According to a survey by ACIMIT, textile machinery orders index for July to September 2018, remained stable. The value of index stood at 108.3 basis points (2015 basis= 100). However ACIMIT acknowledged that its manufacturers experienced a slowdown for the first nine months of the year. In China, particularly, its main export destination, trade tensions with the United States halted investment plans for many manufacturers.

Orders received by Italian machinery manufacturers however indicate contrasting trends. The index in Italy, stood at an absolute value of 121.9 basis points, i.e. a 30 per cent increase compared to the period from July to September 2017. On the other hand, in terms of foreign markets, the index declined by 2 per cent, with an absolute value of 107.4 basis points.