ITEMA Is Experiencing Amazing Results In Sales Worldwide In The First Half Of 2015

Rendezvous

ITEMA Is Experiencing Amazing Results In Sales Worldwide In The First Half Of 2015

India contributed to ITEMA's strong growth in 2014. How did you achieve that?

In India, we had a growth of more than 100%, which was beyond expectations. Overall, the company grew by around 60%, even as the market, overall declined by some 30%. We introduced our new Airjet portfolio last year, that received excellent response in India. ITEMA is the only weaving machines manufacturer that provides the market with a complete range of airjet machines with the three models A9500e, A9500 and the premium A9500p, to perfectly answer the exact needs of the weavers. We already have a long list of satisfied customers, not just from the corporate sector, but also from clusters such as Ichalkaranji.

Another leading actor of the excellent results of ITEMA in India is the rapier R9500, which has affirmed itself as the most innovative rapier loom on the worldwide market today and represents half of ITEMA's revenues from weaving machines. The R9500 has attained the status of global best-seller due to its proven technological superiority and innate capability to weave virtually every type of fabric - as diverse as home textile, apparel and technical, to name just a few. This year had started slow, but has begun picking up in the last two months. We are confident of going beyond our targets this year too. Another reason for ITEMA's success is the renewed focus on becoming a customer centric organisation, which has resulted in good recognition from clients.

So we are finally seeing investments picking up in weaving in India?

Yes, a number of large groups have spelt out their investment plans. Clusters like Ichalkaranji have been investing in high end Japanese and European looms for the last four years. Bhilwara is another important market today. In fact, even Bhiwandi weavers who had shifted from shuttle looms to Chinese looms, are now opting for high end looms. Gujarat and Maharashtra are attractive investment destinations due to their textile policies. Home textiles and shirting are attracting most of the investments. The ambiguity on TUFS is putting a spanner in the works however, with a number of projects getting delayed. Banks are becoming quite cautious when lending to the industry.

What are your expectations from ITMA 2015?

We have some big developments in the pipeline about to be launched, including our new and much-awaited rapier machine specialised for terry weaving, with some very interesting features. ITEMA is a leader in rapier machines, and we believe this one, following closely in the tracks of the overwhelming success of R9500, is destined for greatness as well. This innovative machine will find a good market in India, where 20% of a textile unit's weaving is reserved for rapier for high GSM products. Innovations and technological advancements will be displayed in ITEMA's booth, and furthermore ITEMA will play at home, being the company based in Italy. Customers will have the chance to visit our premises and our excellent production site. I expect this year's ITMA to focus on weaving and processing technologies. Indian visitors will be prominent this time.

What are ITEMA's plans for making in India?

We do not have any plans yet simply because of the uneconomical size of the market. And the Indian market will not touch the viable annual size of 6000-10000 high end machines in the near future. Spinning has achieved that level, so we see almost every important spinning machinery maker in India today. Weaving and processing will take time. One also needs a good vendor base, which the country lacks today.