From the Sector

In the fourth quarter of 2023 Italian textile machinery orders index, drawn up by the Economics Department of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, appears to be stationary compared to data recorded for the same period in 2022. In terms of absolute value, the index stood at 82.4 points (basis: 2015=100).

This is the result of an upswing in orders from foreign markets, counterbalanced by declining orders on the domestic front. While orders in Italy decreased at 18% rate, a 4% increase was observed abroad. The absolute value of the index on foreign markets amounted to 77.9 points, whereas it came in at 126.2 points domestically. Overall for the fourth quarter, the average order backlog yielded 3.7 months of assured production.

For the whole 2023 year, the index declined 25% overall compared to the 2022 average (absolute index of 82.4). On the home front however, the index dropped 24% (absolute index of 124.5), while slipping 25% abroad (absolute index of 78.4).
 
ACIMIT president Marco Salvadè commented: "The orders index for October – December 2023, as elaborated by our Economics Department, confirms an intake of orders that is still weak, with a negative trend in demand for machinery that is ongoing for the domestic market."

Nonetheless, the orders index abroad shows a slight increase. We estimate that the global geopolitical context is still a source of concern,” continued Salvadè, specifying that, “For the first nine months of 2023, Italian exports on major global markets (i.e. China, Turkey, India and the United States of America), confirm a widespread decline. However, some positive signs emerged in the fourth quarter of last year, as reflected by the latest orders index. For 2024 we expect a consolidation of this trend reversal."

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced that registration and tabletop exhibit reservations are open for the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference. WOW 2024 will take place June 17-20 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN. The theme for this year’s event is “Wipes Innovation & Sustainability – From Inception to Perfection.”

WOW will feature content in responsible sourcing, end-of-life solutions, and innovations in sustainability. Industry leaders, such as The Clorox Company, Kimberly-Clark Professional, and Nice-Pak, amongst others, will present their sustainability insights in formulations, industrial and institutional wipes, alternatives to plastics, production technologies, recycling options, and regulatory issues.

This year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME proved to be a success for the exhibiting VDMA member companies. Measured by booked square metres, Germany had the largest contingent, among the foreign exhibitors. More than 40 VDMA member companies were exhibiting their innovative products in Shanghai.

Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association noted: “Although facing a difficult market situation, this year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded the expectations, both in terms of the number of visitors and the quality of the talks. The significant number of foreign visitors to the fair was particularly pleasing.”

Solutions were demonstrated for more sustainable textile productions by most of the exhibitors, and here the VDMA members presented their technologies for saving water, energy and raw materials under the heading “Smart technologies for green textile production.”  

Dr. Uwe Rondé, CEO, Saurer Intelligent Technology AG explained: “Saurer is satisfied with both the number of visitors and the quality of the discussions. Our booth was full from morning to evening with customers focused on latest technologies within the three mega trends: recycling, automation and digitalisation. Although machine utilisation in the spinning mills is still well below average, people are already gathering information and thinking about what to invest in once the market recovers.”

Benjamin Reiners, owner of Reiners + Fürst stated: „This year’s ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded our expectations by far. Especially the first day - a Sunday - has brought many high-quality customers and exclusively decision makers to our booth. We estimate about 20% international customers mainly from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. All customers agreed that the market situation at the moment is difficult, capacity usage is between 50-75% in the ring spinning sector and improvement is expected not before the 2nd half of 2024. Nevertheless the general spirit is very positive.“

“This ITMA ASIA was a great success for Trützschler. We welcomed a large number of Chinese visitors to our booth, as well as a significant number of interested international visitors”, said Dr. Bettina Temath, Head of Global Marketing Trützschler Group SE.

Georg Stausberg, CEO of the polymer processing solutions division and chief sustainability officer of the Oerlikon Group stated: „We can look back on a successful show where we were able to meet many of our customers not only from China, but also from Pakistan, India and Indonesia, for example.”

“A very well-attended trade fair, with interesting discussions, great innovative topics, in line with the modern and rapidly developing China" noted Wolfgang Schöffl, head of product line weaving machines and member of the extended management, Lindauer Dornier.

