Italian textile machinery orders up 66% in Q1 2021

ACIMIT put the value of the index for first quarter 2021 at 129.3 points (basis: 2015 = 100).

A 68 per cent increase was recorded on foreign markets, with the absolute value of the index reaching 125.5 points. On the domestic side, the upward trend in orders was more contained, but still significant (+54 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2020), with an absolute value of the index at 164.1 points."This significant increase in orders should be compared with the first quarter 2020 results, the period in which the pandemic began, and production almost completely stopped," said ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi

"Still, these numbers are certainly encouraging,” added Zucchi, “even though the pandemic is still not under control, especially in countries that are essential markets for our industry, such as India. Investments in the textile sector have thus seen a rather patchy recovery. Without a widespread vaccination plan on a global scale, our people remain limited in their movements, jeopardising the possibility of seizing business opportunities in different markets.”

“A future recovery is also threatened by rising prices for raw materials,” Zucchi said. “A significant growth trend is currently under way, beginning from last summer and continuing to swell between late 2020 and early 2021. These price hikes are pushing up input costs and, in the absence of a price adjustment, the negative impacts for machinery manufacturers could be quite significant.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)