ACIMIT: Italian Textile Machinery once again a major player
Just a few months away from the next ITMA ASIA + CITME to be held in Shanghai from June 22 to 26, Italy’s leadership position among textile machinery technology suppliers is highlighted by the high number of Italian manufacturers exhibiting at the event. 110 Italian exhibitors will be in attendance at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2010, occupying an overall exhibition space of some 3800 square meters.

Of these 110 exhibitors, 66 will be presenting their products as part of the National Sector Group, organized by ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) and ICE (the Italian Trade Commission). The four Italian clusters will be situated in the spinning (Hall W2), nonwovens (Hall E1), weaving (Hall E4) and finishing machinery halls (Hall W5). The total surface area occupied by Italy’s National Sector Group amounts to roughly 1700 square meters.

ACIMIT President, Sandro Salmoiraghi, asserted his optimism regarding the upcoming trade fair in China. “In the wake of the positive results for the first edition, ITMA ASIA + CITME certainly confirms its status as the preeminent trade fair for textile machinery in Asia. And China is the largest global market for textile machinery: Chinese imports of machinery for 2008 exceeded 2.6 billion euros. This represents an additional plus for the success of ITMA ASIA + CITME.”

“The high number of Italian exhibitors, in spite of the economic downturn,” continues the President of ACIMIT, “bears witness to the fact that businesses have a positive outlook on the future. The Chinese market, for its part, represents the primary destination for Italian exports (over the first 11 months of 2009, the value of Italian machinery exported to China totalled 215 million euros, or around 21% of its total exports). Asia on the whole is a constant benchmark for our manufacturers, absorbing 49% of their sales abroad.”

It is estimated that for 2009 Italian exports of textile machinery directed towards Asian markets achieved a value of 575 million euros. Right behind China, as primary markets for Italy’s textile machinery industry, are India, Turkmenistan and Iran.

Italian machinery most in demand in Asia are spinning machines (making up 31% of the total), followed by finishing machines (17%), accessories (17%), knitting machines (14%) and weaving ones (11%).

As always, and in partnership with ICE, ACIMIT has supported Italy’s presence at ITMA ASIA + CITME with logistical and organizational assistance and publicity posters at the trade fair halls during the event.

ACIMIT represents an industrial sector comprising roughly 300 companies employing 14,000 people, which produces machinery for an overall value of 2.5 billion Euros. The quality of the Italian textile technology is testified by the high number of Countries where the Italian machinery are sold: about 130. Exports represent 78% of total sales.