There is a general feeling that the world markets are on the recovery path after the nightmares of 2008 and 2009. This is especially true for the textile industry where we notice an upswing, even in so-called high-labor-cost countries – like Switzerland, Germany, Italy and even the United States – where leading machinery manufacturers have started reporting higher demand for their specialised machinery thanks to the booming Asian markets. In view of increasing purchasing power, consumers in these emerging markets are demanding better quality products and are ready to pay a premium for the branded goods. There is also considerable growth in demand in these countries.
The Swiss textile machinery makers – Uster Technologies AG and Loepfe Brothers Ltd. – are reported to have confirmed that the demand for machineries that help in quality control and quality enhancement has particularly grown steeply due to greater emphasis being put on obtaining improved product quality. The spinning sector has shown considerable growth as this sector is mainly responsible for controlling a number of basic and fundamental parameters which affect both quality and costs including that of the raw material. Since the raw material contributes to 55%-65% of total production costs, it is vital to maximize the yield and minimize waste. Therefore, to ensure a very efficient overall process/production management mills need to have appropriate instruments, measurements and systematic analysis.
Similarly, the demand for weaving machineries and that for non-wovens and technical textiles is also on the rise globally. There is increasing interest in digital printing, too. The increased demand for textile machineries is reported from countries like China, India, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea. Most stakeholders in the industry are hopeful that 2011 will be an even better year, thanks also to the forthcoming ITMA 2011 in Barcelona which will be a good indicator to gauge the industry’s performance and direction. The upswing recorded by some countries are : Germany (7.1%), Italy (6.0%), Brazil (4.8%) and the US (3.8%). People are expecting that the current positive trend will not only continue but will get a boost due to the forthcoming ITMA in Barcelona.
However, the main concern, at present, is the volatility prevailing among the major world currencies such as the U.S. dollar, the euro and the renminbi. Another difficulty being faced by the textile industry, in particular, are the high market prices of key raw materials such as cotton that play a dominant role in deciding the health of the industry.
In spite of these concerns, there is a widespread ‘feel good’ effect and the overall outlook for the new year clearly seems to be quite positive. So, let’s welcome 2011 with open and optimistic mind. NCM wishes its readers a very very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
There is a general feeling that the world markets are on the recovery path after the nightmares of 2008 and 2009. This is especially true for the textile industry where we notice an upswing, even in so-called high-labor-cost countries – like Switzerland, Germany, Italy and even the United States – where leading machinery manufacturers have started reporting higher demand for their specialised machinery thanks to the booming Asian markets. In view of increasing purchasing power, consumers in these emerging markets are demanding better quality products and are ready to pay a premium for the branded goods. There is also considerable growth in demand in these countries.
