Andreas von Bismarck
Managing Partner
Terrot GmbH
We already see a strong demand for specialised fabrics and therefore more sophisticated machines since some time, here especially jacquard machines
Where do you see the comprehensive knitting technology market globally?
As the supply chain for textile is always in flow, we also see another shift away from the dominance of China, about the world exports these days it is going through a phase of structural change to more domestic orientation.
Therefore other markets, especially Turkey, are very strong. We will definitely see another allocation of world trade in our field tomorrow and we will stay focused on worldwide presence to be able to react fast, also on future shifts.
Please detail about latest products and innovative solutions exhibiting in the textile industry.
Actually, I have not seen many real new things from our competition, especially if I remember the ITMA Barcelona 2012 and the one before in Munich. Machine speeds and fine gauge for standard single machines were the main subjects at both fairs. But it is a limited view on demand and innovation.
Spacer fabrics have an extensive utility in multifarious products. How do you see anew state-of-the-art as well as its demand globally?
Even if you cannot bring all heights of spacers on a circular knitting machine, we have a wide spectrum of design and function along with a very efficient production. As Terrot is already known since decades for the best double jersey machines in the world, we had already a very good starting point for further developments in spacers.
We are continuously developing and currently supplying solutions to many different customers around the globe in different applications, such as mattress, automotive, outerwear, sportswear, medical application etc. We believe that this segment is also a growing niche.
What is your overview with technological advancement in the coming years? What challenges do you envision?
We already see a strong demand for specialised fabrics and therefore more sophisticated machines since some time, here especially jacquard machines. This is not related to one specific niche, then to many different applications as mattress ticking, sportswear, decorative fabrics and technical applications.
Terrot has arisen to the world innovation leader in this field, which you can see in the development of our sales figures against competition here. The best examples therefore are our development projects in mattress ticking with world leading customers or our new E28 transfer machine with a special-hole structure for unseen and unmatched fabrics. This special technique and structure is patented therefore only available with us.
This has potential to revolutionize the fabric side of jacquard knitting, as everybody else is convinced that circular knitting itself cannot bring something really new any more.
How do you see the innovation-driven textile industry following sustainability?
Sustainability is already part of the textile chain, but I am still missing a combined and coordinated approach. We are working on projects to reduce the overall running costs of machines, dramatically as we all will have to face the gap between demand and supply especially of raw materials more and more.
How has Terrot planned its vital moves for the year ahead? Please tell us about any significant accession.
Terrot is the manufacturer of circular knitting machines in the world with the longest experience – this makes a difference! We are happy to celebrate our 150th anniversary this year and welcome the world to our home in Germany. We believe - as the only ones - in exclusive German based manufacturing and we are the only ones continuously growing in the last years.
For us, this is the best evidence that customers and markets evaluate as more convincing then statements that the capacity can only be uphold when moves to China and Eastern Europe bring their impact.
This is especially important because innovation is the only qualification to sustainable and long-term success for us, also our customers and this would not found better then here.
(In an interview with Fibre2Fashion Correspondent Cindrella Thawani)
How would you address an act to scale up the value chain and to increase productivity?
Increase in productivity comes along either with a more productive circular knitting machine itself or with a machine which can combine certain processes already existing.
For the circular knitting machine itself, we have found ways to increase the number of feeders in many of our machine types as we did not compromise the quality in fabric and the flexibility of the machines as well as the efficiency.
Of course, also the speed of the machine has an important impact, but as we see skill levels of textile workers worldwide declining and also decrease of yarn quality combined with cost explosion, we do not believe that only speed is an appropriate answer as you mainly increase your potential for faults.
About the combination of processes, we have stated already, with the first deliveries of before mentioned E28 transfer machine (72 feeders on 30”) to bring much higher productivity and flexibility into the markets as you can knit unlimited jacquard pattern combinations with real hole structures together.
Another field where we will also be bringing innovation is the process of combining certain spinning elements with the knitting process – our FiberKnit.
We are in the phase to bring machine to a real production test and as we have a different technical concept as competition, we know that efficiency and productivity will be higher with our solution.
You are a leading global textile and garment machinery consultant. Where do you see the market potential in the coming years?
I believe, we have already been able to explain in short the trends and innovations we are focusing on and where you also can expect further news from Terrot in the future.
Published on: 02/04/2012
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.
