Energy efficiency and technical textiles were the issues in the foreground.
An insider tip on Brückner’s booth was the presentation chamber for the newly developed POWER-FRAME ECO stenter. Low-tension fabric transport, minimum energy consumption and maximum productivity are the key words for this revolutionary dryer technology. A central heating system, a completely new air guidance system and a sophisticated temperature control system help save up to 30 per cent of energy compared to usual stenters with heat recovery, depending on the process and fabric type, and production can be considerably increased. This technology was shown by means of a complex 3D animation, and Brückner presented also field reports from an already existing line in production at a customer in Germany.
The run to this presentation was very big just as the interest in other new technologies such as a new nonwovens dryer. “Sometimes we could have shut our booth because it was overcrowded”, said owner Regina Brückner with satisfaction. “We are very glad about the great interest in our new developments, and we feel once again confirmed in our role as technology pioneer. We thank our customers very much for their interest and the intensive discussions, and we are looking forward to our future positive cooperation”.
In an interaction with The Textile Magazine, Mr. Manfred Schulte-Austum, Sales Manager for the Indian market, and Ms. Verena Ruckh, Head of Advertising & Marketing Department, Brückner Trockentechnik GmbH & Co. KG, spoke in detail on the new products and technologies and also on Brueckner’s presence in India.
Question: What was the highlight of Bruekner’s participation in ITMA 2011?
Answer: One of the highlights of our booth at ITMA was the exhibited coating and laminating machine with downstream arranged stenter. A newly developed floating knife / knife over cylinder coating machine which allows the most different paste or foam applications from 5 to 2000 g/m² was presented. In the stenter entry the fabric can be coated in addition, from below with a new type of wide slot nozzle. In addition, a laminating unit integrated in the stenter entry has been presented. This unit allows to laminate mainly high tension sensitive fabric webs with diaphragms or foils.
Q: How was the response for your company and products?
A: We had a very good response from the show regarding our company and also the new products. We were wondering that visitors came from so many countries all over the world. We did not expect that variety of nationalities. It seems that the textile industry is recovering a little bit.
We are really happy that India is still an important market for us. We were happy to welcome so many Indian visitors in our booth. We also invited some Indian delegations, and our CEO, Mrs. Regina Brueckner, always took time to welcome them personally. We are looking forward to strengthen the partnership with our Indian customers in future. We have signed more contracts at ITMA than we expected. This underlines of course the benefits we derived from the show.
Q: Can you give us some insights on Brueckner’s presence in India?
A: Brueckner has a very successful cooperation with Voltas in India since seven years. We are glad to have such a competent representative in India who always takes care of the needs of our valuable customers. In India we have more than 100 installations with about 70-80 customers. Our major customers are Bombay Rayon Fibre Ltd., Mandhana Industries Ltd., D’Decor Home Fabrics Pvt. Ltd., Arvind Mills Ltd., Vardhman Group Ltd., Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn Ltd., Nahar Group Ltd., Bharat Vijay Mills Ltd., Gupta Exim Ltd., Kitex Garments Ltd., to name a few.
Q: What are short-term and long-term targets you’ve set for your business? What are your plans for the Indian market?
A: Both short-term and long-term targets are to satisfy our customers with high quality machines, which are reliable and energy efficient with maximum output. Our plans for the indian market are to be a partner and supplier of knowhow and machines for new technologies and products like coated fabrics, technical fabrics, agricultural fabrics, medical fabrics and many others.
Q: Considering the deep crisis in the some segments of the textile industry, how has Brueckner performed during 2011?
A: The year 2011 was indeed not that easy for the textile industry. As we have invested a lot in the technical textile and nonwovens sector, we could compensate the loss in the textile orders. Development of energy saving systems and efficient working machines offered the possibility to satisfy the customer needs and to place some important machines on the textile market.
Q: Are you planning any major investments in manufacturing or capacity expansion during the current year?
A: Brückner is committed to continuous research and development, investing annually a major amount into the developement of new products and the technical development of existing products. To stay competitive with a ‘Made in Germany’ company policy, we are constantly investing into the latest manufacturing technology to ensure best quality for our customers and their products.