ITMA 2023, the most important four-yearly fair in the textile machinery sector, returned to Italy after eight years, taking place in Rho from 8 to 14 June. The driving theme of this edition was the "transformation of the textile world", with a focus on process digitalisation, sustainable innovation, and flexibility.

The event enjoyed lively participation by companies from all over the world, an important signal confirming the vitality of the sector, whose production in 2022 grew by 13% compared to the previous year. The value of Italian mechanical-textile production in 2022 exceeded 2.6 billion euros (thanks to the activity of around 300 companies), 87% of which was achieved abroad for a value of 2.3 billion euros.

According to data for 2022 (source: Acimit), Italian textile machinery is directed to Asia for 44% of production, Europe (excluding EU countries) for 18%, the European Union for 17%, North America for 9%, Latin America for 8% and finally Africa for 4%.

Among the companies present at the 2023 edition, Epson presented the latest additions to its Monna Lisa printer range, demonstrating that the digital textile sector is constantly evolving. In fact, for over twenty years, Monna Lisa - the result of the synergy between Epson printing technology and the textile engineering of the Como textile district - has become a benchmark for quality and productivity. This synergy was also represented at the fair with a very original exhibition concept, a bridge between Japanese technology and Italian creativity and ingenuity.

Among other features, Epson presented the Monna Lisa ML-24000, which completes the range with its 24 heads and 12 colours, offering extreme flexibility to an increasingly competitive textile market, while also guaranteeing compliance with standards. There were also new additions to the existing range, with the already popular Monna Lisa ML-8000 in REACID configuration and Monna Lisa ML-32000 with a new width of 340 cm.