For Italian textile machinery, 2012 begins with greater stability than the previous year. In fact, in the first quarter of the year, orders are up by a modest 2% compared to the last three months of 2011. According to joint surveys conducted by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, the overall orders index for the January- March 2012 period shows an increase of 2% over the previous quarter with a value of 91.2 points. Nevertheless, there is a different trend between orders in Italy and those in foreign markets. In the Italian market, the index increased 34%