From the Sector

ITM, to be held in Istanbul at the beginning of June, will once again see a strong participation of VDMA member companies. Almost 90 exhibitors from Germany will exhibit at the trade fair, most of whom are members of the VDMA. In addition to the VDMA member companies exhibiting with their own booth, numerous VDMA members will be represented in Istanbul via agents. They cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning, nonwovens, weaving, knitting, warp knitting and finishing.

In Istanbul, the VDMA members will show their latest innovations. In technological terms, significant trends are digitalisation and automation. These themes have been present for some time but will continue to play a central role in meeting the challenges for many years to come. Another trend that has also been around for a while is sustainability. Today it is much more than a buzzword: Efficiency in energy, raw materials or water as well as recycling are not feel-good issues but have a real economic and social background.

For the textile machinery manufacturers organised in the VDMA, Turkey is a major trading partner. In 2023, textile machinery and accessories worth approximately 350 million euros were exported from Germany to Turkey, which made Turkey the second biggest sales market for German companies. After three years in which China was the most important supplier of textile machinery to Turkey, Germany has now regained this top position.

Turkey is at the doorstep of Europe, which gives Turkish textile producers a powerful geographic advantage over Asian sourcing destinations. The textile companies in the region have a deep experience and know-how in making the highest quality textile and apparel for leading markets of Europe and employs a young, dynamic, and well-educated workforce.

But ITM is not just a place for visitors from Turkey, as Dr. Harald Weber, Managing Director of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association explains: “It should not be forgotten that ITM not only attracts visitors from Turkey, but also from the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. Turkey's proximity to the European Union and its fully integrated textile value chain also make it interesting in terms of the EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles and the increasing importance of recycling in the future.”

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) decided to participate in the ITM 2024 Exhibition this year with the Italian pavilion.

ITM 2024 International Textile Machinery Exhibition is preparing to host textile technology leaders in Istanbul on June 4-8, 2024. ITM 2024, which will be organized this year with the motto 'Discover the Future', will offer opportunities to discover the latest innovations in the sector, establish new business contacts and shape the textile world of the future together. The products to be exhibited at ITM 2024 Exhibition, which will bring together nearly 1300 domestic and foreign companies, will meet with thousands of buyers and visitors.

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and encourages the attraction of foreign investments to the country. ITA has decided to participate in the ITM 2024, which will be held at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center, as a pavilion. With this decision, ITA aims to further strengthen its presence in the sector and in Turkey.

For Italian textile machinery sector, 2024 has begun without anything seemingly special. The first quarter has seen the orders index, as reported by the Economics Department of ACIMIT – the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers – remain stationary compared to the same period the previous year. In absolute terms, the index came in at 61.2 points (basis: 2021=100).

This result is due to entirely different trends between the domestic and foreign markets. On the home front, orders were up 15% compared to the first three months of 2023, whereas orders abroad fell by 4%. The absolute value of the index on foreign markets came in at 59.4 points, in comparison to a 73.9 points in Italy. In both cases, new orders remained well below the numbers recorded for 2021, considered as a base year. During the first quarter, order backlog reached 4 months of assured production.

ACIMIT president Marco Salvadè thus commented the data: “The orders intake for the period from January to March 2024 confirms an overall sense of caution on foreign markets in planning new investments. The global geo-political framework remains complex, and these uncertainties are reflected in the buying decisions of many textile manufacturers. Therefore, our primary markets, which include China, Turkey and India, have failed to record any clear signs of growth in demand.”

On the contrary, domestic orders appear to be slightly on the rise. “Following a sharp decline in 2023, new orders from the beginning of the current year have recovered partially,” states ACIMIT’s president. “However, I don’t believe conditions are yet right for a clear inversion of this trend. Here in Italy as well, many investments remain on hold, awaiting the implementation of Transition 5.0 plan. Subsequently, we’ll be in a position see whether the domestic market will react positively to the adoption of these new measures.”

ACG Kinna Automatic and ACG Nyström – members of TMAS, the Swedish textile machinery association – have delivered the first microfactory for the production of fully finished filter bags to an international filtration industry customer, in cooperation with JUKI Central Europe.

The microfactory’s configuration is based on two separate interconnecting modules – the Smart Filter Line (SFL) and the Filtermaster 2.0. The SFL handles the fabric feeding from rolls and its folding prior to seam construction, which can either be by automatic sewing, welding or with sewing and taping, depending on specifications. Very rapid changeover of the modular seaming methods can be achieved during product changes. The specific size of the now fully-tubular fabric is then precisely cut to size for each individual unit and further folded ready to be fed into the Filtermaster 2.0. The Filtermaster 2.0 then automatically attaches the reinforcement, bottom and snap rings onto the filter tube with a second Juki sewing head on a robotic arm, to form the fully finished filter bag ready for packaging.

