Textile’s magic is weaving, weaving’s master is Itema: History tracing back to almost 200 years, being present with its own branches, affiliates and agents in more than 100 countries and with more than 300,000 operating weaving machines are the basic definitions to describe Itema in the market. Furthermore, the belief on innovation is what makes Itema different.
Textile is among the rare industry sectors surrounding and shaping people’s daily lives. And usually,when it is mentioned, the first thing that comes to minds are fabrics, especially woven fabrics. We look at the end product as the result of a long production process in the jacket we wear, a furniture in our homes and a towel. Mostly, we don’t realize they are woven fabrics.Turning fabrics in many kinds and colors into a desired fabric, the weaving machine is the heart of textile business.Weft and warp yarns create a colourful world by meeting at high speeds just like magic: welcome to the weaving world.
Textile’s magic is weaving, weaving’s master is Itema
The creators of these weaving machines which are the heart of this world, are kind of secret heroes. Known closely by sector professionals, these machines actually put their signs on every woven fabric. One of these signs respected throughout the world belongs to Itema. This sign has a prestigious status beyond a standard machine manufacturer with a rooted history for nearly 200 years, rich product range and high quality service. The only brand offering today projectile, rapier and airject weaving technologies all together is Itema.
Organizing in 2016 for the first time an Innovation Roadshow in Bursa – the center of Turkish textile and weaving sector – Itema made a new roadshow in March 2017 as a result of the previous year success and to meet the high demand. Rapier and airjet technologies’ technical details and competitive advantages were presented to the Bursa weavers. Held in the Itema Customer’s mill R.E. Öz-Eli Tekstil, the Itema Innovations Roadshow showcased a bunch of outperforming rapier R9500 and created wonders in high speeds airjet A9500 machine. Itema Group Sales and Marketing Director Christian Straubhaar made an open and honest communication with customers during the event.
Listening to their needs and demands, Mr Straubhaar shared informationabout machines’ innovations and Itema mission. . Hosting more than 200 visitors, on the second day, Straubhaar made an interview with us. Stating that this event is very important in terms of joining to the local market as well as presentation of the new products, Straubhaar underlines a visionary company’s viewpoint.
Turkish Textilers Focus on Tomorrow not Today
Saying that Turkey has always been an important market for Itema and in the past for Sulzer, Somet and Vamatex, Christian Straubhaar states that despite the political and economical uncertainty, entrepreneurs continue to invest. Expressing that ‘Turkish investors focus on tomorrow’s opportunities instead of today’s hard conditions’, Mr Straubhaar records that Turkish investors continue to equip their facilities with new machines that’s why the Italian Company foresee a positive outlook for this market in 2017.
Indicating that they lead the customers as a partner in investment process, Mr Straubhaar states that Itema formulates the best offer according to expert sales team and great textile market know-how. Mr Straubhaar makes these statements about expectation of getting the highest quality at the lowest cost: ‘The greatest expectation of Turkish weavers is no sacrifice of quality. We received great feedbacks from the market since we released our rapier machine R9500 in 2012 and we proved our quality and reliability in the years. Turkish Customers also demand more affordable costs. We provide the most certain and reliable answer in terms of matching quality and cost with 2 years of warranty on our machines.’
Itema ‘s Secret of Success; R&D and Innovation
Saying that R&D is one of the most important subjects in weaving technologies, Christian Straubhaar underlines that they made a difference on the area where everybody stated to focus on innovation. Straubhaar says; ‘We have two different R&D centers. One of them focuses on the development of existing machines and the other one; called ItemaLab – focuses on completely new ideas. We believe that approaching innovation separately instead of limiting it under one roof is the right decision. This concept is our secret to success. R&D is actually a platform where we test ourselves, that’s why we push further and further our limits. ’
There has been a great competition in textile sector. Mr Straubhaar; whom we asked what kind of support Itema offers to textilers in this competition; points out the importance of innovation once again; ‘We present flexible solutions for all kind of fabrics to be woven. You need to offer tools that meet customers’ demands, so we push the limits of what’s possible with our machines. In these market conditions where styles change rapidly, we guarantee superior fabric quality as well as high production speeds. Our looms unique advantage is also the minimum weft waste; leading to a relevant reduction of running costs for the weaver. Even this aspect can surpass a machine’s price tag considering the great overall investment.’
Industry 4.0 Revolution Changes Everything
Industry 4.0 influencing on a global base, opens new doors in manufacturing. So, how can textilers especially weavers benefit from this process? Christian Straubhaar has very clear views on this matter; ‘We live Industry 4.0 more powerfully with Itema’s innovation concept. Automation features increasing efficiency, flexibility and ease of use take place more dominantly on our machines. For instance, thanks to LoomBrowser feature the machine can run; completing the work and calculating efficiency and production rates while you’re sleeping. Itema machines will always be full of these kinds of innovations. Because, as Itema we have the vision and know-how to turn innovative ideas into reality.’