The ITMF congress is the highest-ranking international meeting point for networking. Leaders
of the global textile machinery and textile industry meet not only to attend an excellent
conference, but, even more importantly, to exchange and strengthen contacts among themselves.

Under the general theme, “Structural Adjustments in the World Textile Industry,” experts
from around the world mentioned that meeting the demand, improving quality, and sustainability are
the main issues for the near future. The theme is based on the current situation of the world
textile industry, which is challenged by various difficulties like structural technological
adjustments in this traditional industry, the short supply of resources and the increasing
consciousness concerning the environment. This report can only reflect a fraction of the
information given in the presentations.

Cotton In Focus

As is the tradition, cotton was one of the main subjects to be discussed. ITMF was founded
in 1904, at a meeting held in Zurich, Switzerland, on the initiative of the British cotton spinning
industry. That’s why it still has a very close relationship with the whole cotton industry.
However, ITMF’s activities today cover the entire textile industry including nonwovens and
technical textiles. Terry Townsend, executive director of the Washington-based International Cotton
Advisory Committee (ICAC); and Gao Fang, secretary general, China Cotton Association, discussed
current cotton trends. Since the mid-1980s, cotton consumption has increased from 6 to 18 kilograms
per capita. It is not easy, Townsend said, but he is convinced the need for cotton will grow.
Sustainable production, he continued, is of utmost interest for producers. In times of heightened
environmental consciousness, it is also very important to relay the fact that cotton uses fewer
chemicals.

 

Terry Townsend, executive director, ICAC

Overcapacity

Gao Fang mentioned that 30 to 40 percent of all cotton processed in China is still imported.
On top of that, the price of cotton has dropped by 20 percent, and the farmers virtually don’t make
any money. In the near future, China will support its cotton industry with subventions to be
competitive, and, basically, to survive. On the other hand, the acreage will be further reduced.
Another problem is the huge overcapacity of the textile industry. In general, China is facing
increased prices for energy, raw material and labor, which must be faced and elaborated carefully.

Gao Fang, secretary general, China Cotton Association

Man-made Fibers Also Face New Challenges

Not only cotton, but also cellulosic and man-made fibers are more and more in the focus of
attention, and play an important part in the ITMF event: Friedrich Weninger, member of the
Management Board of Austria-based Lenzing Group, made an interesting point. He said that consumers
– triggered by consumer interest, policy makers and big retailers – are starting to ask questions
about the production processes: What is the impact of your industry on the environment, or what is
the ecological footprint of the products? And, of course, as a viscose producer, he raised the
provocative question: Are cellulosic fibers more sustainable than man-made and/or natural fibers?
However, as already mentioned above, the point is to relay the message to the consumer and to prove
the ability to work in a more sustainable way.

Friedrich Weninger, Lenzing Group Management Board member

No Protectionism, Please

Du Yuzhou, president of the China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC), welcomed
the global textile community and said CNTAC was honored to host the 2009 conference. He mentioned
the power and the drive of Shanghai as a booster for the economy and said he is convinced the
current recession is over. He regretted that in spite of the global crisis and the commitments to
work together, countries again have started to erect barriers with the aim of protecting their
local economies.

Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of Germany, was one of the keynote speakers. He also
sharply criticized the protectionism of some countries. In addition, he is an advocate of open
markets but a regulated financial system. “It can’t be,” he said, “that banks and insurance
companies are working on a global scale but acting like local companies.” The opening of markets
would improve the situation of the Third World countries and result in a better understanding of
one another. The fight against terrorism can only be won if the people have an alternative,
Schröder said. The World Trade Organization is one thing, but the United States and Europe should
help the Third World solve its problems, and countries like India should also abolish their high
tariffs.

Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of Germany, sharply criticized the protectionism of
some countries.

Problematic Future

The other keynote speaker was Dr. Edmund Phelps, McVickar Professor of Political Economy at
New York City-based Columbia University and director of Columbia’s Center on Capitalism and
Society, and winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Economics. Phelps mentioned in his discussion with
Du Yuzhou that the United States has lost its dynamism in the last 10 years. He is sure that this
fact pushed the financial industry to find new fields in which to make money, which eventually led
to the sub-prime mortgage crisis. His speech was not very positive, as he warned that household
costs will further increase, and it will take some 10 to 15 years to put the United States back on
track. Less money at home means less expenditure, which is the driving force of any economy. As in
Europe, the United States is investing less money, and this leads to an even weaker U.S. dollar.
The drop in loans is dramatic, and this will further decrease the U.S. gross domestic product.

