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Exports continue to drive Italian textile machinery

Orders for textile machinery rose during the fourth quarter of 2013, according to figures provided by the economics department at ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers. The development shows a 5% increase compared to the previous quarter. However, on the domestic side, orders fell by 15%, due to a highly critical situation for the Italian market. Exports rose by 7% over the previous quarter, and remain the main growth driver for Italian manufacturers. Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT, commented: “We’re quite satisfied with our performance on foreign markets, although we remain somewhat distressed by the situation in our domestic market. Abroad, our promotional efforts for 2014 will serve to help us find new business opportunities in growing markets.”

25th February 2014

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Milan

Industrial, Clothing/​Footwear

Orders for textile machinery rose during the fourth quarter of 2013, according to  figures provided by the economics department at ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers. The development shows a 5% increase compared to the previous quarter.

However, on the domestic side, orders fell by 15%, due to a highly critical situation for the Italian market. Exports rose by 7% over the previous quarter, and remain the main growth driver for Italian manufacturers.

Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT, commented: “We’re quite satisfied with our performance on foreign markets, although we remain somewhat distressed by the situation in our domestic market. Abroad, our promotional efforts for 2014 will serve to help us find new business opportunities in growing markets.”

Performance

On an annual basis, due to the poor performance on the domestic market, the overall index declined by 4% compared to the 2012 average. “These are alarming figures, especially for our internal market, where it appears that investments in the textile industry are at an absolute standstill,” said Carabelli.

On the export side, after a declining third quarter, sales picked up in the fourth quarter. Although they include only the first ten months of the year, the foreign trade data provided by ISTAT confirm a slight drop compared to the previous year.

“The strong euro against many local currencies is a definite factor,” explained ACIMIT’s president. “The Chinese market is also cause for concern, since it accounts for roughly 20% of our exports, and their investments in textile machinery fell during 2013.”

Promotion campaign

In support of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in their internationalisation processes, ICE – Italian Trade Agency for the promotion and internationalisation of Italian businesses abroad, together with ACIMIT, have once again planned an intense promotional campaign for the industry in 2014.

Promotional initiatives for Italy’s textile machinery sector will be held in 16 countries, including China and India, as well as nations and markets which already present potential business opportunities for Italian machinery builders, such as Ethiopia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.

“Our machinery manufacturers already export over 80% of their production,” said Carabelli. “And they must be supported by promotional initiatives, especially in markets where Made in Italy products – at least as far as machinery is concerned – still don’t receive the recognition they deserve.”

www.acimit.it

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