INDEX™26: A strong edition in a challenging context

• INDEX™26 officially concluded at Palexpo as a successful edition, spread over a gross exhibition space of 50’000m2, the event featured 625 exhibitors from 44 countries, fully playing their part through high-quality, prestigious stands, confirming its status as a central hub for nonwovens innovation. 
• The event attracted 11,452 visits providing an important meeting place for global decision-makers to witness the industry's evolution toward high-tech, durable, and sustainable solutions. 
• A defining theme of the edition was the integration of technical excellence and environmental responsibility, with a major focus on circular design and carbon footprint reduction as primary performance indicators. 
• Beyond the exhibition halls, the strong response to the specialized seminar programme and new immersive experiences highlighted how global collaboration and smart technologies are helping to shape a path for a circular manufacturing landscape. 

INDEX™ 26, the World’s Leading Nonwovens Exhibition, officially closed its doors today at Palexpo.

Egypt: Workshop on Italian textile technologies concludes

The workshop dedicated to Italian technologies for the textile industry, held in Cairo on 5 and 6 May 2026 and focusing on the most advanced innovative solutions for the sector, has come to a close. The initiative saw the participation of 23 Italian companies from the textile machinery sector and well over 120 Egyptian operators, confirming the mutual interest in strengthening industrial collaboration between the two countries and Egypt’s strategic role for Italian textile machinery manufacturers.

Organised by ICE Agency and ACIMIT, with the support of the Italian Embassy in Cairo and UNIDO, the workshop provided an important opportunity to discuss the development prospects of the Egyptian textile sector and the contribution that Italian technology can make to the country’s industrial modernisation processes.

Barmag's specialist in fine counts: New type 2777 ceramic oiler

With the new Type 2777 ceramic oiler, Barmag has added a solution for fine titers and microfilaments to its portfolio of original parts.

The new design, based on the proven model 2888, is significantly slimmer and has been specifically optimized for fine titers and sensitive filament counts. While the type 2888, as an all-rounder, demonstrates its strengths in the high denier range and up to 288 filaments, the type 2777 offers the long-awaited solution for the lower fineness range. This is where standard oilers often reach their physical limits, leading to uneven deposits in the corners or instability in the yarn path when processing finer titers. Here, the narrower variant excels with maximum precision in the process.

Italian investor Pidigi to continue Sympatex

• Pidigi S.p.A. of Verona and a German subsidiary acquire key assets of Sympatex by way of an asset deal  
• 21 jobs and all four apprenticeship positions will be retained at the Unterföhring site 
• Transaction creates significant operational and economic synergies 

In the insolvency proceedings concerning the assets of the Munich-based textile company Sympatex Technologies GmbH, insolvency administrator Axel W. Bierbach of the law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen (Munich) has found a viable solution for the continuation of business operations. The operating business is to be taken over by Pidigi S.p.A. of Verona by way of an asset deal effective June 1, 2026. Pidigi is an owner-managed, internationally active Italian supplier and innovation partner to the footwear, leather goods, and apparel industries, with a market presence spanning more than 70 years. Pidigi develops and markets high-quality materials and sustainable components for industrial applications.  

BB Engineering at ITM 2026 in Istanbul

At the upcoming ITM in Istanbul, taking place June 9–13 at the Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center in Hall 7, Booth 702B, BB Engineering will once again be represented at a joint booth with its parent company, Barmag, and its representative, Tekstil Servis. The German machine manufacturer will showcase its expertise in man-made fiber and recycling technology, presenting its entire product portfolio, which includes components such as extruders and filters, as well as complete systems for spinning synthetic fibers, air-texturing, and PET recycling. 

Asahi Kasei Optimizes Material Portfolio Through Supply Realignment by FY2030

Asahi Kasei has announced plans to streamline operations at its Mizushima Works by fiscal 2030. 

There will be no immediate impact on the company’s supply of derivative products. The businesses covered by this initiative recorded revenue of ¥116.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, compared with ¥1,306.2 billion for the Material segment overall. 

GoodTextiles Foundation launches “Common Ground” Farmer Initiative in India

The GoodTextiles Foundation, in collaboration with Dibella India, Gallant Regenerative Organic Private Limited, and Spoorthi Raith Producer Company Limited, announces the launch of its new flagship project Common Ground. This initiative marks a significant step toward fostering sustainable, regenerative cotton cultivation among smallholder farmers in southern India. 

A Shared Vision Rooted in the Land 
Set in the rural landscapes of Karnataka’s Haveri district, Common Ground brings together farmers, local communities and agricultural experts with a unified goal: to restore harmony between people and nature through organic and regenerative farming practices. 

The foundation for this initiative was laid as early as 2024 through site visits, farmer dialogues and collaboration with the University of Agricultural Sciences Dharwad. In 2025, the project entered its implementation phase, including soil assessments, team training, community engagement and the registration of participating farmers. 

Alchemie Technology: Up to 92% Water Saving in Textile Dyeing

Alchemie Technology, a leader of jet precision dyeing solutions, is pleased to share that Endeavour demonstrates up to 92% water saving in their dyeing process.

The demonstration was validated by Fashion for Good and conducted by BluWin, through Fashion for Good’s Advanced Process Matrix (APM) assessment, an initiative to find sustainable resources for “Future Forward Factories”, seeking low-carbon innovative solutions to help textile process transition from wet processing to dry processing.

Alchemie Technology announced the results of the APM assessment, confirming that Endeavour digital dyeing technology delivers significant reduction in resource consumption, compared to traditional jet dyeing and thermosol processes. 

FET’s gel spinning system wins Techtextil Innovation Award

FET has received the Techtextil Innovation Award 2026 in the New Production Technology category. The Techtextil Innovation Award honours outstanding ideas in textile technology, sustainability, AI and the creation of technical textiles, selected by an international jury of experts. Ranging from new materials to new production technologies, this award recognises progressive ideas that are driving forces for numerous industries, such as automotive, medical and construction.

The new FET-500 Series now allows rapid, small-scale gel spinning of UHMWPE without the use of the toxic solvents typically associated with the process. This game-changing equipment will finally unlock R&D and new product development in UHMWPE yarns, which was previously blocked by the large-scale nature of UHMWPE yarn production, enabling significant savings in cost, footprint and environmental factors.

“We are proud that the Techtextil Innovation Award recognises our intensive work. It shows that we are at the forefront of technological developments supporting the textiles of tomorrow.” - Richard Slack, Managing Director.

Temafa Maschinenfabrik GmbH supplies a complete decortication plant for processing hemp straw

Temafa Maschinenfabrik GmbH, a leading supplier of machinery and plants for fibre processing, has successfully secured an order to supply a complete plant for processing hemp straw to Hanffaser Geiseltal eG, based in Mücheln.

With this project, Hanffaser Geiseltal eG is implementing its first industrial plant for processing hemp straw into hemp fibres. The plant will be delivered, installed and commissioned in the course of the year.

The plant, designed and manufactured by Temafa, is specifically engineered for the efficient processing of hemp straw. The aim is to produce high-quality fibre products, which are primarily used in the building materials industry, for example in sustainable insulation materials and other ecological applications.

With this investment, Hanffaser Geiseltal eG is strengthening its position in the field of sustainable raw materials and sending a clear signal regarding the increasing industrialisation of hemp processing in Germany.