‘Protectionism, Political Instability, Currency Distortions Could Impact Investment Levels Next Year'

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‘Protectionism, Political Instability, Currency Distortions Could Impact Investment Levels Next Year'

What promise did Stäubli hold for weavers who visited ITMA Asia? The promise of being available for them, take our time to listen to their needs and concerns and to show them our latest product and service solutions at our booth. We strive to anticipate what our end users expect from us on a continuous basis. Our global set-up of our Business Units enables us to be close to our customer base. This helps us better understand future requirements for our product solutions. We had many new products at ITMA Asia which enable our customers to further enhance their performance and productivity in their weaving mills. The feedback we got from the market is very encouraging. Tell us about the benefits of BeamPro yarn repeat reading-in machines in terms of speed, ease of use, cost and energy efficiency and productivity? With our latest product offering for weaving mills utilising the so-called "beam dyed" preparation method, i.e. assembling several differently dyed split-beams through sizing process to eventually get a complete weaver`s beam and hence a perfect warp design with a high quality yarn and pattern sequence, we have attracted a lot of interest. Key benefits are: Minimising idle time: Thanks to its high reading-in rate, the automation solution BEAMPRO reduces idle time by several hours over manual sorting of the warp yarns on sizing machines. Half the personnel costs: Operating the BEAMPRO reading-in machine requires just one person. With the manual method, up to four people are occupied for several hours sorting yarns at the separation area. Saving energy costs: Heat generation requires a significant amount of energy even when the sizing machine is idle. BEAMPRO reduces idle time and thereby reduces the energy consumption for each warp being automatically read in. Boosting productivity: Less idle time means fuller use of the production capacity of the sizing machine. Depending on the production programme, 20-30% more warps can be prepared per shift. What are Stäubli's solutions for knitting segment and their advantages? Stäubli knitting solutions are automation solutions for an increased productivity in the production process of socks, hosiery, medium-to-large diameter underwear, and seamless knitted goods. During ITMA Asia, Stäubli presented two circular sock knitting machines equipped with the revolutionary new D4S toe closing device that closes the toes directly on the knitting machine - automatically, and without any operator intervention. The D4S toe linking device (patents pending) can be mounted on any new circular sock machine with a diameter of 3-½ to 4-½ inches and from 8 to 19 gauge. With the 2900SL electronic controller, the DStyler programming system for knitting patterns, and DData for process monitoring and data recording during knitting, Stäubli offers a complete solution for knitters who demand high overall performance and powerful, user-friendly equipment. Manufacturers that automate their knitting process with these Stäubli solutions will enjoy a significant cost-return ratio and be equipped to deliver products that delight their customers. How has been the response from the Asian mills during ITMA Asia? The response in terms of our product range has been very positive. Besides the new weaving preparation solutions (BEAMPRO mentioned here before, and the SAFIR S30 automatic drawing in machine for 12 and 16 heald carrier rods), we launched the cam box S1692 for air jet and the S2658 rotary dobby for water jet weaving machines. Both machines do perfectly correspond to today's market needs in Asian weaving mills, and especially in China. Whilst the response towards Stäubli was great, we perceived the uncertainty of our customers - protectionism, currency distortions and political instability in certain countries… all factors which inhibit confidence levels of manufacturers and weavers. It is to be expected that investment levels will be going down next year. Automation and Digital are new mantra for the textile machinery sector. How is Stäubli positioned in this area and what next your customers could expect in near future? With our weaving preparation solutions, we are perfectly in line with the automation trend and offer increased benefits to our customers who trust in automatic warp tying, warp leasing, drawing-in and new, with our BEAMPRO machine, reading-in. All these steps can be handmade, but by automating them you gain in overall efficiency, in terms of labour costs, quality and output, to assure a continued weaving process. Stäubli is in a leading position in the weaving sector and customers are expecting innovative novelties from Stäubli. In line with our values, we do want to present products and solutions that bring further benefits, and digitization is one of them. We want to go beyond the hype of digitization and focus on real use cases which will bring benefits to our customers - we are ready to service our customers' needs!