Further strengthen our presence in Asia, Europe & US
Since 1854, Amann has been one of the leading international manufacturers of high-quality sewing threads, embroidery threads and smart yarns. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Bodo Bölzle, CEO, Amann Group, speaks about the challenges the company faced during the pandemic, the opportunities arising from smart conductive threads which it has invested in, and future plans.
What is the global market size for the sewing and embroidery thread industry?
The global market size for threads is almost infinite. Most people only think about the apparel sector, which is the classic application field for sewing threads. However, our threads are also used for footwear & accessories, embroidery, home interior, automotive applications as well as for technical applications.
What are the challenges that the textile industry faces? What steps are being taken or can be taken to meet the challenges?
Our industry is a very dynamic industry. However, sewing thread is still the number one component used to connect textiles. Sewing threads are also becoming increasingly important for other textile branches, such as technical textiles.
But the most important challenge the textile industry is facing today is about sustainability. The textile industry has to become more sustainable! We at Amann put great importance on sustainable production processes and a sustainable product range. Also, the UN is aware of this and has nominated Amann as a role model for sustainability in the thread industry.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the sewing threads market?
In the beginning of the pandemic, the entire industry was affected. A lot of manufacturing companies had to shut down their production sites for a certain period due to local lockdowns. At Amann, for instance we started to produce face masks to overcome the sudden high demand for medical equipment. At the beginning of the pandemic, the demand of our consumer division Mettler products had increased much, as many people had started making sewing masks or other things privately during the lockdown.
Which are your major markets for sewing and embroidery threads? And which are the emerging markets?
The major application field for sewing and embroidery threads is still the apparel sector. We also have a portfolio of different threads for footwear and accessories as well as for home interior. An emerging market is the automotive industry, where sewing threads are used for seating and interior systems and also for safety--critical applications such as airbags or seatbelts. Another emerging market is the technical sector, which has diverse applications.
What is the annual production capacity at your units?
In 2019, Amann had a turnover of €200 million worldwide, out of which approximately 70 per cent were generated from the apparel sector.
What kind of opportunities arise from smart conductive threads? And in which sectors?
Sewing and embroidery can create conductive structures in textiles, which can be applied in the textile industry as well as in electrical engineering and microsystems technology. Our conductive threads, which can transfer electricity or data are mainly used in the fields of smart textiles and medical textiles.
What is the annual budget allocated towards R&D?
We have over 150 projects in R&D per year. Research and innovation are an integral part of our processes and a pillar of our success. We regard ourselves as the interface between market and customer, translating individual requirements and ideas into textile concepts. Our interdisciplinary teams develop individual solutions for special threads or smart yarns in close cooperation with our customers.
How have revenues been in the last two years and what is the target set for the next two? What are your future plans?
Naturally, we have also been affected by the pandemic, but we recovered well and fast. Our aim is to further strengthen our presence in Asia, Europe and US, and to further enhance our sustainable product range.
Published on: 12/08/2021
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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