#Associations

2015-06-04

Swissmem: Swiss Textile Machinery Group elects Ernesto Maurer as new President

The board of the Swiss textile machinery group (from left): Robert Reimann, Ernesto Maurer, Norbert Klapper, Urban Germann, Ralph von Arx (c) 2015 Swissmem

The Swiss textile machinery group within Swissmem elected a new president during their meeting held end of May. After the resignation of Peter Gnägi, who has been member of the board since 2002 and president since 2013, the members of the group elected Ernesto Maurer as his successor.

The connoisseur of the international textile machinery industry has held various management positions in leading companies over the last years. Today, he is CEO of SSM Schaerer Schweiter Mettler AG in Horgen. The new board consists of Ernesto Maurer, vice president Urban Germann (Stäubli Sargans AG) and the new board members Norbert Klapper (Rieter AG), Robert Reimann (Jakob Müller AG) and Ralph von Arx (Retech AG). This year, the Swiss textile machinery group will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Since 1940 the group supports its member companies–over the years many of them gained international market leadership. The planned activities for this year include participation in ITMA show in Milan. In addition workshops on “Innovation” and “Additive Manufacturing” will be organized.

New momentum for British textile machinery in India

The British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is looking to India ITME 2026 as a major opportunity to strengthen industrial partnerships and mutually expand exports, following the introduction of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and the formation of the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition (UKITMC).

European and Canadian textile associations call for stronger transatlantic cooperation

Ahead of the EU–Canada Summit in Montréal on 29–30 October 2026, EURATEX, the Canadian Textile Industry Association (CTIA) and the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF) have issued a joint statement calling for closer industrial cooperation, improved implementation of the CETA trade agreement and stronger partnerships in innovation, sustainability and advanced textile technologies.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.

DITF develops bio-based binding fibers for wood-fiber insulation materials

As part of the CelluWoodFlex project, the German Institutes of Textile- and Fiber-Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are developing bio-based cellulose ester fibers as alternative binding fibers for flexible wood fiber insulation materials. In addition to the spinning process and the production of suitable staple fibers, the institute is also investigating how wood and cellulose fibers can be separated and recycled at the end of their useful life.

Reju expands textile-to-textile recycling network with six international fabric manufacturers

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company, is expanding its industrial network through collaborations with six fabric manufacturers in Europe and the Americas. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of regenerated polyester into textile manufacturing and support the development of finished fabrics for commercial applications.

Magnera highlights HighPleat™ filtration media technology at FiltXPO 2026

At FiltXPO 2026, held on October 28–29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magnera highlighted advances in air filtration media architecture, with a particular focus on its HighPleat™ platform for MERV 8–10 applications. The technology combines a lofted fiber structure with optimized pore architecture to address the challenge of balancing filtration efficiency, airflow resistance and contaminant-holding capacity.