Metalurgy exports break records in November

Portuguese exports of metallurgy and metalworking recorded the best month ever in November, with a record of €1.96 billion, up 9.7% compared to 2020 and 0.8% above 2019, the sector’s association announced on Tuesday.

According to the statement, “this mark is reached in a year that began in a trend of constant growth, with eight of the top 10 marks even having been reached during the pandemic period”.

AIMMAP also points out that the growth recorded compared to the record year 2019 “takes place in a context in which the energy and fuel crisis continues to affect the actions of companies in the sector, as well as the galloping rise in raw material prices, the shortage of raw materials and the considerable increase in the cost of transport.”

According to the association, “this growth trend continues to be due to considerable growth, between January to November 2021, of non-EU markets,” which progressed by 42%, namely Japan, China, Australia, Morocco, Turkey and Australia.

Still, “this diversification of markets that continue to gain preponderance is accompanied by traditional markets such as Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, which maintain the largest share of Metal Portugal exports, with 79.4%.”

Quoted in the statement, AIMMAP vice-president Rafael Campos Pereira said he was “increasingly certain that 2021 will be the record year, surpassing 2019”.

“This is a record that makes us very proud because we can see that companies have overcome challenges never faced at the same time, from the pandemic crisis to the increases in costs of raw materials, transport, energy and fuel, as well as the pressing difficulty in hiring labour, an essential factor to meet the demand of external markets, he pointed out.

For the association leader, “the impressive performance of Metal Portugal reveals the great resilience of its companies, which were able to reinvent themselves in this troubled period”.