Italian textile production chain is increasingly focusing on textiles which are innovative in nature and can be used for technical applications owing to the exponentially growing technical textiles industry in the country and outside, experts have said.

Since years, Italian machinery sector has been committed to the manufacture of innovative textiles, said Andrea Parodi, president of Texclubtec, and Alberto Paccanelli, president of the technology platform for the Italian textile and clothing industry, in a video on textile innovation created by Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in unison with Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) and financially supported by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development.

More than 120 Italian textile machinery manufacturers produce tools and equipments designed for the production of technical products. The sale of this type of machinery amounts to €400 million, and accounts for 15 per cent of the total revenue of the Italian machinery sector, Parodi and Paccanelli said.

Currently, there is an exponential growth in the innovative textiles sector designed for technical applications. Italian technical textiles sector earns €3.5 billion in annual revenue, employing 42,000 people in roughly 800 companies. It accounts for 12 per cent of Europe’s total textile turnover.

Outside Italy too, technical textiles are also quickly developing, and nearly 30 per cent of the total textile material produced is for technical applications. Exponential growth is expected in this sector till 2020, especially in composites and nonwovens.

The video also adds a note on visitors being able to verify how Italian technologies work to provide the textile industry with most innovative solutions, suited to Italian know-how and design at ITMA 2015. (MCJ)