Stäubli To Help India Turn Into Biggest Textile Exporter: Fritz Legler

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Stäubli To Help India Turn Into Biggest Textile Exporter: Fritz Legler

Stäubli which has played a pioneering role for textile weaving mills globally and has held fort in India since 1947, more than lived up to expectations in the recently concluded ITMACH India 2017 exhibition held at Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat. The company has a chquered history of 126 years globally. In an exclusive electronic interview with Textile Excellence Special Correspondent Venkatesh Raghavan, the Stäubli Vice President, Fritz Legler expresses his views on future industry prospects in India and abroad.

Tell us more about your automatic weaving preparation machines that were on display at ITMACH India 2017.

Physically at ITMACH we displayed the TOPMATIC warp tying machine on the TPF tying frame. Renown for its quality construction, this machine is already running reliably by the thousands day in day out in mills around the world. The machine is easy to handle, can be adapted rapidly to the need of the application (single or double knot / yarn range) and runs at high speeds whilst ensuring constantly gentle yarn handling. Thus it supports the efficiency, both time-and quality wise of the automated warp tying process in weaving. The TOPMATIC has the highest market share of any Warp Tying machines in India.

In addition Stäubli presented its SAFIR series of modern drawing-in systems that automatically draw yarn directly from the warp beam into the weaving harness, thereby achieving a productivity level 5 to 10 times higher than with manual drawing in. No subsequent tying operation is necessary. Customers may choose one of the four models, two main installation set ups, and find the machine that best suits their needs.

We offer the following drawing-in systems for ready use:

1. Stationary drawing in machine with mobile drawing in trucks

SAFIR S60 for universal applications

SAFIR S80 for complex applications – even two-beams or more than 20 heald frames

2. Mobile drawing in machine with stationary drawing in station(s)

SAFIR S30 for filament & blended yarns

SAFIR S40 for denim, bed linen, shirting fabrics

Featuring latest technologies, all machines can be handled by one person and the mill benefits from better-structured process flow and thereby expands its potential.

You have had a long and successful presence in India since 1947. What are the changes you have witnessed in the Indian market over the years?

Traditionally the Indian mills are mostly equipped with rapier or air jet weaving machines. With the continuously increasing demand for synthetics, water jet weaving machines are gaining ground in India as well. The Indian textile industry is moving up market – many demanding weaving & fabric applications have seen the light of day over the years. It is also interesting to ascertain as to what far-reaching development steps India is taking in areas of highly technical textiles.

As Stäubli has been developing shed-formation solutions for the textile industry since 1892, we are able to offer a broad range of products that closely match the needs of modern weaving mills. Continuous innovation and high performance for the industry are our steadfast overarching goals. For quality frame weaving we offer the S3000/S3200 Series of electronic rotary dobbies that assure long service lives under most difficult environmental conditions and at highest speeds for a continued quality output of meters and meters of fabric. At ITMACH for instance the latest model S3260 could be seen operating a denim application at a speed of 1050 rpm. Always anticipating and facing the market requirements in terms of applications, Stäubli launched the S3061 and S3062 for water jet applications already in 2016. These shed forming solutions are delivered together with a new generation of low maintenance high position transmissions that help reduce operation costs for our customers.

How was the response to your display at ITMACH India 2017?

The three side open booth was visitor friendly and our team could warmly welcome a great number of existing and prospective customers. Lots of projects could be discussed and finalized. The benefits of Stäubli technology was acknowledged at the exhibition.

Gujarat profited from additional incentives in recent years which are stopped this year. This helped many mill to invest in latest technology from Stäubli – be it into shed forming technology like dobbies, cam motions or jacquard machines or warp tying or automatic drawing-in machines.

It is to be assumed that the industry is now weighing its future investment needs with a view to still profit from ongoing nation-wide incentive schemes. Major players in this area do not really need incentives anyway since they are financially strong and sound and they will invest no matter what.

Automation trends are prevailing – here Stäubli will be at the forefront of providing customers with far-reaching solutions.

What were the high points in this exhibition you have taken home?

When walking through the fair ground, we were glad to see the vast number of Stäubli products present on different booths. Our shed forming solutions were seen on almost every weaving machine present at the show. This fact motivates us to carry on inventing solutions for our global customers.

It was clearly noticeable that Stäubli solutions are in demand in India. We had a very positive 2017 in India – be it for our dobbies, cam motions or particularly also our jacquard machines. On top of this, there was a very positive trend to further investments into automatic drawing-in and warp tying machines. This trend was clearly confirmed during ITMACH - we expect many new projects to materialize during the new year.

What are your future plans for the Indian market?

Our team is in place and keeps growing – it ranges from sales to service with all the necessary local expertise. Customers value our local presence. Stäubli India also offers in-house trainings as well as support operational customer teams in case of deviations. Maintenance or spare parts schemes are locally offered and appreciated by our customers. This will be intensified going forward. Highest possible utilization of plant is key to Indian customers. We want to foster this even more.

Furthermore, we want to bring more of our latest product launches to the Indian market. Your market shows additional potential and tomorrow any mill owner can immediately profit from rapid ROI when investing for instance in automation technology of our weaving preparation solutions. Thus Stäubli supports mill owners and decision makers to be prepared for ongoing pressure on quality and cost competitiveness.

We are eager to support the Indian initiative to become one of the biggest exporters of textiles in future. Let`s go this extra mile together!