The new crown pneumonia epidemic has severely affected the textile machinery industry. The recent conference of the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) was seen as an important opportunity to reflect on what the industry will lose in 2020 and how to restart major projects in the industry.
In 2020, the output of Italian textile machinery fell by 22% year-on-year, and its export volume also fell by 21% year-on-year. This is mainly because production was almost completely stopped in the first and second quarters, and only some areas achieved production recovery in the second half of the year. The travel ban has prevented textile machinery companies from seizing the opportunities brought about by the recovery of the textile industry.
ACIMIT Chairman Alessandro Zucchi commented: "In the first half of 2021, the overall economic situation in Italy and abroad seems to have improved. The textile machinery industry resumes participating in trade fairs and other activities, releasing a positive signal that business is gradually returning to normal."
Nevertheless, for many textile machinery companies, the new crown pneumonia epidemic has also played a positive role. Alessandro Zucchi added: “Entrepreneurs in the textile machinery industry have realized the urgency of digital transformation of their business. The reason for ACIMIT's acceleration of the digital labeling project is that Italian textile machinery that uses a common data set has been certified to make it easier to interact with The customer’s business operating systems (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.) are integrated. As far as the industry is concerned, the competitive advantage of enterprises will increasingly depend on the digital level of production technology upgrades and organizational processes. ACIMIT’s digital certification aims to achieve this Target."
In addition, the conference decided to extend the appointment period of Ferraro's CEO and partner Alessandro Zucchi as the chairman of the association for two years. At the same time, it also appointed Federico Businaro from Santex Rimar Group and Camozzi Group. Cristian Locatelli of its subsidiary Marzoli and Andrea Piattelli from Unitech Group served as vice-chairmen of the association. Ugo Ghilardi from Itema Group was appointed as the vice-chairman for the first time.
In the final part of the conference, ACIMIT commended the long-established machinery manufacturers in the association. These companies have joined the association either since the association was established in 1945 or before 1950. They are Crosta, Gaudino, Mazzori, Mezzera, Noseda, O.C.T.I.R., Reggiani, Sant’Andrea, Savio and Zonco.
The new crown epidemic has acc
