Matthias Eilert
Marketing Communications Head Forbo Siegling GmbH
Market focus at ITMA has shifted away from Europe to Asia
Germany-based Forbo Movement Systems division is a global leader in supplying high-quality conveyor belts, processing belts, plastic modular belts, power transmission belts and timing and flat belts made of synthetic materials. The company has been complementing the numerous developments in the manufacture of yarn and fabrics together with the textile machine manufacturers for decades. Marketing communications head Matthias Eilert discusses the latest in belting products for the textile niche.
Please tell us in brief about your company.
Our division, i.e., Movement Systems, was founded in the year 1919 in Hanover by Ernst Siegling. Until 1993, it was a family-owned company. We are now a division of a Swiss company named the Forbo Group. From the early beginnings, Forbo Movement Systems (at that time the Siegling company) dealt with belting products, mainly for power transmission applications, under the product brand Extremultus. In the early 1960s, the product range was broadened to light material conveyor belting products (Transilon), and in the 1990s to plastic modular belts (Prolink). Our belting products are nowadays applied in almost every industry and help customers make their operations more efficient, competitive and environment-friendly. With 10 production facilities, six fabrication centres and about 2,500 employees worldwide, we are an international company and one of the market leaders for belting products.
What latest technologies did Forbo Siegling showcase at ITMA 2019?
In the textile industry, our focus has traditionally been on high efficiency tangential belts and power transmission belts for yarn production. This is still an important market segment and we are constantly modifying or improving these products in detail, to make them even more energy efficient, reduce noise levels and increase service life. Apart from that, we are increasingly successful in the fields of textile printing, especially digital printing and non-wovens production. The product range for this application includes web transport belts and cross-lapper belts, numerous fabric types and coating materials. Combinations of these make it possible to customise the mechanical, chemical and electrostatic properties of each belt type. Various top face patterns and types of splices increasingly specialise the belts for each individual conveying task. But even plastic modular belts are more frequently used for non-woven conveying. Our Prolink Series 8 with non-skid surface pattern offers enhanced durability and longer service life due to its robust design features.
To how many countries do you export?
We have 10 production facilities in China, Japan, the United States, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil. Moreover, we have own entities and service partners in more than 50 countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt.
Since how many years has your company been participating in ITMA?
The first ITMA we participated in was the 1987 one in Paris. With a few exceptions, we have taken part in most ITMA editions since then.
What is your opinion of ITMA?
Apparently, ITMA is still an important and prestigious event with a global reach in this industry, even though the market focus has shifted away from Europe to Asia. (HO)
Published on: 15/07/2019
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.
