The order index for Italian textile machinery from October to December 2018 fell compared to the same period for 2017.The index value stood at 101.9 points.

So both domestic and export orders obtained by Italian machinery builders fell. On the domestic front, the index stood at an absolute value of 148 points, that is, fully 12 per cent less than the same period for October to December 2017. However, foreign markets fell even further by 16 per cent, with the index standing at an absolute value of 98.1 points.

The domestic market was gripped by an overall sense of uncertainty that accompanied the new national budget legislation, not to mention the comparison with a record fourth quarter for 2017. On foreign markets, Italian machinery manufacturers had to face geopolitical situations that have considerably slowed investments. So Turkey, Iran, and even China, all primary markets for the sector, recorded a drop in demand for textile machinery for a variety of reasons.

Last year closed with a downswing both in terms of foreign sales and total production. The overall sentiment for 2019 isn’t very positive either.

Italy is the world’s second largest producer of machinery for the textiles industry. In the production of machinery for tanning, and for the footwear and leather goods industry, Italy accounts for over 50 per cent of world production.