Sesto San Giovanni, 1st October 2020. In 2019, the Italian machine tool manufacturing industry ranked fourth among manufacturing countries and fourth also among exporting countries, overtaken by China that stole its historical third place. On the contrary, its fifth position in the ranking of consumer countries remained unchanged, as a confirmation of the importance of the Italian market in the international scenario.

The index of orders intake for Italian textile machinery, as compiled by ACIMIT, fell by 47% for the period April-June 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, with orders falling both abroad and in Italy. A 44% decrease in orders was recorded in foreign markets, whereas the domestic market showed a 62% drop compared to the second quarter of the previous year. 

According to data compiled by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, the order index for textile machinery during the period from April to June rose by 26% compared to the same period in 2016. The value of the index stood at 117.3 points (basis: 2010=100).