Italian exhibitors will occupy some 7,200 sq.m. at ITMA ASIA + CITME with 160 companies taking part. Of these, 76 are showcasing their products within the Italian Clusters areas.

 Organised by ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade there are three Italian Clusters - located in the spinning pavilion (W2), weaving pavilion (E6) and finishing machinery pavilion (E1). Overall, Italian Clusters occupy an area of about 2,200 sq.m.

ACIMIT’s president, Paolo Banfi, is optimistic about the exhibition. “ITMA ASIA + CITME is a merger of two very successful trade fairs, ITMA ASIA and CITME, both well established now with the Asian public. China, of course, is the world’s largest market for textile machinery: Chinese imports in 2007 exceeded $9 billion.”

The number of Italian exhibitors and stand space they occupy far exceed figures for ITMA Asia 2005, according to Mr Banfi. “The response of our manufacturers to the change in location could not be more positive. The Chinese market represents the primary destination for our foreign sales - ？360 million 2007, amounting to roughly 19% of total exports. However, the entire Asian continent is a major source of business for Italian machinery manufacturers, absorbing 43% of sales worldwide.”

Over 2007, exports of Italian textile machinery to Asian markets reached a value of ？793M. Behind China as major trade partners are India (？135M.), Pakistan (？38M.) and Iran (？34M.)

Italian spinning machines are most in demand, accounting for 28% of exports at ？227M., followed by weaving machines (？164M.), finishing machines (？140M.), accessories (？125M.), and knitting machines (？115M.).