Benefitting first and foremost from the recovery will be those sectors which proved more dynamic even during times of crisis. The non-woven fabrics market heads this list, as it has been capable of exploiting the increasingly widespread demand for disposable products in the health-care and personal hygiene sectors. This growth driver will also be flanked by the needs of enhanced infrastructures in many emerging Countries.

Once again, such a mid-term scenario appears to favour machinery manufacturers who are already well positioned in highly dynamic niche markets, or are capable of doing so rapidly, fulfilling the need for highly innovative content in products and production processes. Other textile machinery builders who are more explicitly tied to traditional textile manufacturing will need to enhance their efforts to adapt their technology to the demands of those now controlling strategic decisions (what and where to produce, at what prices, and which consumers to sell to): i.e. large-scale distribution.

Today's market dynamics are increasingly controlled by large-scale distribution, whose decision-making clout stems from the fact that they have surpassed manufacturers in terms of sheer size. Thus, rapid deliveries and minimal stock levels can no longer be considered merely "irritating" or "costly" services provided to a few customers, but have, on the contrary, become the markets very basis and a crucial competitive factor for efficient manufacturers.

The ability to readily and quickly customize products is indeed a factor which, at least in terms of product quality, represents a major option for the future of textile and apparel manufacturing in Europe and Italy. These end-market trends translate into business models that have by now become consolidated, such as fast fashion. As explained in detail in the 2009 Focus, textile machinery manufacturers that will enjoy success are those capable of proposing a flexible production model, adapting to the needs of the industry downstream.

Courtesy: ACIMIT

Originally published in New Cloth Market: July 2009