Itema America Acquires Palmetto Loom Reed

(left to right): Itema America CFO Stephanie Ort, Itema America Area Sales Manager Doug Merritt, Itema America President Scott Malcolm, Itema Group Chief Sales and Service Officer Matteo Mutti, Palmetto Loom Reed President and Owner Gladys Richardson, Palmetto Loom Reed Sales Manager Ron Lemonds, and Palmetto Loom Reed Business Development Phillip Gilliland cut the ribbon celebrating Itema America’s acquisition of Palmetto Loom Reed.
Photo — Devin Steele, eTextileCommunucations.com
Itema America, the U.S. subsidiary of Colzate (Bergamo), Italy-based Itema Group, has acquired Greenville, S.C.-based Palmetto Loom Reed, one of the nation’s last domestic reed manufacturers. The move expands Itema’s technical capabilities and underscores a long-term commitment to localized manufacturing support for North American textile producers.

Founded 113 years ago, Palmetto Loom Reed supplies custom weaving reeds and will continue operations with its 18-person team under President Gladys Richardson. “This is the best outcome I could imagine,” Richardson said. “Itema shares our customer-first values and respect for people.”

Itema America President Scott Malcolm called the acquisition “a strategic move toward becoming a full-service domestic partner for the weaving industry.”

Itema Group’s Matteo Mutti added, “Producing reeds on American soil eliminates tariffs and delays — delivering faster, more responsive service to our customers.”

“At a time when others are retrenching, this investment shows confidence in U.S. manufacturing,” Malcolm said. “Itema America is stronger because we’re doing this.”

2026 Quarterly Issue I

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