Exports of moulds
Despite the drop in sales on the foreign market recorded in 2022, the first six months of 2023 point to an improvement in the results of companies in the Leiria district. However, what stands out is the loss of negotiating power, which means selling products at lower prices and delays in receiving payments, even though the price of steel continues to rise.
Between 2021 and 2022, sales on the international market fell from 213.1M EUR to 211.4M EUR. 2023 is expected to be the year of recovery, as exports increased from 97.3M EUR in the same period in 2022 to 143.5M EUR. Germany, Spain and France remain the top three export destinations for mould companies in the Leiria district.
According to data from the National Statistics Institute, despite continuing to lead, the German market has seen a drop in the value of orders since 2021. In 2021, exports amounted to 44.6M EUR, and in 2022 they fell sharply to 20.8M EUR. In the first half of 2023 exports reached 26M EUR (whereas in the first half of 2022 it was 27.6M EUR). France, in turn, had a greater financial weight in 2022, growing from 24.6M EUR to 26.6M EUR. Spain also saw an increase from 2021 to 2022, from 22 to 26.6M EUR. In the first half of 2023 they recorded a total of 23.1M EUR (whereas in the first half of 2022 it was 12.4M EUR).
With a national weight of 51.3%, mould companies in the district of Leiria earned, last year, 211.4M EUR (out of a total of 411.8M EUR for all companies in the sector in Portugal).
