The textile machinery market is currently experiencing a shift in demand, with traditional machinery being replaced by more advanced technology, and key players competing to offer the best technological solutions. Despite challenges such as shortages of raw materials, disruptions in the supply chain, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is projected to rebound and experience growth in the coming years. This feature examines the growth of machinery production and export in the years 2022 and 2021, in the context of total export to the world and various regions dichotomised by use patterns.
The textile industry is currently basking in a period of rapid growth, as the world ushers in a new era of industrial revolution. Machinery facilitates the ginning, spinning, weaving, apparel manufacturing, and processing (such as dyeing and finishing of fibre, yarn, fabrics and apparel etc) in the textiles value chain. Textile machinery encompasses a vast range of machines, from lace-making and quilting machines to yarn spinning and finishing equipment, which are widely employed in cotton mills, wool mills, synthetic manufacturing factories, weaving factories and garment factories for manufacturing an array of textiles and apparel.
The transformative impact of textile machinery has resulted in greater efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in the industry, automating the different stages of production from spinning to weaving and finishing. The remarkable upswing in productivity, consistency, and quality, has laid the foundation for further expansion, driven by the latest technological advancements in textile machinery.
Key players in textile machinery manufacturing, such as China, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, and Belgium, have already entered a fierce competition to design and offer the best technologies available, heralding an era of unprecedented technological advancement. These cutting-edge technologies promise to revolutionise the textile industry, enabling it to reach new heights of productivity, quality, and sustainability.
The market is undergoing a significant shift in demand, as traditional machinery is being replaced by more advanced technology. Propelled by increasing investments in textile production, the Asia Pacific region remains the largest and fastest-growing market for textile machinery. There is a rising demand for sophisticated machines that produce high-quality fabrics. Regardless of the technology used, the decision to purchase is heavily influenced by the machine’s versatility, flexibility, and pricing offers.
Key factors that drive dynamic growth in the textile machinery market include economic recovery following the pandemic, a surge in demand for nonwoven disposable textile products, an increasing demand from promising regions, especially the Asia-Pacific, and a growing demand for environmentally friendly fibres.
Worldwide Exports of New Textile Machinery Increased in 2022
In the year 2022, the global textile machinery market observed a modest upswing in the export of spinning, texturing, weaving, knitting, and dyeing machines. The export of textile machinery experienced a marginal surge of 1.07 per cent, totalling to $19.77 billion, compared to $19.56 billion in 2021.
The lacklustre growth was primarily attributed to the dip in the European Union market, which saw a 6.10 per cent decrease in textile machinery export to $8.74 billion in 2022, in contrast to $9.31 billion in 2021. Additionally, the imports also declined by 9.70 per cent to $3.63 billion in 2022, as compared to $4.02 billion in 2021.
The textile machinery market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.81 per cent during 2022-2027, with an estimated value of $24.48 billion by 2027, according to an analysis by Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. Despite facing unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, severe inflationary pressures and energy crisis, the industry is projected to rebound and experience growth in the coming years.
The challenges faced by the textile machinery industry have been multifaceted, encompassing a broad spectrum of issues, such as shortages of raw materials, skyrocketing prices, and disruptions in the supply chain. These difficulties have impacted all stakeholders in the sector, including textile machinery manufacturers, who have had to contend with a range of obstacles in their efforts to maintain production levels and meet customer demand. The repercussions of these challenges have been far-reaching, affecting the industry’s operations, profitability, and growth prospects. Despite these headwinds, the industry has shown resilience, with manufacturers seeking innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of these challenges and sustain their operations in the face of adversity.
