Zimmer's Bulk Fabric Digital Print Solutions Are A Hit In India

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Zimmer's Bulk Fabric Digital Print Solutions Are A Hit In India

Zimmer digital printing technology is well-established in the Indian market. And as demand for home textiles remains high, Zimmer digital printing solutions for printing bulky fabrics like terry towels, blankets, etc., will gain further momentum, believes S. Rajendran, Senior Vice President, Textile Engineering - Processing, Accessories and Customer Support, A.T.E. Enterprises. What's new in the digital printing business segment for terry towels in terms of products, services? Zimmer's digital towel printing machine has been a great success for many years. This has led to a significant global market share for this machine. Zimmer is one of the first companies in the world to print wet-on-wet, having a pre-treatment online (replacing the conventional method of chemical application by a separate process using a different machine) enabling deep penetration of colour into the yarn. A range of users from sports clubs to big restaurants are looking for reliable suppliers for their requirements of advertising and promotional towels. The Zimmer towel printing machine is perfectly suited to meet the demand for high quality printed towels. A.T.E. takes care of the after sales services of Zimmer machines covering installation, commissioning, and trouble-shooting. A.T.E. has a well-trained and highly experienced service team, committed to delivering excellent customer service. Even during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns, our engineers were always at the service of our customers, earning customer appreciation for our commitment to service. How has the digital printing market for terry towels in India evolved since ITMA 2019? Three Zimmer digital towel printing machines are successfully working in India. Though many customers had evinced good interest in this machine during the ITMA 2019 and a number of enquiries were generated, many projects have been put on hold due to the pandemic. With the home textiles business in India growing strongly overall, we are confident that many terry towel manufacturers will go in for investments in this area in the next two years. As the market is fully aware of the benefits of Zimmer digital printing for printing bulky fabrics like terry towels, blankets, etc., this will surely spur the demand for Zimmer digital printing machine. According to you, how will the markets pan out in 2021 and 2022? As the economy is recovering in Europe and USA, the demand for home textiles is increasing. In my opinion, the business will pick up from Q2 of this financial year and the trend will continue for at least the next three years. We expect many digital printing projects to come up during 2021 and 2022. Quick-Fire Round With S. Rajendran Two things that will drive environmental sustainability in textile printing?

Usage of pigments for printing will drive environmental sustainability since pigments do not require washing after printing and curing.
Growth of digital printing itself will enhance environmental sustainability since the digital printing does not require any cleaning process for a changeover of design/colour unlike conventional printing systems, which consume a largevolume of water for these cleaning processes.

Two innovations that the Indian terry towel industry has developed with the help of Zimmer technology?

Printing of photographic designs
Better colour yield by using online pre-treatment

Two exemplary features of Zimmer machines?

Print head with ink circulation system
User-friendly software

Two important business goals for you in 2021?

Create good references for blanket printing in India
Provide complete after sales services including technological services in India

Two business principles that are the reasons for Zimmer's success in this business segment in India?

No compromise on quality leading to excellent prints and high machine reliability
Adequate training to the end users for the optimum usage of the technology.