Performance of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in the third quarter 2015
For 2015 third quarter Italian textile machinery declined slightly (-2%), due to the fact that export orders were falling. The domestic market, on the other hand, was on the rise. Raffaela Carabelli, President of ACIMT, the industry’s association, explains, “What we’ve seen in Italy is the bucking of a trend, and this is a good omen for ITMA Milan”
For the third quarter 2015 the index of orders for textile machinery elaborated by the research department at ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, recorded a 2 % drop compared to the same period for the previous year. The value of the orders index for the period ranging from July to September thus stood at 86.9 points (basis 2010=100).
After signs of a recovery observed during the previous quarter, Italy’s domestic market took one more step forward, with a domestic orders index that jumped up 44 % compared to the same period for 2014. However, in the foreign markets, after four consecutive periods of growth, orders appear to have suddenly fallen short. Indeed, the index of orders has decreased by 4 %. Weighing down on this negative performance is lower than expected demand from two of the world’s major textile manufacturing markets, China and Turkey.
“As it was the case three months ago, I find myself commenting on a positive situation for our domestic market,” observes Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT. “We therefore have confirmation of the validity of the instruments put in place by Italian authorities, promoting investments in machinery and technology, including in the textile industry.” These figures appear to represent a good omen for the coming edition of ITMA.
The global textile machinery trade fair ITMA, which will open its doors at Fiera Milano Rho on November 12, is already setting records: over 1600 exhibitors will occupy a surface area of around 105,000 square meters. Italian machinery manufacturers will certainly play a major role, with about 450 exhibitors on hand (over 28% of the total exhibitors) and over 31,000 net square meters of surface area occupied.