Figure 1: Composition of textile machinery exports in 2022
Source: UN Comtrade and Fibre2Fashion’s TexPro
Figure 2: Top exporters of textile machinery in the world
Source: UN Comtrade
Figure 3: Top importers of textile machinery in the world
Source: UN Comtrade
Spinning, Doubling, or Twisting Machinery
The total export of spinning, doubling, or twisting machines increased by about 19.5 per cent in 2022 to $3.98 billion compared to $3.33 billion in 2021. The major growth was seen in combing machinery which increased by over 51 per cent to $98.29 million compared to $64.92 million in 2021. Exports of the machines for textile spinning and machines for textile fibre preparation saw annual growth of 30.96 per cent and 30.54 per cent respectively. These increases were mainly led by an increase in China’s export. In 2022, China experienced a 70 per cent surge in exports of these types of machinery.
In 2022, most of the spinning, doubling, or twisting machines were shipped from Asia (66.37 per cent). Japan, China, and India dominated the market with 27.4 per cent, 25.5 per cent and 9.0 per cent market share respectively. On the other hand, the market share of EU-27 stayed relatively small (30.35), with Germany and Italy registering the highest market share of 13.70 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively in global export of these machineries.
China, India, and Turkey were the largest importers of textile spinning machinery in 2022. Together, these three countries imported approximately 30 per cent of global textile spinning machinery.
Figure 4: Global exports of spinning, doubling, or twisting machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Texturing Machinery
Global exports of texturing spindles increased by over 32.1 per cent from $1.05 billion in 2021 to $1.39 billion in 2022. This rise was mainly driven by the increase in export volume of Japan, China and Italy which experienced annual growth of 160.0 per cent, 58.2 per cent and 43.2 per cent, respectively. In EU-27, Germany and Italy were the largest exporters of texturing spindles with a share of 48.25 per cent and 10.58 per cent, respectively in the global market. In Asia-Pacific, China and Japan led the market with 22.82 per cent and 11.07 per cent shares, respectively.
China, Turkey, India, and the US were the main importers in this segment with a share of 59.7 per cent, 14.6 per cent, 4.8 per cent and 8.8 per cent of global imports, respectively.
Figure 5: Global exports of texturing machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Weaving Machinery
In 2021, the global export of weaving machinery experienced a remarkable upswing, with a staggering 49 per cent increase to reach a value of $2.15 billion. However, this growth trend tapered off in 2022, with the export value recording only a marginal increase to $2.16 billion. Large shuttleless looms, a key category in this market, witnessed a growth rate of 3 percent in 2022, in contrast to the substantial 53 percent increase seen in the previous year. The categories of handlooms and powerlooms for weaving fabrics also posted healthy growth rates, with increases of 31 per cent to $94.2 million and 2 per cent to $93.8 million, respectively.
The European Union (EU-27) dominated the global market for weaving machinery, contributing a significant 51.2 per cent share. This was led by Belgium, Italy, and Germany, with market shares of 27.4 per cent, 9 per cent, and 4 per cent, respectively. The primary category of weaving machinery exported by EU-27 countries was large shuttleless looms, valued at $978.9 million. In contrast, Asia accounted for the remaining export market, with a 47 per cent share in 2021. China, Japan, and India were the leading exporters in this region, with market shares of 27.8 per cent, 16.5 per cent, and 2 per cent, respectively. China’s export of shuttleless looms grew by an impressive 38.3 per cent in 2022, from $364.3 million in 2021, to reach $503.7 million.
In 2022, the majority of shuttleless loom export shipments were made to Asia, which accounted for 86 per cent of all worldwide imports. The primary importers were Turkey, India, and China, which collectively represented more than 50 per cent of total deliveries.
Figure 6: Global exports of weaving machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Circular & Flat Knitting Machinery
In the year 2021, the global exports of knitting machines witnessed a surge of 3.4 per cent, reaching a total value of $2.63 billion. This increase was driven by increase in Chinese exports by 11.5 per cent to $1.33 billion in 2022 compared to $1.19 billion in 2021.
The export of large circular knitting machines experienced a slight decline of 3 per cent to $713.1 million in 2022 compared to $735.6 million in 2021. This machinery segment registered a phenomenal growth rate of 57 per cent in 2021. The region of Asia emerged as the global leader in this category, accounting for a significant market share of over 65 per cent of worldwide exports. China held the largest market share in the world, with a staggering 42.3 per cent, followed by Taiwan and Japan with 12.7 per cent and 7.6 per cent share, respectively.