Filter bags are employed in a wide range of industrial processes and while they may be largely under the radar as products, they represent a pretty significant percentage of overall technical textiles production.
They are used in foundries, smelters, incinerators, asphalt plants and energy production plants. Other key manufacturing fields – often where dust is generated – include the production of timber, textiles, composites, waste handling and minerals, in addition to chemicals, food production, pharmaceuticals, electronics and agriculture.

As a further example of the scale of the industry and the high volumes of fabrics involved, one supplier has delivered a single order of 30,000 filter bags to be used for flue gas cleaning at a European power plant. The bags can also be anywhere up to twelve metres in length and frequently have to be replaced.

Turkey's leading garment machinery manufacturers and representatives have collaborated with Teknik Fuarcılık for GarmentTech İstanbul Garment, Embroidery Machines Spare Parts and Sub Industry Exhibition to host the first GarmentTech İstanbul Exhibition.

The GarmentTech İstanbul Exhibition will be held at İstanbul Expo Center (IFM) between June 25-28, 2025 and brings together all the technologies used in garment and ready-to-wear production.

The ready-to-wear and garment sector is among the locomotive sectors of the Turkish economy with both employment and export income. With 22 thousand 640 exporters and 42 thousand 434 manufacturers, the sector is among the priority sectors in the country's employment with approximately 700 thousand people working in production. Together with the retail and ready-to-wear sectors, total employment exceeds 2 million.

On the other hand, ready-to-wear and garment sector is the 3rd largest exporter in Turkey. Turkey is the 5th country in the world that exports the most ready-to-wear and garment. In 2023, the sector reached 19.3 billion dollars in exports and has a share of 7.5% in general exports.

Teknik Fuarcılık, which has more than 30 years of experience in exhibition organization and has made the ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition a world brand, has taken action to make the success achieved by the garment and ready-to-wear sector sustainable. GarmentTech İstanbul Exhibition, which will be organized with the support of the members of the Garment Machinery Advisory Board and in cooperation with the Apparel Automation and Machinery Manufacturers Association (KOMİD), will host professional visitors and global buyers from all over the world.

The press conference of GarmentTech İstanbul Exhibition was attended by members of the Garment Machinery Advisory Board, Vice Chairman of Astaş Holding H. Kaya Aşçı, Astaş Juki Board Member and General Manager Turgay Aşçı, Chairman of the Board of Çatma Makine Yavuz Çatma, Chairman of the Board of Alba Makine Cengiz Albayrak, General Manager of Malkan Makine Alparslan Er, General Manager of Uğur Makine Temel Kamiloğlu, Tetaş Sales and Marketing Assistant General Manager Murat Eren, Malkan Makina Factory Manager Metin Kılıç and KOMID President Haluk Akın, TEMSAD President Adil Nalbant, KOMİD Members Serkon Makina Chairman İzzet Savaş, Robotech General Manager Hüseyin Çetin, Chairman of the Board of NewTech Machinery Nezir Yazıcı, LGM Foreign Trade Specialist Yiğit Sağdık Manav, Avtek Manager Oğuz Avcı and many sector representatives.

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 data: “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.”

Many end-users now expect recycled materials to be in textile products they purchase – and this is driving innovation throughout the industry. However, there are still many technical and economic issues facing yarn and fabric producers using recycled resources. Members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association offer some effective solutions to these challenges.

Synthetic recycled materials such as PET can usually be treated similarly to new yarn, but there are additional complexities where natural fibres like wool and cotton are involved. Today, there’s a trend towards mechanically recycled wool and cotton fibres.

Spinning recycled cotton
The use of mechanically recycled fibres in spinning brings specific quality considerations: they have higher levels of short fibres and neps – and may often be colored, particularly if post-consumer material is used. It’s also true that recycled yarns have limitations in terms of fineness. The Uster Statistics 2023 edition features an extended range of fibre data, supporting sustainability goals, including benchmarks for blends of virgin and recycled cotton.
In general, short fibres such as those in recycled material can easily be handled by rotor spinning machines. For ring spinning, the shorter the fibres, the more difficult it is to guide them through the drafting zone to integrate them into the yarn body. Still, for wider yarn counts and higher yarn quality, the focus is now shifting to ring spinning. The presence of short fibres is a challenge, but Rieter offers solutions to address this issue.

