The value reached 4,481billion lira, an increase of 30% on 1999 figures. (1US$ = 2,177lira) The export market is still the largest customer for Italy's textile machine makers, and the country retains a leading position among world exporters in this sector.
According to figures from ACIMIT, (the Italian Association of Textile Machinery Producers,) Italy is now second to Germany in this sector. The US is still Italy's leading customer, with sales exceeding 418billion lira. However, the Asian markets have made a stirring recovery and now account for 28% of the total, an increase of 45% on the previous year.
