Once again, innovation has taken a front row seat at the general meeting of ACIMIT, the association that represents Italian textile machinery manufacturers. In presenting the latest figures for the sector for 2017, President Alessandro Zucchi reiterated the inevitability of the digitalisation process regarding the entire textile industry. Partnerships between technology suppliers and textile manufacturers have become an essential component in providing solutions to the needs of fast-fashion and increasingly more significant e-commerce retail channels.
However, the digitalisation of production processes requires a whole new set of skills, and consequently new training solutions. The declaration of intent launched by the trade association is essentially to strength the current link with educational institutions. “We need to consolidate the dialogue with schools,†states Zucchi, “making sure that our needs are met in professional terms, created by the new digital context and the ensuing opportunities young people can seize upon in sectors such as textile machinery production, in which Italy plays a pre-eminent role in providing excellence worldwide.â€Â
At the general meeting’s opening remarks, Prof Fortis, Vice President of the Edison Foundation, illustrated Italy’s global leadership within the textile machinery industry, both in terms of exports and trade balance. The quality and distinction of Italian textile machinery has been reiterated by the latest figures provided by President Zucchi. In 2017, production rose by 8 per cent, for a value of 2.4 billion euros, while exports grew by 7 per cent (2 billion euros). Production benefitted from a growing demand abroad for Italian machinery, as well as the crucial recovery of Italy’s domestic market, mainly due to the boost generated by the fiscal incentives for the digitalization process of the companies.