Orders for textile machinery rose during the Q42013, as drawn from figures compiled by the economics department at the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT), with a 5 per cent increase compared to previous quarter, for an absolute value of 88.5 points.
Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT, said: "Were quite satisfied with our performance on foreign markets, although we remain somewhat distressed by the situation in our domestic market. Abroad, our promotional efforts for 2014 will serve to help us find new business opportunities in growing markets."
However, on the domestic side, orders fell by 15 per cent, for an absolute value of 49 points, bearing witness to a persistent and highly critical situation for the Italian market. Exports registered a 95.3 point value index, rising 7 per cent over the previous quarter, and remain the main growth driver for Italian manufacturers.
On an annual basis, due to the poor performance on the domestic market, the overall index declined by 4 per cent compared to the 2012 average. "These are alarming figures," comments ACIMITs president, Raffaella Carabelli. "Especially for our internal market, where it appears that investments in the textile industry are at an absolute standstill."
On the foreign side, orders were gathered in alternating phases. After a declining third quarter, sales picked up in the fourth quarter. Although they include only the first ten months of the year, the foreign trade data provided by ISTAT confirm a slight drop compared to the previous year. "The strong euro against many local currencies is a definite factor," explains ACIMITs president. "The Chinese market is also cause for concern, since it accounts for roughly 20 per cent of our exports, and their investments in textile machinery fell during 2013."
In support of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in their internationalisation processes, the ICE û Italian Trade Agency for the promotion and internationalisation of Italian businesses abroad, together with ACIMIT, have once again planned an intense promotional campaign for the industry in 2014. Indeed, promotional initiatives for Italys textile machinery sector will be held in all of 16 countries, (participation in industry trade fairs, technology symposiums and incoming missions): these include China and India, as well as nations and markets which, although less important in terms of machinery volumes requested, already present potential business opportunities for our machinery builders, such as Ethiopia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.