Orders for Italian textile machinery recorded an increase of 16 per cent for the third quarter of 2016. The third quarter value for 2016 stood at 101.1 points. However, this growth applied to exports only, where the index recorded an absolute value of 112.3 points, a 20 per cent increase compared to July to September 2015. In Italy, the index stood at 48 points, dropping by 14 per cent over the same quarter in 2015.

The situation in Italy’s domestic market appears to be less positive. The order intake has declined after two consecutive quarters of growth. Italian textile machinery manufacturers comprise around 300 manufacturers, employing close to 12,000 people and producing machinery for an overall value of about euro 2.6 billion, with exports amounting to 86 per cent of total sales.

It is confident that the plan put forward by the Italian government for 2017 fiscal year can give confidence to businesses which need to invest. Italy is the world’s second largest producer of machinery for the textiles industry. In the production of machinery for tanning, and for the footwear and leather goods industry, Italy accounts for over 50 per cent of world production.

Italian manufacturers have for a while now focused on the sustainability of their products to meet a demand for technological solutions that effectively lower consumption and, as a consequence, production costs.