ITEMA makes rapid progress in India with best-in-class weaving machines

Energy efficiency, key to success of new machinery range

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ITEMA, the leading global weaving machine manufacturer, is making steady progress in India. The company’s new generation air-jet and rapier machines, the A9500 and R9500, are making swift inroads with sales activity indicating ITEMA as the “game changer” in the Indian textile market.

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ITEMA is a leading global provider of advanced weaving solutions, including best-in-class weaving machines, spare parts and integrated services. It has a tradition of more than 150 years with an installed base of 300,000 weaving machine in operation with a global presence in more than 100 countries. ITEMA combines Italian creativity with Swiss precision in its manufacturing sites located in Italy, Switzerland and China. With a focused approach, it recently unified the resources of its revered brands Somet, Sultex and Vamatex behind one single name and one single brand – “ITEMA”. This action allowed it to capture the best of its brands to develop the milestone for the company and the reference for the weaving sector.

ITEMA had a strong global performance during the first half of 2013. The turnover of weaving machines business was up by 70 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year. Profit and cash flow significantly exceeded expectations. The company’s order pipeline was up by 50 per cent year-to-date. The earnings before tax (EBT) was €12 million, and the company has planned new investments worth Euro 6 million for 2013, of which Euro 3 million has already been invested during the first half of the year. The company has adopted Lean Manufacturing across all global manufacturing sites and has expanded the team with new highly experienced hires in first half of 2013.

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Established in 2008, ITEMA Weaving (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a 100 per cent subsidiary of the ITEMA Group. The company has its offices in Mumbai and Coimbatore with an additional service center in Tarapur, equipped with qualified sales and service staffs. In Coimbatore, ITEMA Weaving has a dedicated training center and showroom with a full array of weaving machines on display. Further, the facility is equipped with an Electronic Repair Center and is complete with spare parts inventory to serve the needs of Indian customers.

Legendary and unique, ITEMA is recognized for having the most diverse machine portfolio in the industry. In addition to air-jet and rapier models, ITEMA completes the application range by offering the P7300HP Projectile Machine. Therefore, from commodity and high fashion to complex industrial or technical applications, ITEMA has the right machine for the job.

The company introduced the new generation air-jet A9500 in 2011 and the all-new R9500 rapier machine in 2012. Since inception, both machines have gained wide acceptance globally. At ITME 2012, ITEMA launched the R9500 in the Indian market. Based on the same footprint, mechanical concept and electronic platform as the air jet machine (A9500), the R9500 is a solid, robust machine capable of weaving the heaviest fabrics but flexible and precise enough to weave fine, fancy and technical yarns with ease. With the same user interface and over 90 per cent of comparable electronic and mechanical parts, the R9500 is consistent and reliable while also providing significant parts reduction and training synergies for those customers who operate both the R9500 and A9500.

Mr. Tapas Nandi, President and Country Head, ITEMA Weaving (India) Pvt. Ltd., says: “Both the A9500 and R9500 have received excellent response from the Indian market. We have already sold several hundred machines this year with the result surpassing our expectations. The key factor behind the success of these machines has been the significant savings in energy costs.”

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Thanks to the powerful electronic platform, new functionalities allow precise control of insertion parameters. Concerning the A9500, these savings are further enhanced with wide-width weaving. The Air Management System, including the RTC and the fully digital Air Consumption Metering, ensures optimum air consumption providing energy savings through full automation of the pneumatic settings. The energy savings have been in the range of 10-12 per cent during actual running conditions. These cost savings represent a significant advantage when considering the increase in energy costs over the last several years.

Mr. Nandi further says: “The R9500 rapier machine has enjoyed remarkable success all over the world, and especially in Europe where customers are very stringent when choosing capital equipment for machine projects. Top European customers have installed our machines and found they can run faster than any other existing rapier machine without additional energy costs and with the flexibility to make quick style changes. Certainly, this machine is of a more advanced generation than all other existing machines, including our old models.”

Utilizing its vast electronic expertise, ITEMA developed a new electronic platform for its weaving machines. This new “common platform” uses a Windows CE-driven, full color touch-screen as the user interface. The networking feature allows serial-VDI as well as Ethernet connectivity. ITEMA Research and Development reduced the total parts of the machine by 30 per cent promoting a more simplified machine concept requiring less maintenance. The mechanical settings of the machine are minimized, whilst pattern configurations and machine settings are electronically confirmed.

ITEMA expects to complete the year with a double-digit market share with its air-jet machines. In the rapier market, it has already garnered significant orders for the new R9500 with several large installations in 2013. Considering sales of all models, ITEMA is projecting a 50 per cent market share with the R9500 rapier machine through 2014. With the Indian Government’s increased focus on the weaving segment, particularly the incentives offered with the current Five-Year Plan through the TUFS Scheme, the market for weaving machines is expected to expand further.

“We have a good installed base of our machines across all sectors. Customers operating ITEMA equipment are very satisfied and have placed repeat orders. In India, Mafatlal Denim was one of the first customers to buy our A9500, where they indicate significant savings on energy costs. D’Decor, another major customer in home furnishings has already purchased 52 R9500 machines,” adds Mr. Nandi.

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QRP Certification

The Quality, Reliability, Performance (QRP) Certification is evidence of ITEMA’s long-standing commitment to quality. The consistent application of enhanced processes to design, develop, lean manufacture and deliver products, with unsurpassed after-sales support clearly illustrates that superior Quality, Reliability and Performance is embedded into each ITEMA machine. QRP represents total quality and to demonstrate its confidence and commitment, every “QRP certified” ITEMA machine is guaranteed for a period of two years.

ITEMA, no doubt, has a rich heritage of knowledge and experience of manufacturing weaving machines. The company has been able to combine this knowledge and experience with the latest electronics and technology to offer its customers a cost effective solution in its new generation of machines. In a very short span, these machines have made a significant impact in the market. From repeat orders from the existing customers to gaining market share with new customers, the company is looking forward times ahead.