Knitting recycled wool
For recycling, wool fibres undergo mechanical procedures such as shredding, cutting, and re-spinning, influencing the quality and characteristics of the resulting yarn. These operations remove the natural scales and variations in fibre length of the wool, causing a decrease in the overall strength and durability of the recycled yarn. This makes the yarn more prone to breakage, especially under the tension exerted during knitting.

Adapting to process recycled materials often requires adjustments to existing machinery. Knitting machines must be equipped with positive yarn suppliers to control fibre tension. Steiger engages in continuous testing of new yarns on the market, to check their suitability for processing on knitting machines. For satisfactory quality, the challenges intensify, with natural yarns requiring careful consideration and adaptation in the knitting processes.

From fibres to nonwovens
Nonwovens technology was born partly from the idea of recycling to reduce manufacturing costs and to process textile waste and previously unusable materials into fabric structures. Nonwovens production lines, where fibre webs are bonded mechanically, thermally or chemically, can easily process almost all mechanically and chemically recycled fibres.

Autefa Solutions offers nonwovens lines from a single source, enabling products such as liners, wipes, wadding and insulation to be produced in a true closed loop. Fibres are often used up to four times for one product.

Recycling: total strategy
Great services, technology and machines from members of Swiss Textile Machinery support the efforts of the circular economy to process recycled fibres. The machines incorporate the know-how of several decades, with the innovative power and quality standards in production and materials.
Stäubli’s global ESG (environmental, social & governance) strategy defines KPIs in the context of energy consumption, machine longevity and the recycling capacity in production units worldwide, as well in terms of machinery recyclability. The machine recyclability of automatic drawing in machines, weaving systems and jacquard machines ranges from 96 to 99%.

Operating in Bangladesh since 1996, this is the fourteenth time the Japanese manufacturer is participating in DTG.

As the Bangladeshi textile industry calls for sustainable production through innovation and digitalization, the market is keen to establish effective business models that support such production. In response, for the first time in its DTG exhibition history, SHIMA SEIKI's lineup consists entirely of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines. Capable of knitting an entire garment in one piece without the need for linking or sewing while using only the material required to knit one garment at a time, WHOLEGARMENT® knitting is famous for promoting sustainability in the knit factory.

The company is showing its MACH2®XS153 WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine in 15L gauge, as well as its SWG®091N2 "Mini" WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine in 15 gauge. MACH2®XS features 4 needle beds and SHIMA SEIKI's original SlideNeedle™, capable of producing high-quality fine gauge WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear in all needles. SWG®091N2 provides opportunities in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting across a wide range of items in a compact, economical package. A different approach to WHOLEGARMENT knitting is also shown in the form of the N.SVR®183 machine. SHIMA SEIKI's global standard in shaped knitting, the N.SVR® series now features a model for producing WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear using every other needle in fine gauge. Shown in 18 gauge at DTG, N.SVR®183 is the ideal machine for flexible, entry-level WHOLEGARMENT® production, with the versatility to respond to fluctuating market demand.

Demonstrations are performed on SHIMA SEIKI's SDS®-ONE APEX4 design system. At the core of the company’s "Total Fashion System" concept, it provides comprehensive support throughout the supply chain, integrating production into one smooth and efficient workflow from yarn development, product planning and design, to machine programming, production and even sales promotion.

Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG will participate in the Colombiatex textile show, held in Medellin from 23 to 25 January. This year, Mahlo will be joining forces with Brückner Textile Technologies to present their solutions for the textile production sector at their joint booth.

Both companies appreciate the power of Colombia’s textile industry. Textile is one of the most important industrial sectors in the Latin American country with an export value of clothing of more than 600 million US dollars. The United States are also the main export destination for apparel products. At Colombiatex 2024, Mahlo's Head of Sales, Thomas Höpfl, will be present to share insights and discuss how Mahlo’s innovative technologies can address the specific challenges faced by Colombian textile manufacturers. Sustainability of process efficiency being among the most pressing ones.

Happy New Year 2024! Here's to a year full of innovation and success in the textile and apparel industry.

The Textination team sincerely wishes you a great start: may 2024 be full of health, joy and energy for you.

There are undoubtedly 365 days of exciting encounters, developments, innovations and new trends ahead in our shared world of the textile and apparel industry. We would like to join you on this journey and document the many facets of our industry.

We are convinced that the new year will be just as fascinating and inspiring for our users as the best textile products and designs that our industry has to offer. We look forward to accompanying you through the coming 12 months with the latest news, in-depth analyses and exclusive insights.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in Textination.

Together we will tell textile tomorrow!

Ines Chucholowius
- Managing Director -