Itema is a leading global provider of advanced weaving solutions, including best-in-class weaving machines, spare parts and integrated services.The Company is the only manufacturer in the world to provide the top three weft insertion technologies: rapier, airjet and projectile, with an ample product portfolio and a commitment to continuous innovation and technological advancement of its weaving machines.Itema is a trusted partner of many Indian weaving mills, from large textile conglomerates to smaller textile manufacturers, providing the most advanced and user-friendly weaving technology and real-time assistance, from the initial negotiation stage and throughout the whole machine life cycle.
Itema showcased at SITEX a rapier R9500-2 weaving machine, in weaving width 3800mm and equipped with a Stäubli LXM 5376 hooks Jacquard shedding machine. The machine on display in Stäubli booth wove a fabric traditionally produced in the mills of the Region and was configured to meet the local weavers production needs.
SITEX was also the official launch of the partnership between Itema and the leading Italian circular knitting machines manufacturer Cesare Colosio for the marketing and distribution of the company highly innovative machines in India. With this partnership Itema expands its portfolio of textile products, thus creating a significant benefit for all the Indian textile companies that need both the Itema and the Colosio machinery, that share the same attention to innovation and excellence that Itema guarantees to its customers.
Itema is present in India with a fully-operational branch since 2002, counting more than 50 employees, with sales and after-sales teams, technical support and advanced repair centres to ensure the highest possible standard of weaving solutions, with a complete offering and range of services to its valuable Customers in the Indian market.
Sameer Kulkarni – General Manager Sales, Itema Weaving India Pvt Ltd spoke with the Textile Value Chain. Excerpts:
How was Sitex 2022 exhibition for your company?
Sitex turned out to be a great opportunity to meet our customers and an impressive number of potentialnew investors. The textile industry of the Surat region is experiencing a real momentum, with weaving mills working at full capacity. We received many inquiries from weavers that are planning to modernise their weaving equipment, and Itema is the right partner to rely on since we provide the latest weaving technology coupled with real-time assistance and maximum customer care.
Tell us about new innovations displayed at Sitex 2022
At Sitex we exhibited our absolute best-seller in the region, the Itema rapier R9500-2. Displayed in Stäubli booth, the weaving machine was configured to weave saree fabric and to perfectly meet the local mills’ weaving needs. In addition to the R9500-2, the Itemaairjet A9500-2 and the Itema rapier R9500-2denim aroused a lot of interest, also due to the main innovations they are featuring such as the waste selvedge eraser iSAVER® and the Itema proprietary technology heald-frames SKYFRAME®.iSAVER® represents the first sustainable innovation in the weaving process, enabling the weaver to save money whilst reducing cotton and water wastage. SKYFRAME®, on the airjet side, ensures maximum performances even at the highest speed. Another important news introduced by Itema at Sitex is the commercial partnership with the leading Italian circular knitting machines manufacturer Cesare Colosio for the marketing and distribution of the company’s highly innovative machines in India. With this partnership we expand our portfolio of textile products, thus creating a significant benefit for all the Indian textile companies that need both the Itema and the Colosio machineries.
How was covid phase ie year 2020 and 2021 for you in terms of managing employees, profits, operations etc
We had two clear priorities in our crisis response. Our number one priority has been to ensure the health and safety of our people and their families. The second priority has been to ensure business continuity: to deliver our products and to provide service to our customers.
In all our health and safety measures, we follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization and Indian health authorities, and we followed the Itema Group specificpolicy, named Stronger Together Against Covid-19, to ensure our employees the maximum safety when working in our premises and even when going back home.Thanks to this, we have been capable to safeguard our employee’s health and we have been able to assist our customers in the usual effective way.
What is the future you see in your industry in terms of growth in jacquard market and overall textile industry?
The textile industry in India is growing year on year. Beside the fabric production for exports, we are experiencing a significant growth of the internal demand.
Looking at the Jacquard market, it has grown significantly in recent years due to continuous expansion of domestic market, especially for Saree production, and constant rise of both domestic and export demand of home furnishing fabrics. As Itema we are leading the Jacquard market due to the renowned textile mastery of our rapier looms and the demand for our technology is steadily increasing due to our looms capability to weave even the most difficult styles and yarns, guaranteeing superior fabric’s quality. Particularly, what weavers appreciate the most in our weaving technology when producing Saree and furnishing fabrics is the possibility to weave designs with weft densities variations and the ability to successfully handle fancy yarns, from coarsest to finest.
We see a flourishing future for textiles in India overall, and we are proud to see Indian textile companies evolving by choosing the latest textile technologies and improving their supply chain.
What advise do you give to new entrepreneur, start up, new generation who are joining textile industry?
The textile industry is fascinating and there is still much room for growth. Particularly, investigating the market to detect trends is of crucial importance. Investing in the right market segment represents a key factor for succeeding.
