Sustainability a focus of Italian Textile at ITMA

The Italian textile machinery industry focus on sustainability and technological innovation at ITMA 2015 next November in Milan.

Italy’s textile machinery sector looks optimistically to the current year. In 2015 ITMA returns to Italy twenty years later, providing an opportunity to showcase Italian technology and stimulate new investments of textile sector in Italy and Europe.

At the General Assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, the 2014 year end data were exhibited – a transitional year for the industry. Production dropped slightly (-1%) compared to 2013, coming in at a value of just over 2.3 billion euros. After falling the two previous years, exports confirmed the value of the preceding year, at roughly 1.95 billion euros. Italian exports were destined primarily to Asia and Europe. Overall, these two areas absorbed 81% of sales abroad. However, whereas our exports to European markets grew compared to last year, they actually fell in Asia. China remains one of the main export markets, although sales of Italian machinery fell by 25% in 2014 compared to the previous year, a result of less robust economic growth than was expected. On the other hand, exports to India, Bangladesh and Vietnam were on the rise, and Italian textile machinery manufacturers also did well in Turkey, the United States and Iran.

With these forecasts in hand, ITMA 2015, the textile machinery sector’s main trade fair, to be held from 12 to 19 November in Milan, will be a driving force capable of energizing Italian and European investments in the textile industry. «Our manufacturers are very confident about the event next November, – commented ACIMIT’s President Raffaella Carabelli.- As shown by the preliminary figures on the presence of Italian companies at the fair: a total of nearly 430 exhibitors, covering around 31,000 square meters, for an increase in occupied surface area of over 50% compared to the previous edition in Barcelona. Fully 30% of the total exhibition space at ITMA will be taken up by Italian machinery manufacturers.»

«Thanks to the great level of economic and organizational support from the Ministry for Economic Development and Italian Trade Agency – explained Carabelli, – we’re able to promote the presence of Italian businesses at the November trade fair through a wide range of initiatives.»

Alessandro Liberatori of Italian Trade Agency remarking the high technological level of the Italian textile technologies announced that the Ministry for Economic Development launched in partnership with ACIMIT, the Special ITMA Milano 2015 Project, with the aim of allowing the numerous Italian machinery manufacturers at the fair to maximize their own individual efforts.

At the Milan edition of ITMA, will be in evidence the high level of innovation and technology proposals, where the main issue will be sustainability, as the theme of this edition emphasizes: “Master the art of sustainable innovation”.
ACIMIT’S President added «The textile machinery sector is moving towards more competitive production processes, where reduced production costs, through savings in the consumption of water, energy and raw materials, are combined with greater attention to environmental issues. In this situation, Italy’s machinery manufacturers are the ideal partners for companies looking to make sustainability an added value in their production outlook.»

At ACIMIT’s General Assembly, people spoke mostly of 2015. During the current year the industry stands to benefit from macroeconomic factors that are making forecasts lean towards a cautious optimism. In particular, on domestic market a more widespread trust should encourage the investments in machinery by textile companies, who will benefit from a weaker euro to boost exports. Abroad, on the other hand, we expect the recovery in the demand from China, which is the leading market for Italian exports and a boost for the European demand.