2017 has started off on a positive note for Italian textile machinery manufacturers. For the first quarter, orders have increased both in Italy and abroad.

Raffaella Carabelli, President, ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers): "Orders for the start of 2017 confirm a positive trend in major foreign markets, and a climate of trust for Italy’s textile industry that is on the upswing."

The orders index for textile machinery compiled by ACIMIT, for the period from January to March 2017, grew 24% compared to the same period in 2016. The index value stood at 113.7 points (basis 2010 = 100).

This growth regarded mostly markets abroad, where the index came in at an absolute value of 124.1 points (+26%). In Italy, the increase compared to the period from January to March 2016 was 16%, with an absolute value of 71.5 points.

“The index data for the first three months of the year confirm the positive signs ascertained by our businesses in various foreign markets,” commented Raffaella Carabelli.

The dynamic trend for Italy’s domestic market originates, on the other hand, with the National Industrial Plan 4.0.

“A renewed climate of enhanced trust is currently perceived in the textile sector,” stated Raffaella Carabelli, “triggered by the government’s commitment to enact a range of significant incentives for the country’s manufacturing system.”