#Associations

2020-06-18

Worldwide shipments of new textile machinery decreased in 2019

In 2019, global shipments of spinning, texturing, weaving, knitting, and finishing machines decreased on average compared to 2018. Deliveries of new short-staple spindles, open-end rotors, and long-staple spindles dropped by -20%, -20%, and -66%, respectively. The number of shipped draw-texturing spindles declined by -4.5% and deliveries of shuttle-less looms shrunk by -0.5%. Shipments of large circular machines contracted by -1.2%, while shipped flat knitting machines fell by -40%. The sum of deliveries in the finishing segment also dropped by -2% on average.

These are the main results of the 42th annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics (ITMSS) just released by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). The report covers six segments of textile machinery, namely spinning, draw-texturing, weaving, large circular knitting, flat knitting and finishing. A summary of the findings for each category is presented below. The 2019 survey has been compiled in cooperation with more than 200 textile machinery manufacturers representing a comprehensive measure of world production.

Spinning Machinery

The total number of shipped short-staple spindles decreased by about 1.7 million units in 2019 to a level of 6.96 million. Most of the new short-staple spindles (92%) were shipped to Asia & Oceania, where delivery decreased by -20%. While levels stayed relatively small, Africa and South America saw shipments increasing by +150% and +120%, respectively. The six largest investors in the short-staple segment were China, India, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

563’600 open-end rotors were shipped worldwide in 2019. This represents a 147’500-units drop compared to 2018. 90% of global shipments went to Asia & Oceania where deliveries decreased by -21% to 517’000 rotors. Indonesia and Pakistan, the world’s 5thand 6thlargest investors in open-end rotors, increased their investments by +120% and 15%, respectively. China, Vietnam, India, and Uzbekistan, the world’s 1stto 4thlargest investors in 2019 decreased investment by -48% on average.

Global shipments of long-staple (wool) spindles decreased from 120’000 in 2018 to nearly 40’000 in 2019 (-66%). This effect was mainly driven by a fall in deliveries to Europe (-72%) and South America (-80%). 80% of total deliveries where shipped to China and India.

Texturing Machinery

Global shipments of single heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyamide filaments) increased by +12% from nearly 22’800 in 2018 to 25'500 in 2019. With a share of 88%, Asia & Oceania was the strongest destination for single heater draw-texturing spindles. China and Chinese Taipei were the main investors in this segment with a share of 64% and 12% of global deliveries, respectively.

In the category of double heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyester filaments) global shipments decreased by -5% to a level of 464’000 spindles. Asia’s share of worldwide shipments decreased to 90%. Thereby, China remained the largest investor accounting for 77% of global shipments.

Weaving Machinery

In 2019, worldwide shipments of shuttle-less looms decreased by -0.6% to 133’250 units. Thereby, shipments in the categories of “air-jet” and “rapier and projectile” fell by -7.7% to 30’200 and -22% to 25’000, respectively. The deliveries of water-jet looms increased by +12% to 78’000. The main destination for shuttle-less looms in 2019 was Asia & Oceania with 95% of all worldwide deliveries. 98%, 93%, 86% of all water-jet, air-jet, and rapier/projectile looms went to that region. The main investors were China and India in all three sub-categories. Deliveries of weaving machines to these two countries reached 89% of total deliveries. Bangladesh further played an important role in the rapier/projectile segment with 20% of global shipments.

Circular & Flat Knitting Machinery

Global shipments of large circular knitting machines fell by -1.2% to 26’400 units in 2019. The region Asia & Oceania was the world’s leading investor in this category with 86% of worldwide shipments. With 61% of all deliveries (i.e. 13’143 units), China was the favoured destination. India and Vietnam ranked second and third with 2’670 and 2’210 units, respectively.

In 2019,the segment of electronic flat knitting machines decreased by -40% to around 96’000 machines. Asia & Oceania was the main destination for these machines with a share of 92% of world shipments. China remained the world’s largest investor with an 80%-share despite a -44%-decrease in investments from 122'550 units to 68'760 units.

Finishing Machinery

In the “fabrics continuous” segment, shipments of stenters and washing (stand-alone) grew by +34% and +0.6%. The growth in stenter deliveries is mainly explainedby the addition of ITMF’s estimate for the number of stenters. The total number of shipped stenters of 1’700 units thus represents an estimate of the total market for this category.

In the “fabrics discontinuous” segment, the number of jigger dyeing / beam dyeing shipped rose by +35% to 561 units. Deliveries in all other machine categories in both finishing sub-segments (i.e. continuous and discontinuous) decreased in 2019.

Business situation weakens slightly, but the industry stays cautiously optimistic

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published the results of its 39th Global Textile Industry Survey (GTIS), conducted from 14 to 22 July 2026 among companies along the entire global textile value chain. Worldwide, 10% of participants rated their business situation as good, 53% as satisfactory and 37% as bad — a balance of -26pp, down from -17pp in May but still well above the 2023 lows. All regions are now in negative territory, from South Asia at -3pp to North & Central America at -58pp.

Meadow Grove Research joins ITMF as Corporate Member

Meadow Grove Research is a commodity research firm specializing in supply, demand, and trade analysis in cotton and other soft commodities. Providing clarity to the complex nature of the global fiber supply chain is one of its most formidable services. The firm thrives on customer engagement and providing the best framework for critical decisions.

Results of the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March — yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

Italian textile machinery orders show quarterly recovery in Q2 2026

In the period between April and June 2026, order intake for Italian textile machinery manufacturers showed mixed but encouraging signals for the second half of the year. The order index at constant prices stood at 46.6 points (taking 2021=100 as the base year), showing a slight decrease of 3% compared to the same quarter of 2025. This trend was largely due to the contraction recorded in the domestic market, which fell by 25% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

Sustainability: European industry calls on EU to keep Single-Use Plastics Directive unchanged

A broad coalition of European industry associations, including EDANA, Euratex and Plastics Europe, has urged EU institutions to maintain the current legal framework of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). In a joint statement, the organisations argue that reopening the Directive at this stage would create legal uncertainty, increase regulatory complexity and undermine investment, while its implementation across the European Union is still incomplete.

Brazil sets new cotton export record and consolidates global leadership

Brazil ended the 2025/26 commercial year with a new record, consolidating its position as the world’s largest cotton exporter. Between August 2025 and July 2026, the country shipped 3,373,941 tonnes of the fiber, 19% more than in the previous cycle, and reached record revenue of US$5.3 billion. The result represents a milestone in Brazil’s expansion in the international market and reinforces the country’s role as a strategic supplier to the global textile industry.

The LYCRA Company expands its co-creation vision through an immersive Lifestyle District at Intertextile Shanghai.

The LYCRA Company, a global leader in fiber and technology solutions for the apparel industry, is reimagining the trade show experience at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics Autumn Edition, which opened today in China. Building on the success of last year's ALL IN concept, the company has expanded its co-creation vision into a 356-square-meter Lifestyle District featuring partners Jingzili New Material, JYT Textile, Lianxingfa Knitting, and Trend Textile. The district is part of a larger 895-square-meter pavilion showcasing a total of 19 co-exhibitors. Together, they demonstrate how innovations in fiber, fabric, and garments can be combined to create compelling solutions for both work and play.

Plastic-free stretch technologies drive new direction for denim innovation

As the denim industry looks for ways to reduce its reliance on synthetic fibres, plastic-free stretch technologies are gaining momentum. Developments based on mechanical fabric construction and natural rubber are demonstrating that comfort and stretch can be achieved without conventional elastane, supporting both recyclability and circular product design.