The VDMA Textile Machinery Association and VDMA China were present at the fair, to support the members e.g. with regard to IPR. With the help of a VDMA expert and a contracted law firm, the member company Sahm submitted a complaint application for patent infringement disputes during the exhibition to the onsite IPR office. Both parties, Sahm, and the Chinese company, that used patented design without permission reached an agreement: The Chinese company had to stop displaying functions and designs involving patent infringement on site which meant the removal of some structural parts and the covering of key components protected by patent protection.

Dr. Harald Weber, managing director of VDMA Textile Machinery concluded: “Asia, and China in particular, represent the primary foreign markets for the VDMA member companies in the sector. The Chinese market is the main destination for their exports. Other major export destinations in Asia include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. ITMA ASIA + CITME provides a unique platform to showcase technologies for customers directly in Asia. The VDMA member companies are looking forward to the coming edition of the fair from 14 to 18 October 2024 in Shanghai.”

The latest survey of VDMA members' subsidiaries in China gives reason to hope that the economic situation in the Chinese textile industry could also improve significantly in the second half of the year. In addition, European textile machinery manufacturers are urged to be present on the most important market and at the trade fair and to offer Asian customers most advanced technology for their demanding challenges.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), spanning the entire spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber to finished sewn products, commended Congress for passing the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that will help preserve the Berry Amendment supply chain and direct the Department of Defense to expand its procurement of domestically-made textile goods for military use.

“We applaud the House and Senate for getting NDAA across the finish line and are pleased the legislation will now go to President Biden for his signature,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “NCTO sincerely thanks Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) for sponsoring language expressing concern about offshoring textile manufacturing and highlighting the need for the DOD and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to procure more domestically-produced textile goods for military use. The language also requires the DOD to report on the feasibility of requiring American-made home textile goods to be used on military installations.”

“We also want to thank Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) who sponsored language expressing concern about economic factors impacting the capacity of the U.S. textile industry to meet DOD requirements and calling on the agency to assess labor shortages, contract forecasting and lack of investment in manufacturing capabilities and report back to Congress.”

Finally, this NDAA report language calls for DOD to report to Congress its assessment of the textile industry as it relates to labor shortages, contract forecasting and lack of investment in manufacturing capabilities.

“The domestic textile industry and supply chain are vital to the warm industrial base for the production of critical items that contribute to our nation’s health and safety. It is imperative that Congress and the administration continue to support this industry—a key contributor to our national defense that supplies over 8,000 products a year to our men and women in uniform—through expanded government procurement of American-made items. The NDAA is critical to supporting this manufacturing base,” Glas said.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and The Nonwovens Institute (NWI), have announced their 2024 workforce development program. The INDA/NWI portfolio of training content covers the full spectrum of the nonwovens value chain, ranging from raw materials to processes to products.

Jointly organized courses include a combination of classroom learning supported by hands-on activities in NWI’s world-class nonwoven production and testing labs on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University. Each course is designed to be accessible and valuable to those who are new to the nonwovens industry and/or come from a non-technical background, as well as seasoned nonwovens professionals.

2024 INDA/NWI Workshops Schedule:

• Elementary Nonwovens
  January 23-24, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  February 6-9, 2024
• Meltblown Technology
  February 27-29, 2024
• Spunbond Technology
  March 19-21, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  April 30-May 3, 2024
• Elementary Nonwovens
  May 7-8, 2024
• Nonwoven Fabric Property Development and Characterization
  June 4-7, 2024
• WIPES Academy
  June 17-18, 2024
• Fiber and Filament Extrusion Fundamentals
  July 24-27, 2024
• Nonwoven Product Development and Innovation
  August 13-16, 2024
• Absorbent Hygiene Course
  August 27-29, 2024
• Elementary Nonwovens
  September 10-11, 2024
• Carded Nonwovens Technology
  October 3, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  October 15-19, 2024

Short Course Value Packs

New this year, INDA and NWI are offering a Short Course Value Pack program, enabling companies to purchase a block of registrations, which can be used by any combination of employees to register for any combination of training courses, at a discounted rate. Value Packs are available in bundles of 5, 10, 15, and 20 registrations, with discounts ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent, depending on the size of the Value Pack.

