#Associations

2019-12-19

VDMA "Turn of the year 2019 / 2020" report: industry, topics and perspectives

The general conditions for the textile machinery industry and for mechanical engineering as a whole are characterized by great uncertainty. Internationally, protectionism continues to increase and a final settlement of the US-Chinese trade conflict is not expected in the near future.

The economic decline has continued up to the third quarter. A drastic market revival is not yet foreseeable. At the same time, digitalisation continues to progress. It is a challenge for existing processes and traditional structures, but at the same time opens up opportunities for new services and business models.

Implementing digitalisation

The VDMA accompanies digitalisation efforts of its members with numerous strategic and practical initiatives, studies and guidelines. Recent examples include a whitepaper that provides assistance in getting started with Big Data projects and highlights the challenges and opportunities of the necessary corporate change. And, the VDMA Startup-Machine, which is now very well used, helps members in a practical way to transfer a new and often different innovation culture into their companies: Startup Radar screens global startup trends and identifies suitable cooperation partners from the international startup scene.

Award ceremony of the Walter Reiners Foundation (source: ITM/TU Dresden)

Representation of interests

The representation of interests in the VDMA must pierce thick boards because of exaggerated bureaucracy. Well-meant is often unfortunately not well done. This starts with the Posted Workers Directive and does not stop even for medium-sized companies with the possible accompanying symptoms of the National Action Plan on Human Rights.

Climate policy, 5G network

The VDMA takes up definite position on climate policy. The current conglomeration of levies, taxes and levies on energy sources does not meet the challenges of climate policy. VDMA President Carl Martin Welcker advocates CO2 pricing for all energy sources within a market economy system. In the medium to long term, the market must be controlled by the CO2 price. And not only in Germany, but worldwide, the VDMA President's message to politicians is "in a nutshell".

In close cooperation with particularly five other associations the VDMA has enabled the 3.7 - 3.8 GHz band in the 5G spectrum from 3.4 to 3.8 GHz for private companies. Now the allocation of the local frequencies for the industry begins. A newly formed 5G User Group within the VDMA will develop a guideline "5G in Mechanical Engineering" in cooperation with Fraunhofer IIS.

ITMA Barcelona and CEMATEX

The ITMA in Barcelona was undoubtedly the industry highlight in 2019. The exhibition grounds were not only fully booked, but also overbooked. Never before have so many exhibitors from all over the world (1,717 exhibitors and over 105,000 trade visitors from 137 countries) demonstrated the reputation of ITMA as the leading trade fair.

By decision of the board of the Walter Reiners Foundation student excursions to the ITMA were organized and supported by the VDMA with about 100,000 euros. More than 300 students from eight universities took the opportunity to experience high-tech live and hands-on in Barcelona under the guidance of their lecturers.

The delegation of the VDMA in the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers Cematex hosted a General Assembly of the committee in Hamburg in September. Cematex President Fritz P. Mayer reported on the negotiations with the Chinese partners on the continuation of the ITMA ASIA from 2022. With a view to the medium- and long-term positioning of the leading trade fair ITMA, a strategy group was formed comprising company representatives from Belgium, Italy and Switzerland as well as Ms. Regina Brückner, chairperson of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association.

Walter Reiners-Stiftung (Foundation)

Promotion and Creativity Awards of the Walter Reiners-Stiftung (Foundation) for German textile machinery industry 2019 were presented by the chairman of the foundation, Peter D. Dornier, in Dresden to six young talents at the International Textile Conference of the institutes from Aachen, Dresden and Denkendorf. Next year the conference will take place in Stuttgart. The VDMA supports the aims of further increasing the proportion of participants from the industry. It has therefore officially applied for sponsored (buyer) trips for the partner countries Spain and Portugal. The VDMA initiative will offer participants from the Iberian Peninsula a B2B programme with member companies and a visit to the conference.

Perspectives

The German textile industry is looking to the future with its "Perspectives 2035" study. Experts from the textile and clothing industry and research as well as member companies of the association and the office discussed possible future paths for the industry development in five workshops of the Textile Research Board. The results will be published as a future study "Perspectives 2035" in March 2020. The Association offers an exclusive presentation and deepening of the perspectives 2035 to its members on 6 May 2020.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

Young researchers recognised for cutting-edge work in recycling, fibre technology and textile mechanics

At the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference held in Aachen at the end of November, Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, honoured five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses that develop solutions for resource-saving products and technologies, for example, are eligible for the sustainability awards.

VDMA members at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Singapore

With 69 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. Altogether 82 companies from Germany will exhibit at the show, covering about 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, topped only by China and Italy. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

VDMA member companies on display at ITMA ASIA

ITMA ASIA + CITME end of October in Singapore will see a strong participation of around 70 VDMA member companies. They will cover nearly all different machinery chapters along the textile value chain including spinning and man-made fibres, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & warp knitting, finishing & dyeing as well as technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled material. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.

VDMA members at Techtextil: Smart technologies for technical textiles

At Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, the members of VDMA Textile Machinery underline their key role as global technology leaders for technical textiles and textile processing. With a strong presence of more than 50 members they will highlight how engineering excellence, innovation strength and sustainability expertise from Germany and Europe are shaping the future of the textile industry. Seven companies will be present at the VDMA group stand in the centre of hall 12.0.

Itema to showcase weaving excellence at ITM 2026

From June 9 to 13, Itema will exhibit at ITM 2026 in Istanbul (Hall 8 – Stand 806D), unveiling a distinctive exhibition concept designed to highlight the Company’s expertise across the entire weaving value chain. For this year’s edition, Itema will introduce an innovative stand experience built around two core areas: advanced weaving and spare parts solutions and an immersive textile gallery featuring fabrics produced by Itema Customers worldwide.

Last chance to apply: ITMA 2027 Start-Up Valley closes tomorrow

Applications for the Start-Up Valley at ITMA 2027 close tomorrow, offering young technology companies the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of several successful participants from the 2023 edition. The initiative, organised under the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant programme, has already helped a number of textile start-ups accelerate their transition from early-stage concepts to industrial partnerships, funding rounds and commercial deployment.