ACIMIT is the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers. It is a private non-profit making body and its main purpose consists in promoting the Italian textile machinery sector and in supporting its activity, mainly abroad, through the most updated and innovative promotional means, constantly improved during its 70 years of life.
Interview with Alessandro Zucchi, President of ACIMIT.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the organization?
Alessandro Zucchi: The main goal of ACIMIT is the promotion of the Italian textile machinery knowledge throughout the world. ACIMIT gives any kind of information on the activity of the Italian manufacturers and organizes a wide range of promotional activities (such as trade shows, technical seminars, missions in Italy and abroad, etc.), often in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Italian Trade Agency.
E.E: What’s the news for 2022 about new directions?
A.Z: In 2022, ACIMIT activities to promote the Italian textile machinery sector will be as numerous as ever. Among the 2022 activities the attendance at some important trade shows for textile machinery sector (ITMA ASIA, TECHTEXTIL, …) is scheduled. Incoming missions of textile operators from different Countries to Italy are also planned.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
A.Z: The world textile machinery industry will be increasingly engaged in the digitalization of production processes and products and in the search for both environmental and economic sustainability. The digitization of the business operations was already underway. Forced by the Covid-19 pandemic the relationship between technology providers and textile companies has also evolved, developing new solutions, especially as far as remote machine maintenance is concerned.
With regard to sustainability the saving of raw materials, water, chemicals in the textile sector is becoming more and more urgent and technologies providers are at the forefront to enable customers to optimize their production processes in term of economic, environmental and social sustainability.
Italian manufacturers are fully committed to both digitalization and sustainability. Regarding the latter topic their commitment is well testified by the ACIMIT Sustainable Technologies project, including more than 40 ACIMIT members companies. The gold standard of the project is the Green Label: a voluntary declaration by Italian textile machinery manufacturers designed to highlight the energy and/or environmental performance of a given machine, calculated in reference to a production cycle defined by the manufacturer for labelled machinery.
Finally, with regard to digitization the Italian textile machinery manufacturers have realised the urgency of enacting a digital transformation of their business. That’s why ACIMIT has realized the Digital Ready project, a digital certification concerning those Italian machines that adopt a common set of data, in order to more easily integrate with the operating systems of their client businesses (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.). We are sure that in the future the demand for more interconnected machines will grow. This development will enable textile companies to face the future crises with more suitable technologies.
Alessandro Zucchi
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?
A.Z: 2022 will still be a year of deep uncertainty for the global textile industry. We observed the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic in recent months. There are problems related to our day-by-day business due to the considerable increase in the cost of raw materials and shipping, the scarcity of electronic components, etc. However, we remain hopeful and optimistic. Over the years the Italian textile machinery manufacturers have faced financial and economic crises but, over time, they have always recovered and resumed their activities with more enthusiasm. In 2022 the target of Italian companies is already ITMA 2023, which will take place in Milan from 8 to 14 June, 2023. ITMA will be a unique and not-to-be-missed opportunity to show the whole world the uniqueness of our technologies and the Italian creativity. Already now our companies are working on technological innovations that international visitors to ITMA Milan will be able to appreciate in the Italian exhibitors’ booths.