Orders for Italian textile machinery for the period October to December 2016 rose by five per cent compared to the same period for the previous year.

For the first nine months of 2016 there was a three per cent increase compared to the same period of 2015.

Domestic sales were up significantly, rising by fully 14 percent, confirming the vigour of the Italian market. In spite of far from brilliant export performance in the world's three major markets, China, Turkey and India, sales are nonetheless growing in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as in North America and Europe.

The outlook for 2017 appears to be dynamic, despite the current geopolitical uncertainties.

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.

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.