Italy’s presence at the world’s most important trade fair dedicated to textile machinery, ITMA, which opens its gates on June 20 in Barcelona for its 18^th edition, will be, as in previous editions, absolutely imposing, numbering some 360 exhibitors.
 
ITMA opens its gates on June 20 in Barcelona, and for seven days visitors at the world’s primary textile machinery trade fair will be provided a first hand look at the high quality of the technology proposals of roughly 360 exhibiting Italian machinery manufacturers. The overall surface area occupied by Italian exhibitors, nearly 30,000 sq. meters (fully 26% of the total surface area), confirms Italy’s leading role among exhibiting nations.
 
Alessandro Zucchi, President of ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) states, “Yet again, Italy’s textile machinery industry will play a leading role, with a manifestly large number of participants at the largest international showcase for textile machinery products. This is an absolutely significant sign to customers and confirms the vitality of our industry, especially with regards to the qualitative and technological levels that Italy knows how to express.”
 
Sustainability and digitization are the buzzwords at this edition of ITMA. The textile sector is having to face up to new trends in which the end consumer is increasingly at the center of the buying process. Focusing on process and product sustainability and greater digitalization within manufacturing businesses is essential in order to allow textile companies to remain competitive at a global level.
 
Italian Green Label Award
Italian textile machinery manufacturers have long been committed to providing sustainable technological solutions both from an environmental and economic standpoint, capable of effectively reducing consumption and production costs. As ACIMIT’s president points out, ”On the issue of environmental and economic sustainability, our Association has been committed since 2010 with the "Sustainable Technologies" project, to which over 40 of our manufacturers have adhered.”
 
 “At this year’s ITMA, we’ll be attributing to two of these 40 manufacturers the Italian Green Label Award, a recognition placed on those companies that have been more virtuous over the past few years, reducing the carbon dioxide emissions of their machines to an even greater extent,” explains Zucchi. Rina Group, the official certifying body that has cooperated with ACIMIT in the Green Label project in recent years, is responsible for verifying the necessary requirements of each manufacturer in attributing the award.
 
Italian textile machinery and digitalization
The digitalization of production processes in the textile sector is an indispensable response to new trends requiring faster time-to-market and just-in-time production.
“The current commitment of our manufacturers,” comments ACIMIT’s President, “is to provide a suitable response to clients who are facing difficult challenges in developing new production processes and business models within the textile industry. Our product ranges are increasingly compliant with 4.0 technologies.”
 
There are numerous examples of these types of technologies in Italian machinery offerings on display at ITMA Barcelona. Among these we can cite the use of intelligent management platforms, on-board machine sensors for data acquisition allowing the monitoring of both the machine and products, predictive maintenance, for a reduction in costs obtained through less downtime, and augmented reality applications supporting the operator in the various production phases.
 
Support from the Ministry of Economic Development and ICE Italian Trade Agency
At ITMA Barcelona. Italy’s textile machinery sector has once again been able to rely on the support provided by the Italian Government, through the Ministry of Economic Development and Italian Trade Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies.
 
Roberto Luongo, General Director of Italian Trade Agency states, “This year’s ITMA trade fair exhibit in Barcelona is once again an essential international showcase for Italy’s textile machinery industry. Textile machinery represents the excellence of Made in Italy industrial technology, with an acute propensity for internationalization in its entrepreneurial fabric, requiring innovative, global and high level outlets to consolidate its business. For this reason, we have lent our support to the entire textile machinery chain with a significant investment in the promotional program and, in collaboration with ACIMIT, supporting all companies exhibiting at the trade fair with a structured activity plan, aimed at enhancing the keywords of the 2019 edition: sustainability, digitalization and technology.”
Among the various initiatives supporting the participation of Italian textile machinery manufacturers at ITMA is an intense communication campaign in industry specific magazines and portals, as well as the organization of a press conference during the fair.
 
ACIMIT is present at ITMA 2019 (Barcelona Suites, Association Offices) to provide all the necessary information and help visitors acquire a greater knowledge of Italy’s textile machinery industry.
 
General information on Italy’s textile machinery sector and ACIMIT
ACIMIT represents an industrial sector that comprises roughly 300 manufacturers (employing around 12,000 people), which produce machinery for an overall worth of around 2.5 billion euros, of which 84% are exported. Creativity, sustainable technology, reliability and quality are the hallmarks that have made Italian textile machinery worldwide leaders.
 
Contacts:
Mauro Badanelli, ACIMIT Economics-Press;
Tel. +39024693611, email: economics-press [at] acimit.it ()
 
ITA -Italian Trade Agency
ITA -Italian Trade Agency is the Governmental agency that supports the business development of our companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy. With a motivated and modern organization and a widespread network of overseas offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses. Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy in the world.
 
Contacts:
Antonio Lucarelli, Dirigente
Andrea Mattiello, Settore Macchine Tessili
ICE – Agenzia per la promozione all’estero e l’internazionalizzazione delle imprese italiane
Ufficio Tecnologia Industriale, Energia, Ambiente
Web: www.ice.gov.it - Tel. +390659926450 - Email: a.mattiello [at] ice.it