#Associations

2020-05-06

Italian textile machinery: Strong decline in the 2020 first quarter

Italian textile machinery - The index of orders intake at constant value (Bases 2015=100) (c) 2020 ACIMIT

In the first quarter of 2020, the orders intake of Italian textile machinery registered a sharp drop. The Covid-19 pandemic impacts heavily on the sector. The consequences on the orders will be more negative in the second quarter.

The index of orders intake for textile machines drawn up by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, for the period from January to March 2020 fell by 31% compared to the same period of 2019. The index value stood at 72.2 basis points (2015 = 100).

Orders intake was negative both on foreign markets and in Italy. In the foreign markets orders were down 26%, while on the domestic market they marked -57% compared to the first quarter of 2019.

"The orders index sank compared to 2019, a year already negative, Alessandro Zucchi, president of ACIMIT says. Indeed in 2019 the Italian textile machinery industry observed a decrease both in production (-13%) and in exports (-14%) compared to the previous year".

Following a difficult year, the Italian textile machinery had to face Covid-19 pandemic, which led, as a first consequence, to the slowdown of the main markets in the sector, China, Turkey and India, in the first month of 2020.

Turkmenistan: Italian textile machinery focuses on high technology and specialization

The Italian textile machinery industry flies to Ashgabat to participate with a large “Made in Italy” delegation at TURKMEN TEXTILE EXPO 2026, the major international showcase taking place from June 4 to 6, 2026. The Italian presence, coordinated by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), aims to consolidate Italy’s primary technological role in a highly strategic market with interesting prospects.

Italian Textile Machinery heads to Geneva for Index 2026

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Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

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VDMA members at Techtextil: Smart technologies for technical textiles

At Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, the members of VDMA Textile Machinery underline their key role as global technology leaders for technical textiles and textile processing. With a strong presence of more than 50 members they will highlight how engineering excellence, innovation strength and sustainability expertise from Germany and Europe are shaping the future of the textile industry. Seven companies will be present at the VDMA group stand in the centre of hall 12.0.

Fifteen years of Autoneum – From spin off to global technology leader

What started as a strategic carve‑out has since become the success story of a global technology leader in acoustic and thermal management solutions for vehicles. Headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, Autoneum supplies leading automobile manufacturers worldwide with innovative, lightweight and increasingly sustainable solutions.

Kruger, Canada, orders first nonwovens line for sustainable wipes from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from newly established Kruger Nonwovens to deliver a complete WetlaceTM hybrid line for the Wayagamack mill in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. With this investment, pulp and paper producer Kruger is preparing to enter the nonwovens market with a new generation of plastic-free, chemical-free materials for sustainable wipes. The line is the first of its kind in Canada and is scheduled to start production in 2028.

Picanol to present its leading weaving technology at ITM 2026

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