Innovation is the credo of Swiss textile machinery manufacturers. And there are many reasons why this is the guiding principle of the members of Swiss Textile Machinery (STM)
Swiss Textile Machinery, a member of the European textile industry committee called CEMATEX, has 44 member companies with a combined experience of 4,077 years in the development and production of textile machinery, accessories, components and services. On average, this means a good 90 years of experience per company, whereby there are of course newly founded companies and very traditional ones. Just 44 member companies doesn’t sound like very many but they offer solutions covering the entire textile value chain, from spinning, winding to weaving, knitting, finishing, nonwovens, embroidery and quality control.
The companies are all geared to adapt to the situation and the latest developments, as for example, in the area of sustainability. With regard to innovation and progress, the important trends for the Swiss textile industry continue to be sustainability, digitalisation and the circular economy. Therefore, many of the innovations of its members integrate these aspects. Digitalisation offers various possibilities, be it in product or process optimisation or in the development of completely new business models.
The STM member textile machinery companies use these possibilities to generate maximum customer benefit. With regard to sustainability, the optimised utilisation of resources is again one of the major topics. Raw materials are scarce and energy is expensive, therefore making the machines and solutions more efficient in both aspects is the key. In addition, the purchasing power of the world’s population, which is increasing every year, is also leading to a disproportionate increase in textile production. This is why all players along the textile value chain are challenged to find creative and sustainable solutions.
Member Activities
The last almost two years have shown that some activities such as meetings and even sales calls can successfully be conducted virtually. However, it has also been shown that especially in the area of networking and exhibitions, there are still no virtual solutions that can replace physical events. With this in mind, STM will try to combine the best of both worlds in the coming year, which it still sees as a year of transition. “This is in the clear hope of being able to physically participate in India ITME for the Indian market in December 2022,” a press note states.
Swiss-Indian Relations
India and Switzerland enjoy close and dynamic relations, which find expression in a large number of agreements and treaties as well as numerous high-level diplomatic contacts. The multifaceted partnership between Switzerland and India encompasses cooperation in several areas, including business, science, education and culture. These good bilateral relations are reflected in the relationship between the Swiss machinery manufacturers and their Indian customers in the textile industry. “In addition, many of our companies have subsidiaries, production facilities and service organisations in India and know the country’s DNA very well,” the note adds.
Outlook
In the present time it is even more difficult to make a forecast than in ‘normal’ times. What can be said at this point in time, however, is that the business climate is very good right now. “We hear that from very many of our Swiss textile machinery manufacturers. There is a big catch-up effect with high incoming orders. Companies are cautiously optimistic, as it is not yet clear how sustainable this now very large catch-up effect is,” STM states.