Spectacular business growth in India
ITEMA is making a strong comeback in the global weaving industry. Despite a difficult 2014 for the global weaving industry, ITEMA has made good progress and the company is confident of continuing its strong performance in 2015. India in particular has emerged has one of the key markets for ITEMA globally. We recently had the opportunity to visit their plant in Italy and interact with the Senior Management team to get an insight into their turnaround story. Excerpts from our interview with Mr. Ferdinando De Micheli, Sales Manager, Itema S.p.A.
How has the year 2014 been for your company?
2014 has been a tough year for the weaving machinery industry. But, despite the market slowdown, Itema is more than satisfied of its performance. We registered an increase in the number of weaving machines sold compared to the previous year, and this itself is a hugely significant result considering the brilliant growth Itema obtained in 2013.
How was the overall growth in terms of business and which were the key global markets which did well for your company?
We announced positive results for the first half of 2014, with 12 per cent year-over-year increase in sales, and we expect to close the full year on a positive note in terms of number of weaving machines sold compared to last year. A special mention must be made of the original spare parts business unit, which is going through a revival phase of success worldwide, confirming the quality and the benefits that only original spare parts can ensure. In the last year, we shipped our weaving machines all over the world, long and wide our globe, from Japan all the way to the US, and from the UK all the way down to Brazil, going through places as diverse as Lithuania, Yemen, Cameroun, Belgium, and India, to name just a few. Our geographic reach is growing every year. Among these countries, we experienced the most amazing success in terms of number of machines installed, first and foremost, in India, but also in Turkey, Western Europe and China.
Can you briefly talk about your products which have helped turnaround the business?
Itema is the only manufacturer worldwide to provide the top three shuttleless weft insertion systems: rapier, airjet and projectile. The common denominator of all our products across the three weft insertion technologies is the tireless devotion we have for quality and attention to detail. We love weaving and put all our passion and brainpower into creating original and innovative weaving solutions to unleash the creativity of our customers.
Itema strongly believes in innovation, and invests every year a significant part of its turnover to find inventive and innovative technological advancements. In 2014 we expanded our airjet offering with a complete portfolio of three products tailored to the specific needs of our diversified airjet customer base, an absolute novelty for the weaving industry that now guarantees the weaver the perfect airjet machine to fit exclusively and perfectly with his or her needs. Itemaairjet machines are capable of weaving a wide range of products. Moreover, our new airjet A9500p further advances energy-saving performance, thanks to a system that automatically sets the optimal weaving conditions.
Talking about innovation, our new A9500p, compared to previous models, cuts air and power consumption due to innovative features, including our new iREED and Single Hole Relay Nozzle. What’s more, the RTC-Real Time Control System optimizes blowing, thus further reducing air consumption. Our rapier models, led by our flagship model R9500 that just two years after its launch on the market, represents half of our turnover, are well known worldwide for their huge versatility and the unparalleled reliability they guarantee.
Thanks to the rapiers flexibility, our rapier looms ensure top versatility of fabric and pattern. The Itema patented “SK Transfer System” is engineered for high speed and versatility. While providing for a wide array of weft yarns, the “SK System” is the most advanced transfer system on the market today. With an ultra-light, ceramic coated, one piece design rapier, it provides consistent, high speed performance and less wear. And the newly developed “FPA or Free Positive Approach” weft transfer offers a race board with no guiding elements in the shed and is the key to versatility and flexibility to satisfy also the most sophisticated styles.
Moreover, the optimized shed geometry guarantees unbeatable quality of the fabric. The projectile machine P7300HP its our exclusive technology, the only one in the world to provide the longest life span (up to 40 years) and unbeatable performances in weaving denim and technical fabrics.
Visiting your production site in Colzate, Northern Italy, we noticed the amazing results of the lean manufacturing process that Itema implemented. Could you explain the Lean Manufacturing process?