EURATEX welcomes the unanimous vote in support of the new rules of origin under the PEM Convention, as a historic achievement. Facilitating trade and investments in the “PanEuroMed” region (covering 27 EU member states and 24 partner countries in the neighbourhood region)¹ is top priority region for the EU, as trade with these countries accounted for €677 billion in 2023. For the EU textile and clothing sector, the region represents 35% of its exports and 21% of its imports.
 
In 2013 the European Commission adopted a package of proposals aimed at increasing trade between the European Union and neighbouring countries in the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean (PEM) region. The proposal introduced modernised rules of origin of the PEM convention, lifting the prohibition of duty-drawback and introducing the principle of “full cumulation”.

Today, after ten years of intense negotiations which EURATEX supported, the European Commission reached a full and final agreement with all PEM partners. This is a landmark achievement that will unlock the full potential of the Euro-Mediterranean area as the biggest and most integrated region of advanced manufacturing and trading of sustainable textiles and clothing. The rules adopted today will accelerate the integration of T&C supply chains and boost T&C production and trade within the region, both in the East and Southern borders of the EU. In a moment when companies are looking at moving their production from Asia to nearby, like-minded and more reliable countries , it is very timely to have the PEM Convention implemented.

EURATEX’s President, Mr Alberto Paccanelli, commented: “This is a strategic trade deal that can help European companies recover from the multiple crisis which we face since 2020”. He continued “We call on the European Union to not stop here, but keep up the efforts to secure trade deals that are good for European companies and their competitive position in the world. The next objective should be the adoption of the EU-Mercosur Agreement and a conclusive settlement of all trade disputes with the United States”.    
 
According to Director General Dirk Vantyghem, “today’s unanimous vote in favour of the modernised PEM rules is good news for our industry.. We should now engage with these partner countries to fully exploit the potential of these new rules. EURATEX is ready to engage in an industrial dialogue with the companies from the PEM Countries to facilitate their transition to the new framework”.

¹ The PanEuroMed contracting parties are: the EU, the EFTA States (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), the Faroe Islands, the participants in the Barcelona Process (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the territories of West Bank and Gaza, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey), the participants in the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo), the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine.

During its first General Assembly, 18 European companies and organisations have formally joined ReHubs. They represent different segments of the circular textile value chain and share a common commitment to invest in textile recycling capacity in Europe. Additional partners are expected in the near future.

Current ReHubs partners are BASF, Boer Group, Coleo, Concordia Textiles, Decathlon, EURATEX, Gherzi Textil Organisation, Inditex, Indorama Ventures, Mango, PEPPER-i2, Purfi, Ratti, Recover, Refashion, Resortecs, Rester, RETEX.GREEN and TEXAID.

All partners will support ReHubs Executive Director, Chris Deloof, to kick start activities in the coming months. ReHubs partners will elaborate together on further steps and activities for the forthcoming work plan and the development of the European Textile Recycling Roadmap.

Chris Deloof commented: “I am delighted to see such a strong group of organisations teaming up with ReHubs. They are a great example of how to establish a new circular textile value chain in Europe. We need to focus now on rolling out ReHubs investment projects and further expanding our partners and investors network.”

The adoption of composite parts based on flax fibres by the Marine Industry continues to grow, with major OEMs as well as smaller shipyards now aiming to take advantage of the reduced carbon impact and impressive mechanical properties they can provide.

“Over the last ten or fifteen years, several innovative flax fibre boats have been built and the fibre has started to gain significant traction,” says Julie Pariset, Innovation & CSR Director at the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp. “In addition to the environmental benefits, manufacturers are realising significant technical and processing gains with flax fibre composites.”

“Flax is a very low-density fibre, with a high specific stiffness,” she explains. “It can be used to manufacture composite laminates with mechanical properties not dissimilar to typical E-glass composites and the coefficient of thermal expansion of a flax fibre epoxy part is also quite close to that of a carbon fibre part.” This allows the materials to work well in combined assemblies with carbon fibre composites and the flax parts are also highly impact resistant.

Flax fibres also provide acoustic and vibration damping in composite applications, as well as providing a warm and aesthetically pleasing appearance below decks.

ecoRacer30
As a member of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp, Bcomp, headquartered in Fribourg, Switzerland, has this year been working with Northern Light Composites (nlcomp), based in Monfalcone, northern Italy, on the creation of what is billed as the first fully recyclable nine-metre-long sailing boat – the ecoRacer30.

