Bags massive orders from Indian customers
The Italian textile major Itema racked up a series of big orders on the opening day of ITMA Asia, stealing some early limelight from its competitors. With the manufacturers’ intense competition again expected to be a dominant theme of the weeklong show at Shanghai, exhibitors looked to make a splash from the start, with millions of dollars worth of orders announced.
Itema showcased its strength that originates from the solidarity and talent grown by many years of activity in Switzerland, Italy and China. The combination of its rich history, experience, brands and machines to one single identity was fully capable of providing the market with the most advanced solutions for today’s demanding weaving needs.
Six machines on display with two significant technological developments shown for the very first time, highlights Itema’s presence at the world’s premier event for the textile sector in 2014.
Mr. Carlo Rogora, CEO, Itema Group, told The Textile Magazine at the Shanghai show: “We are by far the most innovative weaving machinery manufacturers at the show. At this year’s ITMA-Asia, we bring to you the Formula 1 of airjet, the all-new A9500p, the fastest machine in the playground built to run at a production speed of 1400-1500 rpm. Ease of use, low maintenance and, above all, unsurpassed high-speed performance with perfect fabric quality have much impressed the visitors coming to our booth”.
Itema received a massive order for 40 machines in the very first hour on the opening day. The management was very much impressed with the quality and number of customers who visited its booth. This time there were a higher number of visitors from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, besides the huge number of Chinese customers.
“We’re very happy”, said Mr. Updeep Singh, Head of Indian Operations, taking a quick break after receiving an order from an Indian visitor on the second day of the show. “Very busy, but happy. Attending this year’s ITMA Asia fair has been very rewarding, and with the number of orders pouring in, we got nothing to complain.”
The Itema Group management has been going through a major restructuring over the last 24 months. This strategic move has indeed paid off. During the period, the company’s manufacturing facility at Colzate took to lean manufacturing as a valuable tool to achieve strategic positioning. Lean implies more creativity and innovation as well as enhancement of employee motivation while offering solutions to the brand owners at a competitive price.
“At Itema, implementation of lean technology has reduced the manufacturing cost by eliminating the process waste and increased the productivity index of our employees, which directly resulted in doubling of production capacity within the same space without any increase in workforce,” said Mr. Fulvio Carlo Toma, Group Sales & Marketing Director of Itema – Global.
“We are overwhelmed by the customer response at the five-day event. Itema has bagged more than 100 confirmed orders at the show,” said Mr. Toma on his return to back to Italy.
Itema’s all-new A9500 version 2.0
Based on the already successful original, the A9500, which remains part of its main portfolio, Itema launched two new airjet models designed for maximum performance – the A9500e, a sturdy machine offering the best value for money, and the A9500p, the most innovative airjet machine available in the market, offering the highest operating speed.
The new Itema A9500p is literally the race horse in the Itema airjet portfolio. Born to run fast, it comes fully loaded with advanced features and sets a new benchmark for speed in weaving mills.
Not only will the A9500p provide the weavers a distinctly competitive edge with its faster high-tech weaving mill operation, but will also help save money by significantly reducing costs with a combination of features specially designed for customer care. iREED, the new reed tunnel shape, reduces for maintenance of airjet weaving machines.
The A9500p is also equipped with Real Time Control (RTC), the patented system to reduce air consumption by optimizing the blowing, and the digital Air Consumption Metering (ACM) that gives real-time access to air consumption data.
The other premium features include automatic nozzle tank pressure setting on the console and the Itema Productivity Optimization System (iPOS), the patented software to increase productivity of the machine, for weaving more fabric.
The user-friendly A9500e is a sturdy but narrow airjet designed specially for 2-color weaving, offering the best value for money combined with the perfect technical features and the highest speed in the commodity fabric market. Lean and agile, the machine is known for reduced downtime.
The loom’s usability is further assured by the expert combination of exclusive Itema features, such as the Toy Beam Mounting (TBM) and the mechanical Rotary Leno Device. The new pneumatic control for 2-color weaving is based on the ITEMA PPC technology launched with success along with A9500. The high capacity tank and the pressure control with sensor for each weft insertion channel in combination with full electronic control of the main nozzles guarantee effective weft insertion. In addition, the new single hole relay nozzle offers both a perfectly controlled airflow and low maintenance.
With no upper bar and no front cover, the loading of the machine has never been so easy. Further, a new and improved whip roller with double rotating rollers that reduce the warp stops, thus representing a brand-new lubrication system.
Dedicated to innovation and technological advancement, Itema continues to invest in research, development and staff training, for example at the Itema Academy. Achievements such as the extremely versatile R9500 weaving machine or the newly launched A9500p airjet confirm the global technology leadership of a group that has every reason to view the future with confidence.