The Italian textile machinery manufacturers have started the year 2017 on a positive note with increase in orders for the first quarter from both in Italy and abroad.

The orders index for textile machinery compiled by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, for the period from January to March, grew 24 percent compared to the same period in 2016. The index value stood at 113.7 points (basis 2010 = 100).

ACIMIT president Raffaella Carabelli said that orders for the start of 2017 confirm a positive trend in major foreign markets, and a climate of trust for Italy’s textile industry that is on the upswing.

Raffaella Carabelli stated that the dynamic trend for Italy’s domestic market originates, on the other hand, with the National Industrial Plan 4.0. A renewed climate of enhanced trust is currently perceived in the textile sector which is triggered by the government’s commitment to enact a range of significant incentives for the Country’s manufacturing system.

The index data for the first three months of the year confirm the positive signs ascertained by their businesses in various foreign markets.