The boat is based on nlcomp’s proprietary rComposite technology – a combination of thermoplastic resins and BComp’s ampliTex high-performance natural fibre reinforcement fabrics and patented powerRibs technology.

It was built in a collaborative effort with the help of Barcelona-based Magnani Yachts, which took care of the composite manufacturing, and Sangiorgio Marine, which provided technical assistance as the boat was being assembled at its shipyard in Genova, Italy.

Magnani Yachts has subsequently become the first shipyard to hold an rComposite license and others are now being encouraged to adopt the technology.

The second ecoracer30 is currently under construction and has already been sold and nlcomp is planning to build a fleet of eight of these boats in time to enter a series of regattas in the summer of 2025.

Flax 27 Daysailer
Greenboats, based in Bremen, Germany, is another specialist in building boats from natural fibre composites and has this year launched the Flax 27 daysailer.

The lower hull of this vessel is also made from Bcomp’s ampliTex technical fabrics in combination with a sandwich core of recycled PET bottles. Using a vacuum infusion process, the fibres were integrated with a plant-based epoxy resin in order to further reduce the CO₂ footprint of the vessel.

The light structure and modern shapes of the lower hull of the boat result in very fast, sharp and agile handling on the water.

Greenboats has also recently announced significant new backing from alliance member Groupe Depestele, which manages 13,000 hectares of flax land in Normandy, France.

Blue Nomad
A project in Switzerland has meanwhile proposed the use of flax fibre composites in solar-powered habitats designed for comfortable living on the oceans – as the world grapples with the frightening implications of climate change and rising sea levels.

As envisaged by students from Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St Gallen, Switzerland working with Denmark-based SAGA Space Architects, Blue Nomad structures would form modular blocks to establish large communities and oceanic farms.
 

The textile machinery orders index, as processed by the Economics Department of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, dropped fully 20% during the third quarter of 2023, compared to the same period for July to September 2022. In absolute terms, the index stood at 84.2 points (basis: 2015=100).

This result is due to a reduction in new orders recorded by manufacturers both on the domestic market and abroad. The decrease in orders in Italy came in at 45%, whereas the drop was just 13% on foreign markets. The absolutevalue of the index abroad stood at 80.5 points, and 119.4 points in Italy. During the year’s third quarter, new orders reached 3.7 months of assured production.

ACIMIT President Marco Salvadè commented on the data, stating that, “The order index for the period from July to September 2023 confirms a contraction in collected orders that was already evident in previous quarters. What worries us above all is the situation with our domestic market, where the declining trend has persisted for seven consecutive terms. Due to this situation, which does not only concern the textile machinery industry, urgent measures are needed from Italian Government to strengthen the competitiveness of Italian manufacturers.”

As far as foreign markets are concerned, the orders index confirms an overall weakened global demand for textile machinery. Indeed, for the first half of 2023, Italian exports slowed in a variety of essential benchmark markets, such as Turkey, China and the United States.

“The global economic scenario remains negative, as consumers are facing a reduced purchasing power, with investments in the textile sector consequently also slowing down,” concludes Salvadè. “In less than a month, ITMA ASIA + CITME will be held from 19 to 23 November in Shanghai, primed as one of the world’s major trade fairs for the textile machinery industry, with the participation of roughly 60 Italian textile machinery manufacturers. We can expect some significant indications on the industry’s state from this event, which will be staged in one of the strategic markets for textile machinery demand.”

At ITMA ASIA + CITME end of November in Shanghai, 40 VDMA members will present their technologies and solutions for the Chinese and Asian markets under the heading "smart technologies for green textile production". This year’s ITMA ASIA is the first major post-Corona textile machinery fair in China.

The exhibiting VDMA members cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning and manmade fibers, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & hosiery, finishing & dyeing and textile processing.  

The VDMA Textile Machinery Association and VDMA China will be present in the industry hub in Hall 8 zone B to support the members before and during the fair. The industry hub is also contact point for visitors who want to inform themselves about the exhibiting VDMA members.