Las exporting companies They are witnessing a period of economic effervescence and high expectations but are sensitive to greater uncertainties. “The geopolitics has always had an impact on the economy, but right now it is a key element for business decision-making,” explains John Tristan, CEO of the Association of Internationalized Industrial Companies (Amec). The foreign trade report corresponding to last year released this Thursday indicates that Spanish exports increased by 22.9% compared to the previous year, standing at 389,208.9 million euros. With this, exports, once again, are at an all-time high and consolidate their fundamental role in the general health of the Spanish economy despite high inflation. He growth it exceeds that experienced by the euro zone (21.0%) and the rest of the main European exporting countries, such as Germany (14.1%), France (19.1%) and Italy (19.9%). Discounting the effects of inflation, exports rose 3.9% year-on-year in volume, given that their prices, approximated by unit value indices, grew 18.3%.
“Despite the increase in prices and a complex and highly uncertain environment, Spanish industrial companies continue to increase their exports“, highlights Tristany. Regarding the current moment, “the effect of inflation is still appreciated, which is in high percentages compared to the pre-covid era. However, it can be seen that it has already reached its ceiling, and although it is difficult for prices to return to previous levels, the truth is that the economy continues to grow”, says the CEO of Amec.
Exports of non-energy products increased by 2.7% in volume, after an increase of 11.6% the previous year as a rebound effect after the pandemic. But no sector experienced negative behavior in 2022, which encourages us to be optimistic.
Despite the relative optimism of the exporting companies, Tristany staunchly defends the need to anticipate trends, spot geopolitical tensions and that managers can make decisions before situations turn into drama. It is the raison d’être of Amec itself, to provide service to its associates, save them scares and minimize unavoidable damage.
Anticipating the Russian and Algerian crisis
Tristan He concretizes his ideas by stressing the importance for companies of carrying out “foresight” in the spirit of “ability to anticipate and adapt to any situation”. The example of all this is that although Russia was experiencing significant growth as a destination market in recent years, this evolution changed drastically after the start of the war, and exports plummeted to a 42% drop at the end of 2022, as did those directed to Algeria (-45.9%), which in June blocked trade with Spain due to the Western Sahara dispute. Amec associates had sufficient information to anticipate these events.
He current exporter map it has guidelines that are maintained. The European Union maintains its weight as the main destination for exports, with a slight increase to reach 62.8% of the total. China went from beginning the year with falls of over 30% to a gradual improvement after the relaxation of covid-19 containment policies, closing the year with a decrease of only 7.5%. The US experienced a growth of 28.1%, confirming itself as the most reliable market for exporting companies, as predicted by Amec’s ‘Market Ranking’, released in December 2021, on the most interesting countries for companies in 2022 .
On the other hand, countries in which, due to the effects of the pandemic, trade problems were prolonged, experienced a significant rebound in 2022, such as Brazil (37.6%), Mexico (26.2%) and India ( 21.9%). These markets, along with Morocco and Portugal, maintained sustained growth throughout the year. The community of internationalized industrial companies Amec promotes internationalization as a key development factor, while consolidating its role as a business study center