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French textile machinery manufacturers are particularly strong in long fibre spinning (wool, acrylic …), yarn twisting and control (including technical yarns), space-dyeing, heat setting for carpet yarns, carpet systems, dyeing and finishing, felts and belts for finishing processes, nonwovens, air conditioning of textile plants, and recycling processes of textile materials. With a total annual consolidated turnover of 1 billion Euros, they are the sixth textile machinery exporters worldwide and a major partner of the Turkish textile industry. We thank Evelyne Cholet, Secretary General, UCMTF for this kind contribution to our magazine.
Please introduce UCMTF, the French Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers
With about 30 companies, members of our association, France is the sixth textile machinery exporter worldwide.
We are particularly strong in long fibre spinning (wool, acrylic …), yarn twisting and control (including technical yarns), space-dyeing, heat setting for carpet yarns, carpet systems, dyeing and finishing, felts and belts for finishing processes, nonwovens, air conditioning of textile plants, and recycling processes of textile materials.
Just a few examples:
- in long fibre spinning, N. SCHLUMBERGER is the world leader for, combing, recombing spinning preparation, tow to top and semi-worsted for wool, acrylic, silk, linen, precious fibres and technical fibres,
- in yarn processing and control, FIL CONTROL offers a state-of-the-art range of yarn cutters, yarn break sensors and quality control equipments. The equipments are installed by many machinery manufacturers and sold directly to the textile producers,
- in carpet manufacturing processes, SUPERBA, member of the Vandewiele family of companies, is the world leader in space dyeing and heat setting for carpet yarn,
- in dyeing and finishing ALLIANCE TEXTILE MACHINES is offering round-shape and long-shape, rotating beam dyeing machines,
- for the dyeing and finishing industrialists, DOLLFUS & MULLER supplies textile dryer belts and endless special felts,
- in air conditioning, AESA Air Engineering supplies complete textile air engineering systems in order to maintain the required temperature and humidity adapted to each type of fiber (cotton, rayon, polyester, blends, wool, acrylic),
- in the fast-growing recycling processes LAROCHE is a world leader in many applications fields: from industrial wastes or “post-consumer” garments to airlaid nonwovens recycled products,
- in converting equipment for web form products SPOOLEX offers slitting, rewinding and spooling solutions (Calemard brand) and continuous ultrasonic cutting and welding ( Decoup+ brand).
- PETIT offers a unique permanent storage capacity of spare parts.
How was your business in 2018 and which are your forecasts for 2019?
Each of these last years, the annual turnovers have been quite stable around 1 billion Euros but there have been changes. In 2018, the Chinese market, our most important market, has been still contracting, but the US market has been booming. In Turkey, after a short-lived slowdown in 2016, orders have picked up in 2017 but slowed again in 2018. In India, some of our companies are doing extremely well but another thing it is still a little slow. There are also changes in the type of products made with the machines. Sales of machines to produce traditional textiles (apparel) have slowed but sales of machines to produce technical textiles, carpeting or to recycle textiles have soared.
We start 2019 with very good backlogs. Then our deliveries will be good. The uncertainty is about order intakes. On the long run, the textile consumption is very stable with low single digit growth, and then the production is also very stable globally. But big changes may happen in the geographical location of the production. The United States and China are discussing on tariffs and trade. What will the outcome be, it is very difficult to know. Such uncertainties may have some effects on the investments decisions, there may be some postponements but the need to modernize the production process is still there to improve the production costs, to have more flexible processes and offer high quality products with zero defects. There may be macroeconomic turbulences but, on the ground, realities are much more stable than suggested by the international headlines.
And what about the Turkish market?
Your market is our second or third. There are ups and downs but what is really important is that our relationships with the Turkish textile producers are very easy because our strategy is exactly the same as our Turkish customers’ strategies. It is to be reliable long-term solution partners for our customers. Both, we are not looking for short term profits but to make our companies stronger and stronger, to seize the markets opportunities and be able to absorb the difficult years. We are mainly family owned, leaders or co-leaders in their markets, same as our Turkish customers who are long-term minded entrepreneurs. The stability of our teams (owners, sales managers, technicians, agents and local representatives) allows our companies to go well beyond the purely technical and address the objectives of our customers. As we are machinery and technology solution partners, our Turkish customers are very interested to work with us to implement innovative, “couture” solutions; they know that we deliver and erect the machines on time, give an excellent after sale service and deliver spare parts very efficiently. As an association, UCMTF is very active on the Turkish market. We promote the French exhibitors at ITM in Istanbul. In Gaziantep, we have been the first association to organize a national pavilion; it was back in 1995, more than 20 years ago! In Gaziantep and in Izmir, we have regularly, about every 3 years, organized seminars to meet our Turkish customers and show them our latest developments. Last but not least, we have very close relationships with the Turkish textile press, with you particularly.
What are you expecting from ITMA 2019 in Barcelona?
I believe ITMA 2019 exhibitors and visitors will focus on new technologies including sustainability and the so-called industry 4.0. Sustainability has become a major demand by the final customers, then the retailers and the major brands have been asking our clients to offer products with the least possible impact on our planet. The raw materials used are impacted, the recycled products are very much in demand as well as products made from natural raw materials which have not too much environmental inprints. The production process must also be very efficient not to waste raw material, to save energy and water. We have been very active not only in promoting savings of each machine but also from the whole production line. To achieve this goal, cooperation are needed between two or more machinery producers. We have been active to promote such cooperations. Industry 4.0 is becoming a reality in the textile industry. In fact it is already a reality in some factories and it will expand much quicker than most people envision. In today’s global competition, the gap between the fast moving and the low moving competitors is widening at an incredible speed but great ideas are useless without the right execution. Let’s try to propose a definition of the factory 4.0. It is a factory in which data are collected through sensors or radio frequency identification tags ( RFID) at each step of the production process, analyzed on line and automated decisions are made instantly to improve the process inside a factory or between two factories whether inside the same company or with clients or suppliers’ factories. We, as technology partners, have to offer not only innovative (each year we introduce some improvements in our machines) but disruptive solutions. The internet of things is certainly the main way not only to improve the process of each machine but the whole line production process.
If you had only one message to tell our readers, what would it be?
Amid the growing volatility of the world economies, we are confident in our companies’ and our customers’ ability to achieve their long-term ambitions. Our DNA is R&D, speed to market approach, excellence of our day to day cooperation with our customers. Our teams have been working very hard to surprise our customers next June at ITMA in Barcelona. We are looking forward to welcome on our booths our well-known customers and new interested parties.
