanical production is undoubtedly its wide range of products, in addition to quality and a high level of innovation. The Italian peninsula stretches from North to South, from the Alps to the Mediterranean Sea, along 1300 km with a variety of landscapes and climates - mountains, hills and plains with more arid areas and more fertile ones - which have required different technological solutions, giving rise to one of the most varied agricultural mechanizations, with machines and equipment that can be adapted to all latitudes.
In 2012, Unacoma became a federation - FederUnacoma, Italian Federation of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers - which includes five associations representing five specific agro-mechanical production sectors: Assomao (agricultural equipment), Assomase (self-propelled machinery), Assotrattori (tractors), Comacomp (components for agricultural and gardening machinery) and Comagarden (gardening machinery).
The manufacturers associated with FederUnacoma achieve in 2020 an overall production value of 11.5 billion, 70% of which is exported abroad. The latest available data (September 2021) describe a growing domestic market with tractor registrations up 44% compared to the previous period with 8,245 units registered, combine harvesters grew by 50.4% with 358 units; transporters grew by 18.9% with 497 units sold, trailers grew by 27.3% (7,459 units) and, finally, agricultural telehandlers, which with 1,156 vehicles sold in the nine months showed an increase of 78.4%. The excellent performance of the domestic market combined with the growth of exports will lead to overall sales of the Italian industry of no less than 14 billion Euros by the end of the 2021.
The activities carried out by the Federation to promote the culture of mechanisation and support the continuous growth of the companies it represents include technical and regulatory assistance and internationalisation, with participation in the main international trade fairs. The latter is considered a fundamental tool for direct relations between manufacturers, operators and users aimed at an ever greater spread of cutting-edge technological solutions for productivity and respect for the environment.
The Federation has always invested in trade fairs, so much so that in 1969 it created a professional exhibition - then EIMA and now EIMA International - which is currently held every two years at the Bologna exhibition centre. In 44 editions, the event, now divided into 14 product sectors and 5 specialised shows (bioenergy, components, irrigation, digital and green), has grown from 224 exhibitors to over 1900, with a public of visitors that in 2018 reached 315,000 from 124 countries, establishing itself as one of the reference events on the international scene.
Over the years, EIMA International has been joined by the EIMA Show agricultural mechanization demonstration days in 1992, touring Italy and abroad, and since 2009 by Agrilevante in Bari (I) and EIMA Agrimach in New Delhi, India. The next edition of EIMA International is already on the calendar, again in Bologna, from 9 to 13 November 2022, while the next events in Bari and India are scheduled for 2023.
