About 130 Italian exhibitors are on hand at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2016 (Shanghai, 21-25 October 2016), occupying an overall exhibition space of more than 5,400 sq m. About 60 Italian companies presented their products as part of the National Sector Group, organised by ACIMIT and ICE-Italian Trade Agency. The four Italian clusters are in the spinning and winding (Hall 1), nonwovens (Hall 2), digital printing (Hall 5) and finishing machinery areas (Hall 6). The total surface area occupied by Italian National Sector Group amounts to roughly 1,600 sq m.
The high number of Italian exhibitors testifies a positive outlook on the future of Asian markets, and Chinese one in particular. Asia, on the whole, is a constant benchmark for Italian textile machinery manufacturers, absorbing 45 per cent of their sales abroad.
The Chinese market is the primary destination for Italian exports. In the first half of 2016, the value of Italian machinery exported to China totaled 152 million euros (+11 per cent over the previous year), around 17 per cent of Italian total exports. The other main destinations of the area for Italian companies are India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.