The Italian textile machinery industry, a global leader renowned for its innovation and quality, concluded 2024 facing significant headwinds and a modest slowdown, a reality underscored by the latest figures presented at the General Assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers. Held on Friday, July 4, at the prestigious Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the assembly served as a critical platform for industry leaders to address current challenges and strategically chart the course forward, with Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT, emphasizing the indispensable value of “Made in Italy” as the central pillar for the sector’s resilience and future prosperity.
President Salvadè’s address highlighted the tangible impact of global uncertainties on the sector’s performance. In 2024, the industry experienced an 8% contraction in production compared to the previous year, settling at €2.1 billion. Concurrently, exports, a vital component of the Italian textile machinery industry’s robust global presence, saw a 9% decline, amounting to €1.8 billion. These figures are not isolated but reflect a broader, fragile international economic landscape, mirroring trends observed even among key international competitors. Despite a persistently weak global demand, China, Turkey, India, and the United States maintained their position as the primary export destinations for Italian textile machinery throughout the year, with the opening months of 2025 continuing to signal ongoing market uncertainty.
Salvadè articulated the external pressures weighing on the sector, pointing to the detrimental effects of “U.S. protectionist policies and mounting geopolitical instability risk further slowing global investments in the textile and apparel sector.” He issued a stark warning regarding the broader implications, stating that “any escalation of the trade war would prove even more damaging to the entire supply chain,” emphasizing the interconnectedness of the global manufacturing ecosystem.
In this challenging environment, the unwavering commitment to the protection and enhancement of authentic “Made in Italy” products emerges as the paramount priority for ACIMIT and its members. The Association firmly believes that the sector’s enduring success is intrinsically linked to the unparalleled experience and dedication of its workforce, a relentless spirit of creativity, and an unwavering drive for innovation. Salvadè powerfully reaffirmed this ethos, stating, “It is therefore essential to defend and promote true Made in Italy—products designed and manufactured in Italy without compromise, distinguished by the quality and creativity for which we are renowned worldwide.” This commitment is not merely about origin but about a promise of superior design, engineering, and environmental stewardship.
The General Assembly also served as a commemorative event, marking ACIMIT’s 80th anniversary—a significant milestone that invited both proud reflection on past achievements and a renewed sense of responsibility for the future. The ACIMIT President acknowledged how evolving global dynamics, including escalating trade tensions and regional conflicts, have reshaped international equilibria and directly influenced corporate strategies. He posed a fundamental question for an industry with such a strong export orientation: while maintaining its leading global position, does the traditional formula of Italian textile machinery, built on innovation and internationalization, remain fully adequate for the challenges ahead?
These profound questions set the stage for a compelling roundtable discussion during the public session of the Assembly, which focused on three critical strategic pillars for the sector’s future:
internationalization, innovation, and sustainability. A consensus emerged among participants regarding the strategic imperative of enhancing the “Made in Italy” brand as a direct catalyst for boosting the competitiveness of Italian companies globally. The pathway forward for Italy’s textile machinery sector demands an unceasing pursuit of innovation, specifically to deliver sustainable solutions that not only minimize environmental impact but also optimize production costs. The discourse unequivocally highlighted the vital need to consolidate and expand the industry’s presence across international markets, encompassing both established and emerging economies, through targeted initiatives designed to strengthen the global leadership of Italian-made machinery.
ACIMIT proudly represents an industrial sector comprising approximately 300 manufacturers, collectively employing around 12,500 highly skilled individuals. These enterprises contribute an annual production worth approximately €2.1 billion, with an impressive 86% of this output destined for international markets. The sector’s global prominence is unequivocally defined by its core hallmarks: unparalleled creativity, advanced sustainable technology, unwavering reliability, and superior quality—attributes that collectively establish Italian textile machinery as a worldwide benchmark.
ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) is a private non-profit making body and its main purpose consists in promoting the Italian textile machinery sector and in supporting its activity, mainly abroad, through the most updated and innovative promotional means, constantly improved over the almost 80 years of its life.
