Orders for Italian textile machinery manufacturers fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, highlighting persistent global market challenges, even as exports to India showed strong growth and offered signs of recovery.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, orders for Italian textile machinery manufacturers decreased by 36% compared to the same period in 2024, reflecting a still challenging global market environment. The downturn affected both the domestic market (-50%) and foreign markets (-34%).
Compared to the previous quarter (July–September 2025), total orders were down 25%. The orders index for October–December 2025 stood at 31.5 points (base year 2021=100). The index reached 28.4 points in the domestic market and 31.9 points abroad.
Overall, in 2025 order intake declined by 22% compared to the previous year (-28% domestically and -21% in foreign markets). At the end of 2025, the order backlog ensured approximately 2.9 months of production.
From a sector perspective, the spinning sector is showing signs of greater dynamism. Forecasts for the first quarter of 2026 still indicate caution, although a number of companies expect stability or improvement compared to the previous quarter.
Marco Salvadè, president of ACIMIT, commented: “the environment remains challenging for our manufacturers, but data relating to Italian exports for the first ten months of 2025 also show encouraging signs . In particular, the 46.7% growth recorded in India, now our leading destination market, confirms that Italian technology continues to be highly valued in high-potential countries. Innovation, quality and a strong presence in strategic markets will be the foundations of the sector’s recovery”.