Like Schröder, Phelps also foresees new barriers and tariffs, which is very bad for the
Chinese industry. He suggested that China should accelerate its indigenous innovations to become
more autonomous. In the last 30 years, every product has been based on know-how transfer from the
West. But not only China should do that: Every country is requested to invest more in spite of the
crisis. Innovations are the only key to success in a future that is even more doubtful than ever,
not only for textiles but for the world as a whole.

 

2006 Nobel Economics Prize winner Dr. Edmund Phelps of Columbia University engaged in a
lively discussion with CNTAC President Du Yuzhou.

China Textile City

As in every year, the day after the congress closes, the delegates have the opportunity to
visit some important local textile companies or associations. This day-long trip became the true
highlight of the event: a visit to the impressive China Textile City (CTC).

A three-to-four-hour car trip northeast of Shanghai, China Textile City – located in Keqiao,
Shaoxing County – is huge – almost impossible to imagine. CTC was built in the open countryside
some 20 years ago. Markets here gather together all kinds of fabrics, fibers, yarns, home textiles
and, of course, apparel, but also more and more industrial textiles.

China Textile City in Keqiao, Shaoxing County, is the largest textile trade center in the
world.

Biggest Textile Trade Center In The World

After some 20 years of development, the structure of the whole complex basically is founded
on four textile trade platforms:

•    Traditional Trade Zone;

•    International Trade Zone;

•    Market Innovation Zone; and

•    Textile Raw Materials Trade Zone.

CTC is a textile distribution center of the very largest scale and presents the greatest
variety of textile products in China. In addition, it is the largest textile professional market in
Asia, and the biggest textile trade center worldwide. A massive array of big buildings forms a sort
of cluster for the domestic textile industry. It covers a constructed area of more than 3.2 million
square meters. At present, CTC includes more than 20,000 business rooms and 19,000 operating
companies. According to its management, CTC makes transactions for tens of thousands of fabrics;
the daily customer flow is more than 100,000 persons. There are more than 3,500 permanent overseas
purchasers and more than 700 permanent overseas representative agencies.

Goods here are sold to virtually the whole world as well as to the Chinese regions.
According to estimates, some 83 percent of the global man-made fiber production already is done in
Asia. CTC management says one-quarter of global man-made fabrics are traded here. At present, it
has also established business relations with nearly half of all national textile enterprises.
Therefore, the complex has achieved an annual market turnover of more than 60 billion renminbi.

São Paulo, 2010 Venue

As is done every year, the host country of the next ITMF congress was announced. The 2010
ITMF Annual Conference will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, October 17-19. The Brazilian Association
for Textiles and Apparel is presenting its country with its Latin temperament. Again,

Textile World
and its sister publications,

Textile World Asia
and
Textiles Panamericanos, have been selected as the official media partners for the
2010 conference.

January/February 2010

In times of increasing energy costs, it is of utmost interest for fabric producers to use
weaving machines that offer reduced energy consumption.

The Adaptive Relay Valve Drive (ARVD) for Picanol’s OMNIplus 800 air-jet weaving machine
lowers air consumption and thus reduces energy costs.

Adaptive Relay Valve Drive

Picanol NV, Belgium, provided the following information about its Adaptive Relay Valve Drive,
which is featured on its OMNIplus 800 air-jet weaving machine:

“Adaptive Relay Valve Drive (ARVD) automatically adapts the closing timing of the relay
nozzle valves to the behavior of the filling yarn. Instead of applying one setting for all the
different picks, ARVD applies the best relay valve timing for each individual pick, thus reducing
the overall air consumption.

“At each insertion cycle, the winding timings from the prewinder are compared with a
reference value by the machine’s microprocessor. Since the filling insertion speed varies from one
pick to another, it is not necessary for the relay nozzles to blow for the same amount of time at
each pick. Consequently, the machine adapts the closing timings for the relay nozzle valves
automatically. For a fast pick, the relay nozzle valves do not stay open very long.  … For a
slow pick, they stay open longer. … This is done from the second relay nozzle valve onwards.”

Picanol notes that decreased air consumption reduces energy costs, and reduced blowing on the
filling yarn reduces the number of broken picks. Also, Pick Repair Automation has a higher success
rate because the type of filling stops changes.

