Cornelia Buchwalder, secretary general of the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX) and the Swiss Textile Machinery Association (SWISSMEM), discusses her excitement for the return of in-person exhibitions and how they can support the recovery of the textile machinery industry.
Traditional industries have not been the most forthcoming regarding the implementation of digitalised technologies, but since Industry 4.0 was first coined in 2012 ITMA exhibitions have consistently promoted the need for innovation across the textile value chain.
When it comes to the textile industry, consumer-facing technologies and services have evolved at a rapid rate – the growth in ecommerce is evidence of that. This has resulted in growing consumer demand which in turn increased pressure on textile manufacturers, but OEMs are responding to the needs of their customers by developing innovative solutions that boost productivity, versatility, and crucially sustainability.
Speaking in her role as secretary general of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association (SWISSMEM), Buchwalder agrees that the influence of Industry 4.0 on the textile supply chain is expanding.
“Digitalisation and Industry 4.0 are going to continue to impact the textile value chain throughout the decade, and without a doubt Covid-19 is accelerating adoption,” she says. “This is why the theme of ITMA 2023 in Milan is centred on innovation worthy of transforming the textile industry. I suspect ITMA Asia + CITME (12-16 June 2021) will be a precursor to that.
“Companies who had already invested in digitalised technologies were, on the whole, better placed to handle the challenges posed by the pandemic. Machine versatility, for example, enabled companies to pivot manufacturing to target products that were in demand [such as PPE].”
China’s dominance
China, however, was a late arrival to digitalised manufacturing. Even now, only certain regions in the country have fully embraced such technology – Shanghai, the host city of ITMA Asia + CITME, is one of them. As part of its 14th Five-Year Plan, China is expected to encourage forward-thinking enterprises on the east coast to set up technology parks in regions that are less advanced. This will promote collaboration and boost economic development in poorer provinces. China is also conscious of its environmental obligations and sees digitalisation as a way of reducing its carbon footprint.
There is also a theory that China is becoming more self-reliant. To date, western manufacturers across numerous textile sectors have profited from China’s demand for cutting-edge solutions, but China wants to grow the number of domestic OEMs capable of providing similar quality machinery. This won’t happen overnight, but China is developing its expertise and this trend could have long-term implications for European and North American machinery providers.
Swiss OEMs have had success in China, home to the world’s largest textile industry, and in normal times attend ITMA Asia + CITME in high numbers. The competencies of SWISSMEM members are largely focused on traditional sectors like spinning and weaving – Rieter (Hall 8, Booth CO7), a provider of short staple fibre spinning, is a strong example.
But despite that, Buchwalder says Switzerland now has a long line of companies that can provide technologies across the textile supply chain.
Digitalisation
She adds many Swiss textile machinery manufacturers are leaders in their respective fields, including quality control, which has become more critical as Industry 4.0 evolves. In the intricate and often complicated world of textile manufacturing, quality control can save manufacturers time and money by reducing production failures and machine downtime.
Switzerland-based Uster (Hall 8, Booth D46), for instance, supplies a range of quality management, laboratory systems, in-line process control, and fabric inspection solutions to the textile industry, all of which improve manufacturing performance and accuracy.
Similarly, Loepfe (Hall 8, Booth C22), with facilities within 10km of Uster, has developed its own range of yarn quality technologies for the spinning and weaving sector. The popularity and success of its YarnMaster and WeftMaster solutions, the company says, is such that they collectively monitor around half of the world’s staple fibre yarn production.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are two of many examples of digitalisation, but Buchwalder believes there is more to Industry 4.0 than just the technology.
“Swiss companies are taking note of new trends and business models as a result of technological development,” Buchwalder says. “It’s important machinery providers support their customers with technology to enable them to remain competitive and which often requires adapting to new trends.”
Meanwhile, Buchwalder believes the return of physical, textile-focused events will also help boost the level of understanding around Industry 4.0. “Depending on who you speak to, you hear many different definitions [of Industry 4.0],” says Buchwalder. “The term has been around for quite a while, but Industry 4.0 is still complicated.”
Many businesses question the significance of Industry 4.0, return on investment (ROI), and data security.
“Depending on where you stand, what products you have, and your customer base, opportunities associated with Industry 4.0 are different from business to business,” she adds.
Environmental focus
On-demand manufacturing, lights-out manufacturing and personalisation are common topics for discussion in the textile industry.
Moreover, sustainability remains a key talking point and despite having taken a back seat throughout the pandemic the issue hasn’t become any less important.
As consumers become more mindful of the textile industry’s environmental effect, Buchwalder points to transparency as part of the solution.
“I think the length of the textile supply chain is an issue; it is not possible at the moment for a consumer to pick up a garment and see on the label exactly how, where and which resources were used in the making of the product,” she says. “But this will have to change because media coverage of the textile industry’s shortcomings [on the environment] is increasing.
“Eventually, I think consumers will be able to scan a QR code on a garment to see exactly how a product was manufactured.”
These are trends for the remainder of the decade, but for now Buchwalder is happy that SWISSMEM members are reporting an uptick in orders in 2021.
“We are unsure if this is a short-term spike because of pent-up demand during the pandemic, or whether the increase in machinery orders is part of a long-term trend. Either way, what SWISSMEM members have been reporting in the first half of the year (2021) has been very promising.”
The return of events will further boost sales, thus enabling OEMs to invest more in R&D and maintain the level of innovation the industry is accustomed to seeing at ITMA exhibitions around the world.
