Federico Pellegata
Director Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT)
We promote Italian textile machinery across the world
The Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery (ACIMIT) is a 60-year-old private non-profit association that promotes the Italian textile machinery sector and supports and promotes its activity, primarily abroad. Director Federico Pellegata converses about the latest disruption in textile machines and sustainability in a chat with Fibre2Fashion.
How many members are part of ACIMIT?
Our association brings together around 180 Italian companies producing textile machinery or related accessories. The total turnover of ACIMIT member companies represents approximately 90 per cent of the turnover of the Italian textile machinery industry.
How is your association helping members increase their business?
The activities of ACIMIT promote the Italian textile machinery across the world. These are often carried out in collaboration with the government's Italian Trade Agency. It includes the promotion of Italian companies abroad and at national pavilions in the main world trade shows, holding technological seminars, establishing technological centres in textile institutes or universities abroad for training students.
Artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation; which of these do you think would will drive the future?
I don't think we can make a ranking of the most disruptive technologies. I am sure that each of these will compete to radically transform not only the present business models in all sectors, but also the entire society.
With so much automation happening, is the textile industry soon going to lose its labour-intensive tag?
History teaches us that every industrial revolution has brought radical changes. Even the one we are experiencing now will not be outdone. However, I am convinced that future technologies will not replace current human skills. On the contrary, the digitalisation of production processes will require upgradation of the existing skills capable of making the human resources interact with the new tools made available by Industry 4.0
Can the textile industry ever be 100 per cent sustainable and eco-friendly?
Sustainability is a particularly sensitive issue in the textile industry, which represents one of the most polluting sectors in the world. The entire textile chain is committed to making its productions more sustainable. Fashion brands, textile companies and machinery manufacturers must respond to the will of the consumers, who increasingly ask for sustainable products. Since 2011, ACIMIT has been committed, through the Sustainable Technologies project and the Green Label, to certifying the commitment of its member companies in making their machines more sustainable, both economically and environmentally. (HO)
Published on: 09/07/2019
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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