Italian Textile Machinery Orders Rebound In Q2 2026
Order intake for Italian textile machinery manufacturers showed signs of a strong recovery in the second quarter of 2026, despite a slight decline compared with the same period last year.
Between April and June 2026, the order index at constant prices stood at 46.6 points, with 2021 used as the base year (100). This represented a 3% year-on-year decline, largely due to a sharp contraction in the domestic market, where orders fell by 25% compared with the second quarter of 2025.
For the first six months of 2026, total order intake declined by 4% compared with the corresponding period of 2025. The decrease comprised an 11% fall in domestic orders and a 3% decline in international orders.
However, the quarter-on-quarter comparison paints a significantly more positive picture. Compared with the first quarter of 2026, total order intake surged by 25%, driven by a strong recovery in both domestic and international demand. Orders in Italy increased by 39%, while international orders grew by 23%.
The operational outlook also remained relatively stable. The total backlog accumulated by Italian textile machinery manufacturers currently guarantees approximately 3.5 months of production, while the average capacity utilisation rate stood at 79.7%.
Sector-wise, domestic orders either increased or remained stable across all segments compared with the first quarter of the year, with particularly strong growth recorded in spinning and weaving. International markets also showed positive momentum, especially in weaving, knitting and finishing machinery.
Looking ahead to the third quarter of 2026, manufacturers expect sales volumes to remain broadly stable compared with the previous quarter. Expectations for the domestic market remain cautious, while views on international markets are evenly divided between anticipated increases and decreases, reflecting a cautiously optimistic outlook.
Commenting on the results, Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT, said: “Despite the international uncertainty, it is comforting that the indicator, albeit slightly, is positive in the foreign market, given that about 80% of our order intake comes from international countries.”
He added that the domestic market faced a different situation, affected both by the comparison with a particularly strong second quarter in 2025 and by the new 2026–2028 hyper-depreciation incentive introduced in June. According to Salvadè, the effects of the new incentive on investment decisions have not yet become visible.
