Italian Textile Technology
TW Special Report
Textile World and a delegation from the NCSU College of Textiles team up for a look at the
latest in Italian textile technology.The Italian Trade Commission (ITC) and ICE Istituto nazionale
per il Commercio Estero have united 14 leading Italian machinery manufacturers associations in a
new initiative to showcase Italian-made machinery. These 14 associations represent more than 10,000
machinery manufacturers from industry sectors including agricultural/farming, ceramics,
earthmoving, food processing, glass, iron foundry and metallurgy, leather and tanning, marble and
stone, metalworking, packaging, plastics and rubber, printing, graphics and converting, textiles,
and wood.Representing the global textile machinery industry is the Italian Association of Textile
Machinery Producers (ACIMIT), a vital link between Italian textile machinery producers and textile
manufacturers seeking the latest in technology.Flexibility, creativity and innovation are the three
attributes most often cited by Italian equipment manufacturers as a credo for work, according to
ACIMIT.In terms of flexibility, a typical Italian manufacturing company has just 70 employees, with
company owners typically managing day-to-day operations. Quick response is common, and time and
attention are given to developing custom solutions for customers.Creativity not just in food and
fashion is part of the Italian tradition of outside-the-box thinking in design and engineering.
From Leonardo da Vinci to Ferrari, Italians have followed the guiding principle that development
can be achieved only by understanding the real needs of a situation and its intended influence. In
the manufacturing arena, this approach translates into application-specific solutions to meet
customer needs.Ingenuity and innovation thrive within todays Italian manufacturing industry, known
for leadership in machine development, integration and technological advancement.
The NCSU delegation (left to right): Gary Mock, Ph.D., professor, textile engineering,
chemistry and science department; William Oxenham, Ph.D., associate dean for academic programs,
textileandapparel technologyandmanagement (TATM) department; Nancy Powell, associate professor,
TATM; Alex Mussa, assistant trade commissioner, ITC; Abdelfattah Seyam, Ph.D., professor, TATM; and
Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., professor, TATM, and co-director, Nonwovens Cooperative Research
CenterThe US ConnectionPast successes, along with US economic growth over the past decade, have
made Italy the fourth-largest foreign supplier of industrial machinery and equipment to the United
States, with exports totaling $1.6 billion in a market worth $20.3 billion.In the textile sector,
Mauro Badanelli, an economist with ACIMIT, reports the value of Italian textile machinery produced
in 2002 amounted to 3.4 billion euros an increase of 5 percent over the previous year, 71 percent
(2.4 billion euros) of which was exported to 130 countries.Italian exports by sector illustrate the
range of equipment available:spinning machines 21 percent;weaving machines 25 percent;knitting and
hosiery machines 22 percent;finishing machines 24 percent; andlaundry, dry cleaning and other
machines 8 percent.Although Europe purchases 43 percent of this equipment, Asia is on the rise with
41 percent, followed by North America with 7 percent, South America with 5 percent and Africa with
4 percent.Technology TourITC and ACIMIT hosted
Textile World and a delegation from North Carolina State Universitys (NCSU) College of
Textiles, Raleigh, N.C., during a recent tour of machinery and manufacturing facilities in Italy,
offering a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the industry and what it has to offer. Alex Mussa,
ITCs Atlanta-based assistant trade commissioner, coordinated and facilitated the tour.In addition
to visiting manufacturers, the delegation met with ACIMIT President Alberto Sacchi; Badanelli; and
Pietro Goglia, Italian Institute for Foreign Trade. Additional presentations by Tecnotessile
S.r.l., Centro Tessile Cotoniero e Abbigliamento S.p.A. and Texilia Istituto per la Tradizione e la
Tecnologia Tessile provided a look at the regional support of technical laboratories and research
available to Italian textile manufacturers.
June 2003
