At ACIMIT’s (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) annual assembly ACIMIT 2013 Observatory Focus, sustainability was discussed as a primary factor for increasing the competitiveness of Italian textile machinery manufacturers. For ACIMIT’s president Sandro Salmoiraghi, actions are required at a systemic level in order to maintain a competitive advantage, shared among the various entities of the textile sector.

ACIMIT industry overview

The industry must regain momentum in a competitive landscape that is proving increasingly competitive, by focusing on the sustainability of products and processes. This is the strong message put forward at the annual assembly of ACIMIT, during which an overview of the economic and financial dynamics of textile machinery manufacturers was presented.

Final figures for the sector for 2012 indicate a decline in production. The turnover for Italy’s production of textile machinery amounted to 2.4 billion Euros, dropping 11% compared to the previous year. Exports remain the primary driver for the industry’s manufacturers, representing fully 83% of production, directed mainly to China, Turkey and India. Whereas exports have fallen by 7%, the domestic market has fared even worse (decrease by 19% compared to 2011). Import trends have also shown negative results, with a decline of 15%. “The slowdown in investments, which is common to many producers in the textile industry, has also hit our main competitors (Germany, Japan and Switzerland), who have observed an overall downturn in machinery sales abroad,” ACIMIT said.

Sustainable textile machinery

Observing that the textile/fashion sector has developed its own model of sustainable development, where the production process is a key element in creating products that are flexible and reliable, as well as sustainable, ACIMIT’s president said:  “Our association has believed in the equation of sustainability equalling competitive advantage since the very beginning.”

The association’s  ‘Sustainable Technologies’ project was started up three years ago, and now numbers some thirty or so adherents among ACIMIT’s associated manufacturers, who are entitled to exhibit under the ‘Supplier of Sustainable Technologies’ logo.

ACIMIT’s Observatory has tracked  the  project, highlighting the impact the initiative has had on the market and special attention has been paid to such innovative trends in Italy’s textile machinery sector by large scale customers located in Europe, as well as in Asia.

ACIMIT’s governing bodies were renewed during the assembly’s non-public deliberations, where Raffaella Carabelli was appointed as the new president of ACIMIT, succeeding Sandro Salmoiraghi.

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