Italian textile machinery shipments showed a decline in 2019. The orders index for textile machinery drawn up by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, for the period from October to December 2019, showed an 8% drop compared to the same period for 2018. The index value stood at 92.9 points (basis: 2015=100).

“Orders compiled by Italian machinery manufacturers were in negative figures both abroad and on domestic markets in Italy. An 8% slide was recorded abroad, with the absolute value of the index standing at 89.4 points. On the other hand, the drop in order collection on the domestic market stood at 7%, compared to the fourth quarter 2018. The absolute value of the index stood at 138.1 points,” ACIMIT said in a statement today.

“After a difficult year, the Italian textile machinery sector is looking to 2020 with some degree of concern. For the current year, there are many unknown factors, both at an economic and political level, that do not appear in the short term to point to a recovery in demand for textile machinery in major markets; China, Turkey and India. Our machinery manufacturers need to be ready to seize opportunities that originate from the request for sustainability and digitalization of production processes,” the organisation said.

ACIMIT represents an industrial sector that comprises roughly 300 manufacturers, employing around 12,000 people, which produce machinery to the value of EUR 2.5 billion, of which 83% are exported. “Creativity, sustainable technology, reliability and quality are the hallmarks that have made Italian textile machinery worldwide leaders,” ACIMIT concludes.

www.acimit.it