Milan - Italian textile machinery body, ACIMIT is confident that 2023 will prove a springboard for strong future growth as the industry, including the country's knitting sector, will hope to progress after the disruption of the last few years.

Although Italy is the fourth largest exporter of textile manufacturing machinery globally, like many, it’s faced adversity since the offset of the pandemic which has hit orders and damaged its growth potential.

That said, according to the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) and the Confindustria Moda (Italian Federation of Textiles, Fashion, and Accessories), business is expected to pick back up next year, with two cultural changes expected.

These, the Confindustria Moda believes, will be the digitization of the sector and a greater onus on the sustainability aspects of production.

Alessandro Zucchi, ACIMIT’s president, concurs, and told ‘The Italian Textile Industry’, a publication from ITMA Services, that: “Entrepreneurs in the textile industry have realised the urgency of enacting the digital transformation of their businesses.

“This is precisely why ACIMIT has accelerated its Digital Ready project for certifying Italian textile machines that adopt a common set of data, in order to more easily integrate with the operating systems of their client businesses.”

To support the industry’s evolution, it’s said that Italy is to benefit from around €235 billion over the coming six-years as part of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Parts of this sum will be funneled into the sector’s digitization journey, which Zucchi is keen to show off at next year’s ITMA trade show in Milan.

The adoption of intuitive, digital solutions is widely believed to have revolutionized production processes, streamlining factory floor operations whilst establishing greater connectivity.

As such, ACIMIT’s Digital Ready project has endeavoured to support its members, certifying companies that adopt a common set of data to facilitate the integration of various systems, including ERP and CRM.

On the topic of sustainability – which has been thrust into the spotlight amidst a push from brands and consumers to buy and sell apparel with a lesser environmental impact – ACIMIT highlighted the work of its Sustainable Technologies project, launched back in 2011.

At the heart of the project is the Green Label, a form of certification specifically for Italian textile machinery, which highlights its energy and environmental performance. It’s deemed an all-Italian seal of approval, which was developed in collaboration with RINA, an international certification body.

“We are looking forward to the staging of ITMA 2023 in Milan," Zucchi said. "Our members, together with many of the leading brands from Europe and the rest of the world, will be able to leverage this global textile and garment technology exhibition to launch our latest innovations, especially those that will help the industry to digitalize and be more productive, as well as those that help us build a more sustainable and circular economy.”

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