Aus der Branche

For Italian textile machinery sector, 2024 has begun without anything seemingly special. The first quarter has seen the orders index, as reported by the Economics Department of ACIMIT – the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers – remain stationary compared to the same period the previous year. In absolute terms, the index came in at 61.2 points (basis: 2021=100).

This result is due to entirely different trends between the domestic and foreign markets. On the home front, orders were up 15% compared to the first three months of 2023, whereas orders abroad fell by 4%. The absolute value of the index on foreign markets came in at 59.4 points, in comparison to a 73.9 points in Italy. In both cases, new orders remained well below the numbers recorded for 2021, considered as a base year. During the first quarter, order backlog reached 4 months of assured production.

ACIMIT president Marco Salvadè thus commented the data: “The orders intake for the period from January to March 2024 confirms an overall sense of caution on foreign markets in planning new investments. The global geo-political framework remains complex, and these uncertainties are reflected in the buying decisions of many textile manufacturers. Therefore, our primary markets, which include China, Turkey and India, have failed to record any clear signs of growth in demand.”

On the contrary, domestic orders appear to be slightly on the rise. “Following a sharp decline in 2023, new orders from the beginning of the current year have recovered partially,” states ACIMIT’s president. “However, I don’t believe conditions are yet right for a clear inversion of this trend. Here in Italy as well, many investments remain on hold, awaiting the implementation of Transition 5.0 plan. Subsequently, we’ll be in a position see whether the domestic market will react positively to the adoption of these new measures.”

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has released a new report, North American Nonwovens Industry Outlook, 2022-2027. This report is the twelfth edition detailing demand data for 2017 through 2022, with forecasts to 2027 and provides analysis across end-use markets through 2027.

It includes:

• Economic and population drivers contributing to market growth over the next 5 years for markets in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
• Disposable, Filtration, Wipes, Medical and Other applications.
• Long-Life durable sectors for Transportation, Building and Construction, Furnishings, Geo and Agro Textiles, and Apparel.
• Key drivers for the demand models and reasons for market upsets like the COVID pandemic.
• A summary of historical and future trends that will affect the nonwovens market.

The report provides analysis across all nonwoven end-use markets, providing a comprehensive and accurate view of the total North American nonwovens industry. INDA redesigned this report to support strategic business planning and decision-making. The projections in the report were made by analyzing current market trends and drivers to highlight the market potential in terms of dollar value, units, and volume in both square meters and tonnage.

The new North American Nonwovens Industry Outlook report is available at 6,000.00 $, the discounted member price is 4,500.00