For the second quarter of 2015, orders for Italian textile machinery, as compiled by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, recorded a 15 per cent increase over the same period of last year. The value of the orders index for this period amounts to 99.4 points.
Overseas orders are up by 21 per cent over the same quarter for 2014, marking a fourth consecutive period of growth. Italy remains under observation, but is showing sure signs of a recovery. Indeed, domestic orders have risen seven per cent compared to the second quarter of 2014.
“This growth for the Italian market is somewhat unexpected”, states ACIMIT President Raffaella Carabelli. The incentives offered by the Government may have contributed to this recovery in our sector. The recovery of the domestic market is certainly a good omen for ITMA where 450 Italian exhibitors will be present.”
As for foreign markets, official data from ISTAT confirm a recovery for the first four months of the year in textile machinery importing countries. India, for one, has resumed its growth trend (+6% over the first quarter of 2014), and there’s been a surprising rise in exports to Bangladesh (+187%). “We’re waiting for a recovery from China, where investments in machinery are still low compared to a year ago. But ACIMIT has mainly been targeting the market in Iran,” Carabelli adds.
“For years,” ACIMIT sources explain, “Iran was a benchmark for Italy’s textile machinery industry. International sanctions have effectively halted the flow of machinery exports towards Iran, penalizing many Italian manufacturers. The recent agreement on the nuclear issue opens up a window for a recovery in investments in textile technology by Iran’s textile sector, after years in which the process of industry modernization has been slowed by a regime of sanctions.”
The negative trend for Italian exports was stopped in 2014. Sales of Italian textile machinery grew 170 per cent compared to 2013, amounting to 14 million euros.