The Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT)’s Economics Office calculated that the first quarter of 2023’s textile machinery orders index was much lower than the first three months of 2022 (-35%). The index was 84.8 points in absolute terms (basis: 2015=100).
This outcome is primarily the result of a decline in orders received by manufacturers on international markets. In fact, the home market increased by 14% while orders from outside shrank by 40%. The index’s absolute value was 78.3 points outside of Italy, while it was 148.1 points there. The amount of assured output based on booked orders for the first quarter of this year was 4.2 months.
Alessandro Zucchi, president of ACIMIT, said: “The order index for the first quarter confirm a Considering the macroeconomic environment, which is characterised by a punishing inflationary trend and continuous geopolitical concerns, uncertainty has continued to dominate in global markets over the previous few quarters. This situation does not help business investment plans in any way.
A comparison with orders from the previous quarter (October–December 2022), for which total orders had been slightly on the rise at +3%, reveals that this uncertainty does not appear to have an impact on the sector’s operators, who are nevertheless buoyant. Indeed, according to the president of ACIMIT, “Manufacturers in our industry don’t short for work; they are currently busy completing orders that they loaded up on last year. The predictions for 2023 are still optimistic. In his final statement, Zucchi said, “I anticipate that ITMA Milan, the world’s foremost trade fair for textile and apparel technologies, which is scheduled to begin on June 8 at the Rho Fiera exhibition spaces, will provide confirmation of a robust manufacturing sector. Over 400 Italian producers will be represented in the exhibit, which will occupy over 30% of the fair space. This number serves as evidence that Italian manufacturers of textile machinery are market leaders.
