VDMA: Garment and Leather Technology in calmer waters

Dreieich, 13.12.2011 – German manufacturers of garment, leather technology and textile cleaning machinery anticipate a slight drop in sales of 3 per cent in real terms for 2011 compared to 2010. This means that the expectations for the current year were not met. An increase in real terms of 5 per cent is forecast for 2012.

“Garment and leather technology is a sub-industry in mechanical engineering that usually experiences economic cycles earlier than mechanical engineering as a whole. As a result, 2010 saw a massive rise in sales. In 2011, orders received fell back slightly more than in the mechanical engineering sector overall. That said, figures are now developing pleasingly positively again,” explained the Chairman of the Association Tilo Ullmer, owner and Managing Partner of PMF GmbH in Switzerland and FORTUNA Spezial Maschinen GmbH in Weil der Stadt at the VDMA Garment and Leather Technology Association's AGM in Dreieich, near Frankfurt.

Within the VDMA, the Garment and Leather Technology Association encompasses sewing and garment machinery, shoe and leather technology, laundry and textile cleaning machinery and machinery for processing technical textiles. The volume of production in 2010 stood at Euro 484 million. With regard to orders received, garment and leather technology recorded an increase of 21 per cent in real terms in October 2011 compared to the same month the previous year. From January to October, a period less affected by short-term fluctuations, the figure was down by 8 per cent. This was divided up over the sub-industries as follows: Sewing and garment machinery in October - 7 per cent, January to October + 15 per cent. Machinery for the shoe and leather industry in October + 250 per cent, January to October + 20 per cent. Laundry and textile cleaning machinery in October + 12 per cent, January to October - 12 per cent.

“The figures clearly show that the industry appears to be leaving behind the drop in orders received that occurred in the spring and early summer. The laundry and textile cleaning machinery sector in particular fared better in autumn than it did in the first six months of this year. The shoe and leather equipment sector has had a brilliant year from start to finish. We are therefore going forward into 2012 with great confidence,” added Elgar Straub, Managing Director of the Garment and Leather Technology Association within the VDMA.

German technology leads the way

Garment and leather production in particular is currently implementing considerable changes worldwide, a fact which has particularly benefited German technology leaders, explained Straub. “ The most important market for garment machinery manufacturers, China, is currently undergoing massive structural changes. Other markets are benefiting from this, and in particular higher-quality production is moving back closer to the consumer. At the same time, production needs to become faster and more flexible, and all this heralds increased automation, ever-shorter response times and the protection of resources while at the same time increasing productivity – all the things, in fact, that German technology manufacturers are best at.”

 

 

New appointments to the Board

 

The VDMA Association of Garment and Leather Technology AGM elected three additional members to its Board for the period of legislation expiring at the end of 2013. They are Dietrich Eickhoff, Board Chairman of Dürkopp Adler AG/Bielefeld, Alexander Mesdaghi, Managing Director of Ferd. SCHMETZ GmbH/ Herzogenraht and Joachim Richter, Director and CEO of PFAFF Industriesysteme und Maschinen AG/Kaiserslautern.