Itema Weaving’s Sulzer Textil™ L5500 air-jet machine features several recent upgrades.

Air-Jet Weaving

Italy-based Itema Weaving has recently upgraded its Sulzer Textil™ L5500 air-jet weaving
machine, suited primarily for applications such as quality apparel and home textile fabrics made
with natural or man-made fibers or blends.

Key benefits of this machine are said to be the fabric quality and low running costs.
According to Itema Weaving, the L5500’s strength is its competitiveness in terms of its capacity to
conveniently weave fabrics  that comply with superior quality standards, while also
maintaining a high degree of efficiency even at top performance levels. The company adds that
“conveniently” also means producing with reduced off-quality rates and reduced air consumption per
meter of fabric, which improves profits. The L5500’s RTC (Real Time Controller) function enables
the machine to adapt to various weaving conditions, thereby obtaining significant air-consumption
savings.

Targeted customers are weavers interested in superior production to enable entrance into new,
highly profitable markets. The L5500 can be adapted to different production requirements. Easy
operation, widest range of application and shortest setting times are key factors.

Recent upgrades in the L5500 technology have increased the machine’s efficiency and
performance. For standard weaving, the maximum speed now is 1,200 revolutions per minute, and the
maximum weaving width is 4,000 millimeters (mm). This is equal to a production capacity in excess
of 2,500-meters-per-minute weft insertion rate.

Stäubli’s upgraded Safir automatic drawing-in machine can be configured to draw in one or
two warp beams, each having up to eight thread layers.

Drawing-in: An Important Cost Factor

Switzerland-based Stäubli AG reports that automatic drawing-in machines for the weaving
harness have long helped weaving mills around the world stay competitive. Automatically drawn-in
warps are characterized by zero defect and high quality, and they are available as required for
production in a fraction of the time compared with manual drawing-in.

According to Stäubli, the upgraded Safir automatic drawing-in machine offers new
opportunities regarding flexibility, thanks to the refinement of proven system components from the
Delta line combined with established state-of-the-art technologies, particularly the Opal leasing
machine. Since its introduction at ITMA 2007 in Munich, Germany, and after several upgrades, the
machine can be configured to draw in one or two warp beams, each having up to eight thread layers.
A camera system checks the yarn to be drawn in during each cycle and ensures against drawing-in of
double threads or threads of the wrong color.

Stäubli reports there also is flexibility with regard to the weaving harnesses that can be
used, as virtually all heddles used in shaft weaving can be handled freely. Heddle distribution can
be programmed on up to 28 frames. It also is possible to use two different types of drop wires for
the same weaving harness – an application that is especially interesting for terry weaving with
upper beams and varying drop wire weights for the ground threads and pile threads. With virtually
unrestricted application potential, Stäubli says Safir sets new standards in automatic drawing-in.
The machine also features user-friendly ergonomics and convenient operation using a color
touchscreen.

Warp-tying is another cost factor in the weaving mill. Stäubli reports its Magma warp-tying
machine is especially suitable for tying coarse yarns. A patent-pending system that works without
yarn-specific settings enables separation of threads to be tied at the lease, which considerably
simplifies operation and changing from one application to the next. A built-in camera system
monitors the separation of the threads, thus eliminating doubled threads. Magma also can be set
easily to tie double knots, and therefore can tie even very slick yarns reliably, according to the
company.

The Magma warp-tying machine for coarse yarns complements Stäubli’s Topmatic tying machine
line. The machines feature a new, patented separating system that reliably separates threads from
the lease completely without using thread-specific separating elements and without making special
adjustments. Optical sensors check every separated yarn pair before tying, thus preventing a false
double yarn from being tied. The fault can be corrected simply. Depending on yarn material, single
or double knots can be tied, as selected by a simple push of a button. Optimization of the tying
rate is accomplished using the adjustment wheel.

Magma can tie a range of yarns including wool, cotton, linen and other staple yarns, as well
as mono- and multifilaments, polypropylene ribbons, and many other yarn types. The yarn count for
staple fibers ranges from Ne 0.3 to 50 for warps with 1:1 lease. The machine comes equipped with an
optical double-yarn sensor, and single or double knots can be selected easily. The length of knot
ends is variable, with a minimum of 5 mm. The tying frame can be used on all Stäubli type TPF3
tying frames, and easy maintenance is guaranteed, with only regular lubrication needed.

January/February 2010