#Associations

2022-11-21

Incoming orders and turnover continue to grow

Orders and sales of the German manufacturers of Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies are still on a growth course: in the period from October 2021 to September 2022, incoming orders increased by 37 percent in real terms and sales are also positive for the technology manufacturers with a growth of 14 percent compared to the previous year. Only exports in the sewing and garment technology sector weakened slightly in the first eight months of 2022 and fell by 5 percent to 265 million euros.

Orders up 37 percent in real terms
Turnover grows by 14 percent
Poland, Italy and France as strongest export markets

Poland still the most important export market

The most important export market from a German perspective was Poland, followed by Italy and France. German suppliers of shoe and leather technology were again able to increase their exports by 8 percent to 34 million euros in the period from January to August 2022. Here, the main customer countries were the USA, Mexico and Italy. Exports of German laundry and dry-cleaning technology also increased in the first eight months of 2022 by 17 percent to 272 million euros. As last year, the most important export markets were Poland, the USA and Turkey.

"The mood among manufacturers of Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies is largely positive," said Elgar Straub, Managing Director of VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies at the trade association's industry meeting in Brussels. "Despite the enormous increase in energy costs, the still existing problems in the supply chains and the still unforeseeable consequences of the war, the industry representatives report well-filled order books."

Industry meeting in Brussels

The VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies industry meeting was held in Brussels for the first time. The focus was on topics such as the EU's Green Deal initiative and its consequences for SMEs, as well as current EU trade policy issues. In particular, the relationship with the United States was discussed and the participants had the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the European Commission.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

Young researchers recognised for cutting-edge work in recycling, fibre technology and textile mechanics

At the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference held in Aachen at the end of November, Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, honoured five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses that develop solutions for resource-saving products and technologies, for example, are eligible for the sustainability awards.

VDMA members at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Singapore

With 69 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. Altogether 82 companies from Germany will exhibit at the show, covering about 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, topped only by China and Italy. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

VDMA member companies on display at ITMA ASIA

ITMA ASIA + CITME end of October in Singapore will see a strong participation of around 70 VDMA member companies. They will cover nearly all different machinery chapters along the textile value chain including spinning and man-made fibres, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & warp knitting, finishing & dyeing as well as technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled material. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

Sustainability: European industry calls on EU to keep Single-Use Plastics Directive unchanged

A broad coalition of European industry associations, including EDANA, Euratex and Plastics Europe, has urged EU institutions to maintain the current legal framework of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). In a joint statement, the organisations argue that reopening the Directive at this stage would create legal uncertainty, increase regulatory complexity and undermine investment, while its implementation across the European Union is still incomplete.

Textile machinery: Italian technology charts the course for revival

Operating in a scenario characterized by geopolitical instability, slowing industrial investments, and new protectionist pressures. This is the main challenge for the Italian textile machinery industry that emerged during the General Assembly of ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), held today in Milan at the Shareholders’ Hall of Palazzo Edison.

New skills for a circular textile economy

Based on the results of a comprehensive analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is developing three practical training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. The content of the first module, Recycling Technologies, has now been developed and validated together with industry representatives. The module provides participants with knowledge of regulatory requirements, material sorting and the preparation of textile waste for recycling.

Bangladesh: Italian textile machinery mission stops in Dhaka and Chittagong

Technological upgrading and the transition toward higher value-added production are driving the new Italian industrial mission to Bangladesh. This year, the mission will split between the country’s two main manufacturing hubs, where Italian manufacturers will meet the leaders of the local textile supply chain in two strategic stages: July 7th in Dhaka and July 9th in Chittagong.

Ibrahim Fibres and Trützschler: A strong partnership enters its next phase with the TC 30Si

For more than two decades, Ibrahim Fibres and Trützschler have grown side by side, driven by a shared ambition to continuously improve spinning performance, strengthen technology leadership and set new benchmarks in the textile industry. Today, Ibrahim Fibres is a leading yarn and polyester staple fiber manufacturer in Pakistan. The company operates the largest number of Trützschler cards in the country, with more than 200 machines running across its mills in Faisalabad, and plays an important role in one of Asia’s largest textile industries.