Italian textile machinery market on upsurge

Data for Italian textile machinery exports, updated to the first nine months of 2016, confirm a positive trend, with a 3 per cent increase compared to the same period of 2015. Commenting on the results, Raffaella Carabelli, President, ACIMIT, says: “The data for the index for the last quarter of 2016 confirm a year we can certainly define as positive, with an overall growing orders index.”

“In spite of our far from brilliant export performance in world’s three major markets, China, Turkey and India”, states Carabelli, “our sales are nonetheless growing in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as in North America and Europe.”

The orders index for textile machinery compiled by ACIMIT (the Association Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) for the period from October to December 2016 rose by 5 per cent compared to the same period for the previous year. The value of the index thus came in at 94.2 points (basis: 2010=100).

This growth affected both the foreign markets, where the index registered an absolute value of 103.4 points (+5 per cent) and Italy. In this case, the increase compared to the period from October to December 2015 was 16 per cent, with an absolute value for the index of 55.7 points.

On an annual basis, and compared to 2015, the index registered an average increase of 4 per cent. Domestic sales were up significantly, rising by fully 14 per cent, confirming the vigour of the Italian market. Foreign markets recorded a more contained increase in orders (+3 per cent).