Furthermore, the segment of electronic flat knitting machines witnessed a soft annual growth of 0.5 per cent, reaching a total value of $614.5 million in 2022 compared to $611.9 million in 2021. Asia continued to dominate the exports of these machines too, with a share of 94 per cent of global exports. China retained its position as the largest exporter, accounting for 59.4 per cent of the global exports, followed by Japan with a 25.6 per cent share.
Figure 7: Global exports of circular and flat knitting machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Finishing Machinery
In 2022, the global exports of finishing machinery witnessed a decline of 4.1 per cent, falling from $3.82 billion in 2021 to $3.66 billion. Notably, the category of dressing, finishing, coating or impregnating textile machinery recorded a significant annual decline of 11.5 per cent, with a total value of $1.12 billion compared to $1.27 billion in the previous year. China, Italy, Germany, and South Korea emerged as the leading players in this category, with impressive market shares of 22.8 per cent, 18.7 per cent, 12.7 per cent, and 10 per cent, respectively. These regions displayed strong demand for these types of machinery, with China, Turkey, and Bangladesh being the primary importers.
Conversely, the global export of washing, bleaching, or dyeing textile yarn machinery observed a growth of 9.2 per cent, reaching a total value of $756.24 million. China dominated this market, with a notable market share of 22.1 per cent. Italy and Germany followed closely, with market shares of 20.2 per cent and 15.3 per cent, respectively. The major importers of these machineries were Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, and Turkey.
Figure 8: Global exports of finishing machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Machinery for The Manufacture of Felt or Nonwoven
In 2022, the global exports of nonwoven manufacturing machinery experienced a significant decline of 39.69 per cent. This downturn can be attributed to the precipitous fall in demand for nonwoven products that had surged exponentially during the pandemic. Countries such as China and Turkey, which had made substantial investments in nonwoven machinery to cater to the growing demand, also experienced a decline. Notably, exports to China, Turkey, and the US fell by 19.3 per cent, 45.3 per cent, and 52.8 per cent, respectively.
However, over the past five years, the global export of felt or nonwoven manufacturing equipment has witnessed a remarkable surge, with an impressive annual growth rate of 27 per cent between 2017 and 2021. Europe dominates the nonwoven machinery export market, holding a substantial market share of 66.9 per cent. Germany, France, and Italy lead the way, accounting for 37.0 per cent, 12.07 per cent, and 11.8 per cent of the market share, respectively.
Moreover, the Asia Pacific region has emerged as the fastest-growing segment in the nonwoven fabric machinery export market, with a market share of approximately 30 per cent in 2022. This surge can be attributed to the proliferation of leading nonwoven fabric-making machine manufacturers in the region and the growing investment in research and development aimed at improving fabric quality at reasonable prices. China dominates the export share of approximately 26.24 per cent, followed by Japan at 2.23 per cent.
Figure 9: Global exports of felt or nonwoven manufacturing machinery over the years
Source: UN Comtrade
Ending Note
The global textile machinery industry is a thriving market that is set to maintain its upward trajectory despite certain setbacks. In the coming years, high growth rates are projected for weaving, spinning, and texturing machines. One of the primary drivers of this expansion is the promising growth potential in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the industry is experiencing a shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly fibres, which is further fuelling growth. In addition, there is an increasing demand for technical textiles, such as smart fabrics, which require advanced automation and specialised machinery. These trends are pushing the industry towards innovation and the emergence of new and improved machinery solutions that cater to the evolving needs. To remain competitive, manufacturers must continue to invest in research and development, provide top-quality products, and stay abreast of the changing demands of the market. In essence, the textile machinery industry is a dynamic and rapidly evolving market that requires constant adaptation and innovation to thrive.
ENDS
Comments