ACIMIT:
Despite Challenges, ItalianTextile Machinery Producers RemainCompetitive
GloballyItalian textile machinery manufacturers face challenges in the days ahead, including
fluctuation in demand and increased competitive pressure, according to Association of Italian
Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) Chairman Alberto M. Saacchi. Saachis remarks were included
in his report on industry performance in 2002 to ACIMITs annual general meeting, held recently in
Milan.Turnover in 2002 was 5 percent lower than in 2001 as a result of lower demand both
domestically and from the main export textile markets, particularly the United States and the
European Union (EU). Sales to Asia rose, but were lower than originally predicted.Uncertainties
shroud an anticipated increase in US and EU textile consumption, Saachi said. On top of this, the
higher value of the euro compared to the dollar is penalizing industries like ours that are heavily
dependent on exports, he said.Despite these challenges, recent ACIMIT surveys indicate that Italian
manufacturers remain competitive globally. The surveys cite the industrys dynamism and financial
strength, exemplified by a gain in global market share, from 12 percent to 15 percent, from 1995 to
2001, while Italys main competitors Germany, Japan and Switzerland lost market share.Italian
textile machinery manufacturers have succeeded in implementing policies of differentiation based on
product quality and continuous improvement through constant innovation, Saachi said. Italian
business has also learned to pay more attention to customer service, and this has helped us escape
from the restrictive logic of price-based competition.Innocenzo Cipolletta, Ph.D., also addressed
the meeting, noting that escalating competition from countries with newly developed textile
machinery industries requires that Italian manufacturers increasingly stress technical innovation
as a distinguishing characteristic.
August 2003
