With its reputation for consistently refining its product range and introducing products adapted to market needs, Stäubli is a solid partner with strong roots, concentrated engagement and a global network that supports on-site services around the world
Stäubli, considered one of the leading manufacturers of high-speed textile machinery, has always been known for its strong research and development and innovation focus. Despite the pandemic, Stäubli’s products have been finding an increasing number of takers globally. In an exclusive interaction, Stäubli’s Textile Marketing Manager Fritz Legler mentioned that the going had been good for the company in 2021. Sharing details about the performance of the company, he said: “The year 2021 was a positive year for us. After the global slowdown due to the pandemic in 2020, there was some pent-up demand to be covered with our customers, and this contributed to a successful year for Stäubli.”
“All our textile products were generally successful. The broad trend towards Jacquard weaving continued and our electronic rotary dobbies on OEM frame-weaving machines enjoyed strong demand. Our latest versions of the 1600 and 1700 series of cam motions are very successful in all the high-speed markets. Soon after investing in weaving machinery, many weaving mills invest in automation in weaving preparation to optimise their processes throughout production. Thus our SAFIR drawing-in machines are also seeing strong demand. The versatile range offers great advantages in producing quality weaving harnesses for quick style changes,” he further said.
“Here, our SAFIR S40 mobile machine models, dedicated to denim and cotton warps, and our SAFIR S32, dedicated to filament warps, are now available with offset management for dual warp-beam applications. This highly appreciated feature allows extremely high drawing-in speeds,” he added. Elaborating about the important global markets which were good for the company during the time period, he said: “The main textile markets remained the top-performing markets in 2021, including India, China, and Turkey. We also saw significant recovery in Pakistan.”
Partners in Progress
Elaborating on how the company helps its customers increase their efficiency, quality and profitability, Legler remarked: “Besides our proven technology, one of our key strengths is that customers know they can rely on us. We are there to help them master their current and future challenges. Stäubli is a solid partner with strong roots, concentrated engagement and a global network that supports our on-site services around the world.” The company has introduced quite a few products in recent times. Sharing details, Legler said: “We have six product lines in our textile activity and each one reflects our quest to best answer market demands. Continuous development in line with the evolution of textile applications is a credo at Stäubli.”
“During the past few years we have introduced a number of new technologies to the market – for instance, our NOEMI electronic architecture for our Jacquard machines. The entire electronics system has been re-designed to reduce the number of connectors and ensure extremely stable data transmission. Reliable data transmission for the hooking selection is a critical point of Jacquard machines. Our new architecture enables high-speed weaving for complex applications like airbags or African damask. Even very large formats of up to 51,200 hooks can run securely at optimal speeds. Accessibility inside the machine has been substantially improved, making maintenance easier. Each module is now physically signalled by an LED, whilst the Jacquard controller reports detailed information. NOEMI architecture is integrated into our renowned LX, LXL and LXXL machines,” he added.
Challenges and Opportunities
Pointing out to the valuable lessons learnt by the company during the pandemic, Legler said: “The global Stäubli setup with business units in 29 countries around the world and our vast network of agents helps us a lot to stay in very close contact with our customers in their respective countries. Our local teams ensure quick and efficient intervention whenever needed and of course while observing any local restrictions. For sure, internal digital tools greatly supported efficient communication during the pandemic – and many employees adapted these for better staying in touch and advancing their projects, as they always do, but here in a different and new manner.”
Automation, Sustainability and Growth
Highlighting the automation and Industry 4.0 initiatives adopted by the company in its manufacturing system, Legler commented: “Regarding automation, Stäubli is the main player in the automation of the weaving preparation. We are constantly further developing our machinery and systems for the automation of efficient warp and style changes. Recent advancements in our range of SAFIR automatic drawing-in machines include initial condition settings options, which enhance the solution for fancy yarns, and offset management for dual warp-beam applications. We presented our vision of Industry 4.0 at ITMA Barcelona in 2019 and it was highly appreciated by our partners and clients.”
“Implementation, development and usage are ongoing. As an OEM accessory provider, we apply the greatest sensitivity for security, or confidentiality aspects, when it comes to data exchange. Here, our credo is to respect our customers, the weaving machinery makers and the weaving mills, whilst providing the necessary information for top performance and efficient production,” he added. Explaining how the company’s machines are helping contribute towards its customer’s sustainability goals, Legler stated: “The environmental footprint of the textile industry on this planet can no longer be denied nor neglected. Stäubli is doing its part to reduce the impact. On the one hand, all our machines are manufactured at production sites that respect the environment.”
“On the other hand, Stäubli machinery is built using first-class materials and designed to perform in challenging round-the-clock production cycles in order to deliver long years of service in the weaving mill, even in harsh environments. To back up its longevity promise to customers and partners, Stäubli is committed to delivering original spare parts even many years after the machine purchase,” he added. Legler is hopeful that there would be significant revival of the textile industry in 2022 given the widespread hope that the world is nearing the end of the pandemic. Sounding optimistic, he said: “Despite the cloudy skies, Stäubli is well-prepared to cope with virtually anything that could come our way. On a positive note, we believe in our strength of innovation. We are introducing new products and product refinements for different machines, we provide local service and spare parts, and we help our customers run their Stäubli machinery at the highest efficiency and productivity levels.”
“Our automation solutions help decrease costs for end-users of our technology, thereby helping them to make up for some of the cost increases they face. In 2022 we are scheduled to be present at various trade fairs, and we are looking forward to meeting again the many players in the weaving and knitting world, especially our customers and partners. Humankind can steer the outcome of the pandemic – it’s just up to us to do the right things,” he added. Finally, sharing the vision that he has set for Staubli by 2025, Legler said: “The Swiss family-owned Stäubli Group has three activities: robotics, connectors and textile. The group aims to continue providing innovative products to support existing and new customers and partners with solutions that help them to thrive, to step ahead, and to operate efficiently and profitably in a challenging global environment.”