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 18th edition, will be, as in previous editions, absolutely imposing, numbering some 360 exhibitors.
Italy exports 12 percent of global textile machinery worth about 2.5 billion Euro, said Alessandro Zucchi, President, ACIMIT.
Italian machinery export to Bangladesh, however, declined in 2018 by 15% compared to the previous year.
ITMA opens its gates for seven days where visitors 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.
“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.”
ALESSANDRO ZUCCHI, PRESIDENT OF ACIMIT
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.
At the press conference held by ACIMIT and the Italian Trade Agency at Hotel W Barcelona in the sideline of ITMA 2019 exhibition on 21st June, two ACIMIT associated textile machinery manufacturers, Loptex and Tonello, were awarded the Italian Green Label Award for their commitment to reducing their machinery’s carbon footprint.
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.
