#Associations

2021-11-08

A new dynamic for the TMAS board

The new TMAS board members (left to right) Sven Öquist, Jerker Krabbe and Semir Pavlica. © 2021 TMAS

TMAS – the Swedish Textile Machinery Association – has appointed three new members to its board.

Jerker Krabbe of Eton Systems, Semir Paclica of Baldwin Technology and Sven Öquist of Coloreel will contribute a wealth of experience from a wide range of industries to the association.

Jerker Krabbe joined Eton Systems –a leader in intelligent overhead conveyor systems – as CEO six months ago, and has more than 25 years of commercial, operational and international experience within several well-known companies such as Electrolux, Husqvarna, Gunnebo and Assa Abloy, and most recently as CEO of Sector Alarm AB.

“Eton Systems has implemented a number of growth and innovation strategies in recent years that have contributed to the company’s leading market position,” he says. “After six months, I’m finally getting to grips with the complexity of the textile industry and happy to be contributing my commercial experience to both Eton and the board of TMAS. I want to continue to broaden my knowledge within the textile industry, but also learn and share my experiences with the team.

“The textile machinery industry is moving forward fast on a digitalization journey which I believe will benefit countries like Sweden,” he adds. “There is a growing trend of reshoring manufacturing back to developed countries and therefore a need for further automation. Here I think many members of TMAS can contribute and really take advantage of the change. It will also be increasingly important to have an environmentally positive footprint and I think that is a huge opportunity for us as an association to work together.”

Semir Pavlica has a master’s in finance and started his career at the SEB banking group before joining Baldwin Technology five ago. He is now managing the company’s process improvement and performance.

“This is an exciting role as Baldwin Technology continues to make inroads with its game changing non-contact spray technology for the textile finishing sector,” he says. “I’m data driven, have an analytical mind-set and an eye for marketing, combined with a drive and an enthusiasm to learn. I’m happy to be contributing to improving the market exposure of all TMAS members and the targeted customer approach taken by the association.”

Sven Öquist joined Coloreel as Vice President of Sales in April this year. He has an international background with previous positions as Managing Director/CEO for a number of Swedish companies. He has also led the global sales team at Polestar, the electrified brand of Volvo Cars.

“We grew the company from being a small privately-owned brand to becoming Volvo Cars third best selling accessory globally,” he says. “I think I can contribute a lot of what I learned on that journey to both Coloreel and the TMAS board. My job at Coloreel is to build a global sales team and structure with local presence in several markets as the company continues to generate industry excitement with its instant thread coloring technology for more creative and more sustainable embroideries.”

“I’m happy to welcome Jerker, Semir and Sven to the TMAS board,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “They will bring fresh perspectives and experiences and an altogether new dynamic to the table.”

EDANA warns of consequences of misclassification of PET spunbond imports

EDANA would like to remind its members and industry stakeholders of the legal requirement to comply with the EU rules on customs classification when importing nonwovens from third countries outside the EU. In this regard, it was recently discovered that there appears to be a high level of customs misclassification occurring in our industry. This could have dangerous and costly consequences for importers.

Engineering depth and diversity for composites

Airbond is the latest member of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) to receive recognition for contributions to the composites industry. The engineering firm based in Pontypool, South Wales, has just received the Make UK Energy and Sustainability Award for its Lattice 3D Printing project.

DIENES at Techtextil 2026: Flexible pilot lines for bio-based fiber development

The growing relevance of bio-based materials in technical textiles is accompanied by increasing demands for reproducibility, high-quality data, and scalable process routes. Especially when working with cellulose and its derivatives, chitosan, lignin-based approaches, or bio-based PAN as a carbon-fiber precursor, R&D teams face variable feedstock quality, tighter process windows, and the need for reliable comparability across trials. This calls for flexible, data-driven experimental setups that can be reconfigured efficiently when recipes, solvents, and raw-material batches change.

Gunold showcases embroidery product range and services at Texprocess

At Texprocess 2026, GUNOLD will present numerous hands-on examples related to embroidery in Hall 8, Booth E20. The focus is on creative embroidery designs as well as the extensive product range of threads, nonwovens, and accessories for embroidery and embellishment. “Trade visitors can once again look forward to many new and creative embroidery designs. Of course, we will also showcase the matching products required to bring these ideas to life,” announces Marketing Manager Stephan Gunold.

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.