#Textile processing

2023-03-02

BERNINA turns visions into reality for winners of the dream studio sweepstakes

BERNINA announced today the first four winners of their Dream Studio Sweepstakes. Lacee of Rainsville, Alabama, Kara of Lodi, California, and Laurie of Rapid City, South Dakota join Pamala of Sandy, Utah as the latest recipients of over $20,000 in collective prizes that include Swiss high quality items like the Q 16 longarm machine, bernette sewing machines, virtual classes, sewing notions and beautiful fabric from Brewer Quilting and Sewing, premium fabric bundles from Benartex, $1,000 shopping spree, BERNINA, Amanda Murphy and Sookie Sews gift cards, and more.

The premium sewing, serging and longarm machine manufacturer chooses monthly winners for their largest sweepstakes to date with over $100,000 in prizes

Winners are matched with their local BERNINA authorized dealer for the start of a running-stitch relationship. Nutalls, Inc in Riverton, UT, Quilters' Hollow in Stockton, CA, The Sewing Center, Inc in Rapid City, SD, and Barb's Sewing Center in Huntsville, AL provided the winners with their prize packages and free training classes on their machines, as well as ongoing support, maintenance, and supplies.

"I couldn"t believe it to be perfectly honest," Laurie said when sharing her feelings on the win and BERNINA. "I had found a used BERNINA machine when my son was five years old,” Laurie shared, "my son will be 41 years old next month and I still have that sewing machine.”

BERNINA has partnered with well-known brands in the stitching and textile industry like Laurastar and Benartex, as well as BERNINA Experts Amanda Murphy, Sookie Sews, and Julian Creates to offer high value prizes and the opportunity to create a sewist's dream studio.

When asked about what it's like to create a virtual dream studio, Julian Collins of Julian Creates shared, "Imagine basically people asking you, 'if money was no object, what would you want in your sewing space?"'

Monthly winners will be chosen to win monthly prize packages. Three Grand Prize winners will be selected at the end of July to win over $75,000 in prizes to build their own sewing room. The Dream Studio Sweepstakes is open for participants to enter daily for a chance to win through July 27, 2023. For official rules and to complete the entry form, visit http://berninasweepstakes.com.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

YKK invests USD 150 million in new manufacturing facility in India

YKK Corporation has announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility in India, reinforcing its long-term commitment to one of the world's fastest-growing textile and apparel production hubs. The new factory will be built at Origins by Mahindra in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and will become the third manufacturing site of YKK India Private Limited. The facility is expected to be completed by February 2028 and represents an investment of approximately USD 150 million, covering land, buildings, machinery and equipment.

Sustainable embroidery materials and digital finishing attract attention at GUNOLD booth

More exhibition space, more visitors, and a high level of international participation: GUNOLD’s concept for this year’s Texprocess 2026, which took place in Frankfurt am Main from April 21 to 24, 2026, was a complete success. “Our decision to showcase our entire product range alongside application examples and expert tips was very well received,” says Marketing Director Stephan Gunold, delighted with the positive outcome of the trade show. The focus was particularly on the Stockstadt-based company’s sustainable products as well as its laser, engraving, and sublimation services.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Katharina Obergruber appointed to the Management Board of Sandler AG

The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.