Italy is the acknowledged world leader in the sector of the production of machinery and equipment for professional cleaning. It operates in the most important international markets and competes with countries such as Germany and the USA which have the oldest production tradition and, as for the United States, a market that absorbs most of the production.

More than 70% of the machines and equipment are exported, with peaks of 85% for some types of machinery.

The sector is fairly young: the Italian enterprises, in fact, were born mostly in the 1970s/80s and gradually established themselves in the International market for their quality and variety that they offer, for the high rate of innovation, for the skill of their managers and technicians, for the business structures, and of the services offered to their customers.

The Italian companies are a mirror of the entrepreneurial system of the Country: small (36%) and medium (52%) enterprises, family owned but still operating at an international level, next to big groups, with Italian capitals (12%), some quoted on the stock exchange, able to compete against the biggest multinationals of the sector.

Most of the companies (82%) are in Northern Italy, 13% in the Center and 5% in the South.

The productive sector, including machines, equipment, detergents, components, specific software, directly employs 10,000 workers and gets up to 30,000 when considering satellite industries.

In 1981 the Italian producers of professional cleaning, in order to establish themselves in the most important international markets, created Afidamp (now AfidampFAB) non-profit organization     non-union affiliated that promotes the “Made in Italy” contributing to the success of Italian products, enhancing its range of articles, covering and even anticipating the needs of the sector.

AfidampFAB, through its branch Afidamp Servizi, organizes every two years in Verona “Pulire”, an International Exhibition of products and technologies for professional, industrial and environmental cleaning. This event has become the most important meeting that the Italian market offers for the demand of the World’s markets. “Pulire”, a perfect mix of product exhibition and conferences on the more pressing issues, was so successful that Afidamp Servizi organized it in those countries that want to improve their quality standards through technological advancement.
Pulire España, Pulire India, Pulire Middle East, Pulire Russia, Pulire Asia (this year taking place from 2 to 4 December) are the stages of an ideal path for the diffusion of culture and technology, a path characterized by the acknowledged Italian success.

In 2008, despite the global crisis which has struck every economic section, the Italian production in the cleaning sector has held its market share.

Sales for 2008 were 1.338.411.554 euro (+3% compared to 2007), and the export quota exceeds 50% of the overall sales.

The machinery sector, which represents 43% of the Italian Cleaning World, in 2008 registered sales of 571.245.327 euro, 64% of which on foreign markets. 1.175.540 machines were produced and 76% of them were exported.

The machinery sector could be divided into nine “macro families” – Indoor Sweepers, Road Sweepers, Floor Washers and Dryers, Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaners, Hydro cleaners, Single Brush Machines, Carpet Cleaners, Steam Generators – to which Accessories and Spare Parts  must be added since they represent a considerable part of value and volumes.


Some macro sectors can be divided into subsectors:

Indoor Sweepers: with suction, without suction, ride-on sweepers;

Floor Washers and Dryers: with suction, without suction, ride-on machines;

Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaners: single-phase dry vacuum cleaners, professional wet and dry vacuum cleaners, industrial three-phase vacuum cleaners, single-phase industrial cleaners,  compressed air vacuum cleaners;

Hydro cleaners: cold water single-phase hydro cleaners, cold water three-phase hydro cleaners, cold water gas engine hydro cleaners, hot water three-phase hydro cleaners, hot water gas engine hydro cleaners.

Single Brush Machines: Single Brush Machines up to 200 revolutions, Single Brush Machines with more than 200 revolutions;

Carpet Cleaners:  carpet sweepers, injection/extraction carpet cleaners, including a complete and wide range of models for each kind of environment and type of dirt.

There is a similar issue for the equipment whose production in 2008 had a turnover of 79.735.906 € in 2008, 60% of which on foreign markets with an increase of 4% compared to the previous year. Equipment can also be divided into macro families – Textiles, including mops, fringes, gauzes in cotton, microfibers etc., Trolleys and Frames in steel, rilsan, polypropylene etc., and Accessories like buckets, wringers, swabs, tools for the glass cleaning etc. – with a variety of ranges and models capable of satisfying any need.

Italy has the highest number of producers in the world in relation to the size of the territory and the home market absorption, to the point that the country could be considered an actual World District of the Cleaning Sector.
The quantity and the variety of machines and equipment represent an absolute value. Nonetheless, quantity is directly proportional to the quality of what has been manufactured. In fact Italian companies stand out for the quality of their production, the result of know-how coming from experience, from the deep knowledge of the actual needs of the consumers, from the continuous search for technical solutions and cutting-edge technologies, from the use of innovative raw materials, which implies investing both economically and in human resources.
This is a characteristic of the Italian entrepreneurs, and in particular of the ones in the cleaning sector being able to combine quality processes (most Italian enterprises have the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certifications and many others are adopting volunteer certifications for products and processes, demonstrating a modern culture aimed at the future) with the highest flexibility towards clients, granting a customized production adjusted on specific needs.
This means going beyond the simple product, offering complete solutions with an optimum quality-price ratio and an actual partnership policy with the clients granting them, anywhere in the world, an active and constant dialogue, with direct training, pre- and post-purchase customer service and positive management of the product.

Design plays an important role in the appreciation of International Customers. But clients want more than aesthetics demanding high efficiency performances, environmental respect, and care for workers and for the life-quality of the users.
These are further axis of the Italian production whose machines work in exclusive ambits, like the White House in Washington (after 9/11 Italian machines were, and still are,  used to prevent the risk of anthracite dust) or in the most important airports (like in Singapore), in the futuristic hospitals  of the Arab Emirates and so on.


Every sector has a specific excellence: Floor Washers and Dryers that minimize the use of water and detergents capable of operating even in very small spaces thanks to an accurate study of proportions and balances; sweepers that eliminate even the most fine and dangerous dust thank to suction and filtration systems that have no equal; new generation vacuum cleaners that make the air of the environment where they operate almost sterile, equipment apparently technologically poor, in reality being the result of accurate studies in the field of performance, life duration and ergonomics; antibacterial plastic used for machines and equipment granting safety, hygiene and health protection.

The choice of materials is a very important issue for the Italian production that shows concern for the life duration and efficiency of the machines and of the equipment.
Afidamp fosters the cooperation between enterprises and the research centers of the most important Italian Universities, as the “Politecnico di Milano”. Afidamp is promoting the definition of a production path granting Environmental Sustainability with the enthusiastic support of all associate enterprises. Afidamp is defining PCRs (Product Category Rules) for machines and equipment which will lead companies to the acquisition of the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) based on the International Standard ISO 14020, granting objectivity, comparability and credibility of the supporting system.

The problem of an eco-friendly production is in fact the “leit motiv” of the current Italian Cleaning Policy, which witnesses a true and positive concern for environmental matters and which is leading to a redefinition and reconversion of the production processes.
This trend is confirmed by the number and quality of the companies that participated in the Clean Green Afidamp Award, promoted by AfidampFAB during the last edition of “Pulire” in Verona, an annual event taken into great consideration by the production world.
Cleaning is without reservation a matter of environmental respect, but removing dirt it is not enough: the cleaning equipment must have the least possible impact on the environment, both during the planning phase, the production phase and the moment it is used, becoming the virtuous reference point of eco-sustainability.
The Italian production, after capturing the world with the excellence of its performances, now wants to become this reference point. And we must say that it’s moving on the right track.