In the third quarter of 2025, the orders index for textile machinery – compiled by ACIMIT’s Economics Department (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) – recorded a 16% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. In absolute terms, the index stood at 41.8 points (base year 2021 = 100).
The decline reflects negative performances in both the domestic and foreign markets. Specifically, on the domestic market, orders fell by 17% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, with the absolute index value reaching 49.9 points.
Foreign orders also registered a 16% decrease compared to the third quarter of 2024, with an index value of 40.7 points. During the third quarter, the order backlog ensured four months of guaranteed production, slightly up from 3.9 months recorded in the second quarter.
Marco Salvadè, president of ACIMIT, commented: “The ACIMIT survey outlines a business climate where overall demand remains weak. In Italy the decline in order intake reflects the difficult period the textile supply chain is currently experiencing.” Mr. Salvadè added: “On foreign markets, however, we can see some signs of recovery. Although total order intake is still down compared to the first nine months of 2024, Italian textile machinery exports — based on official data for the first half of the year — show growth in some key markets such as India, Pakistan, and Egypt.” Finally, the main Asian trade show for textile machinery, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025, has just concluded in Singapore, offering some reasons for optimism within the sector. Salvadè concluded: “I believe the 100 Italian exhibitors can be satisfied both with the number and quality of visitors and with the business prospects generated by the many contacts made during the exhibition. I hope that the work carried out at the trade fair will translate into a stronger order intake within a geopolitical context marked by reduced uncertainty.”
