The year 2009 was a period with much negative news. The global financial crisis reached its peak by mid-summer. The textile industry suffered in such a way that many small and medium-sized enterprises and other textile companies found themselves in deep trouble. The problems occurred from overcapacities around the world, but mainly "thanks" to financial raiders and hedge funds. They purchased famous brands over a few years to form ungovernable conglomerates. At the moment, some of them are desperately in search of money to reshuffle their financial situations.

Positive News ...
However, one thing is certain -- hopefully: that the bottom has been reached and most of the textile machinery industry is starting to get back on a positive track. Last week, while visiting some leading textile machinery manufacturers in Germany, The Rupp Report was told almost unanimously that the markets are recovering. Asia and Brazil were mentioned as being the most promising markets at the moment. Some suppliers are already "suffering" with delivery times of five to six months. Everywhere, there is a positive feeling with a good mood of "let's go for the upswing!" The latest news about the booking for ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 shows some recovery, too (See "The Rupp Report: ITMA Asia On Its Way," www. TextileWorld.com, Dec. 22, 2009) .

... Is Fast News
The Rupp Report is also in the position to report some good news: The e-newsletter you are reading at the moment, dear reader, has now more than 21,000 subscribers around the world. This effort represents both pleasure and commitment, and it evokes the question: How can we serve the readers and the industry in an even better way so that they get their information even sooner?

The Acceptance Of Electronic News ...
In spite of cutting-edge machinery and the latest information technologies, it is also not new that the textile industry is generally shaped by its -- let's say -- traditional and conservative thinking. Electronic news has been accepted for short messages, and The Rupp Report was welcomed from its start. However, this has not been the case for messages with true technical content. But this situation also has changed.

... Means Faster News
Time is money, and information is power. This conclusion is nothing new, but is even more significant today, thanks to modern information possibilities. That's why Textile World has implemented a new column in the e-newsletter called Technical News. Here you will read the latest news from the industry regarding new developments or updated machinery, including short and condensed information from the suppliers to the users.

So, do you have something new to tell to the global textile industry? Let us know, and send it to jrupp@textileworld.com.