“Lean” is an approach to manufacturing and, more specifically, operations that cover several aspects of logistics and production organizations, resulting in a wide range of tools and methods.
Working in textile equipment business, the metaphor with a suite is allowed: to get the best outfit, not enough the choice of the proper dress (tools and methods), but it is necessary to make any required adjustment to let it fit perfectly with our body (how to apply tools and methods inside the organization to get the expected results).
Since when and how did you start implementation in the Itema plants?
One of the key factors for Itema to successfully compete on the market is the capability to shorten the lead time to deliver products to our customers. Moreover, the ability to produce a quick response to market changes, i.e., flexibility, and the efficiency and effectiveness of operations have been defined as undeniable assets to let our company be able to challenge competitors.
Starting from this “Name of the Game”, in February 2013 the lean journey of Itema has started, covering both the Italian and Chinese facilities. The very first lean experiences have been implemented in the Colzate plant, aiming to create a continuous flow of material and value through our processes.
Following a continuous improvement approach, we set new standards of production system that have been used to get quick results also in the other group plants.
How does this process impact the product quality?
Each kaizen project we carry out has specific targets, based on the key issues of the process we are focusing on. But one is the leitmotiv: to get the soundest and most effective processes. This means that no matter if we are re-engineering an assembly process or optimizing a working cycle on automatic machines, the very last goal is to guarantee the highest quality standards of our operations.
To get such challenging results, we focus on the identification and elimination of all the non-value added activities, i.e., wastes and losses. In this way we are able to concentrate on the improving and optimization only of the activities that really deliver value to our customer.
How important is the Indian market for ITEMA?
The Indian market represents for us at Itema a market with a remarkable potential for growth and one of our top priorities. And this not only because in the last two years Itema India experienced a period of unprecedented growth. The Indian market is unique, thanks to the quality of the raw materials used to weave sophisticated and excellent fabrics and to the ambition and prowess of Indian weavers to produce a wide range of products in the same weaving mill. Every customer we have in India is for us a source of pride and every Indian textile company we have the chance to serve is an exciting experience. Our machines are weaving tirelessly since the Somet, Sulzer and Vamatex times, and in recent years, since the inception of Itema India, we are experiencing a surge and intent on growing even further our presence in the market.
Itema India is an extremely organized company, ready to meet every customer need, from sales to after-sales services, with excellent spare parts, technical support and repair center services. We have offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Ichalkaranji and Coimbatore. At the helm of the company operations in India is the new Managing Director, Mr. Updeep Singh, who joined Itema in March 2014, bringing with him an impressive career in the textile market as senior manager in well-known international groups like Welspun.
What are your expectations from the Indian market? What will drive demand for your products in India?
Itema is investing and focusing on the Indian textile market, the second largest textile market worldwide and one of the top three markets for our company. We believe that we are the right manufacturer to provide the quality, the dedication, the know-how and the innovation that Indian and India-based companies require. We aim to grow together, hand in hand, building our future together, in India and abroad.
How does your company and its products contribute towards sustainable technology initiatives?
We share the vision and values of ACIMT and are proud to be one of ACIMIT-certified Sustainable Technologies providers. Both our R9500 and A9500 weaving machines have been certified by ACIMIT and independent third party auditor and awarded the ACIMIT “Green Label.”
2015 is going to be an important year for the textile industry, with ITMA 2015. What is your expectation from the overall global textile industry?
Our markets and the decision of weavers worldwide on capital expenditure, including for new weaving machines, are mostly influenced by the reigning political instability in some of the countries we operate in and by the ongoing global economic crisis. Anyhow, our encouraging results so far, in marked counter-trend with the global market, renew our strong will and determination to do even better, going forward. We push ahead with our strategy to increase our flexibility to respond quickly to market changes and to pursue with ever greater determination the excellence and innovation of our products and the continuing satisfaction of our customers. ITMA 2015 in Milan will have you some surprises for you; we look forward to amazing our customers.