中國是全球紡機行業的關鍵市場

經歷了訂單數量“有史以來最好”的前幾年后，瑞士和其他許多工業國家一樣，遭遇了紡織行業發展的嚴重放緩。很明顯，由于全球新冠肺炎疫情的大流行，2020年和2021年對所有的市場參與者來說都極為困難。瑞士從未對紡織行業實施封鎖。因此，由于訂單和項目的延期、供應鏈不穩定的情況，大多數公司都在較低的水平上繼續生產。2020年瑞士紡織機械的出口統計數據顯示，與2019年相比，下降了約25%，前五大出口國是中國、德國、土耳其、美國和印度。然而紡織機械行業是一個周期性行業，這個行業雖然最早受到了打擊，但崛起也是最為快速的。因此，目前我們的會員公司大多正在恢復訂單。

目前瑞士的疫情正在平息。我們在疫苗接種方面取得了良好的進展，這為我們創造了一定的自由度。誠然，我們的會員公司仍然受全球疫情形勢的影響，因為只有全球的局勢得到控制，全球供應鏈和需求才會再次穩定。我們預計，2022年紡織行業才會逐漸恢復正常。

今年瑞士第一季度的訂單量趨于穩定。特別是，中國、德國、美國、意大利和孟加拉國的訂單量有所增加。不出所料，非織造布和工業用紡織品領域的新訂單發展非常順利。從紡紗到刺繡和質量控制，紡織價值鏈上的其他環節也有積極的發展。

在本次紡機展中，我們沒有像往年一樣，有很多瑞士的參展商參加。盡管市場對我們來說依然非常重要，但對于一些公司來說，想要積極參展，阻礙太大了。準入限制和物流問題是兩大挑戰。雖然我們不能參加此次展覽，但是我們相信，我們會積極參加ITMA ASIA + CITME 2022。參展商將展示機械、操作和搬運方面的許多新進展。從紡紗到編織、針織、非織造布到整理和刺繡，包括裝飾，瑞士紡織機械制造商一直在為整個紡織價值鏈提供解決方案。在紡織價值鏈的所有環節中都可以發現令人興奮和創造性的創新。

關于創新和進步，紡織行業的重要趨勢仍然是可持續、數字化和循環經濟。數字化提供了多種可能性，無論是在產品或流程優化方面，還是在開發全新的商業模式方面。我們的紡織機械公司利用這些可能性來為客戶創造最大的利益。可持續性，資源的優化利用也是主要議題之一。原材料稀缺，能源昂貴，使機器和解決方案在這兩個方面更加高效是關鍵。可持續性和循環經濟將是我們未來許多年的急需解決的挑戰。世界人口的購買力每年都在增長，這也導致了紡織品的生產不成比例的增長。這就是紡織價值鏈上所有參與者都面臨著尋找可持續解決方案的原因。

多年來，中國一直是我們最重要的出口市場。2020年，瑞士紡織機械出口的15%流向中國。如果再加上我們成員公司在中國的生產工廠和分支機構，中國的重要性就更為突出了。未來長一段時間內，中國仍是全球紡織業最重要的市場。當然，亞洲的其他市場也很重要，例如，越南、印度尼西亞和泰國。印度，也是另一個重要的紡織工業中心，目前由于全球疫情，有所削弱。但我相信印度市場也會在不久的將來順利復蘇。

對于我個人而言，我對紡織業未來的發展絕對是積極的。至于什么時候會恢復到以前的水平，還有待觀察。這場疫情顯示了紡織業的重要性，特別是在那些被遺忘多年的歐洲國家。當口罩和防護設備緊缺時，這個行業的重要性被人們重新發現，各種產品和技術再次地區化。

中國對于是紡織機械制造商來說，仍然是一個十分有吸引力的市場，這一事實增強了我們的信心。盡管2020年全球經濟環境非常困難，但中國紡織品出口同比增長29%，達到1540億美元。隨著疫情在中國得到控制，非織造行業作為一個關鍵市場，這場展會的意義更加重要。此外，ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 是疫情后唯一一次大型紡織機械展覽會，為紡織機械制造商與客戶進行面對面交流提供了交流的橋梁。

China is the key market of global textile machinery industry

Interview with Cornelia Buchwalder， Secretary General of Swissmem

After quite a few years with "best-ever" order volume and results， Switzerland， as many other industrial countries， encountered a heavy slowdown of our industry. It has become apparent that 2020 and 2021 will be very difficult years for all market players due to the global corona pandemic. In Switzerland we never had an imposed lockdown for the industry. So most of companies continued production – on a lower level， due to postponement of orders and projects， supply chain difficulties and the unsecure situation in general. The 2020 export statistics of the Swiss Textile Machines showed a minus of around 25% compared to 2019， the top five export countries being China， Germany， Turkey， the US and India. But knowing that the textile machinery industry is an early cyclical industry， the industry was not only hit early， but it also upswinged earliest. Accordingly， our member companies are currently already talking about a good order intake again.

Fortunately， the pandemic situation is calming down in Switzerland. We are now making good progress with the vaccination programme， which is creating new freedoms. Of course， our member companies continue to be affected by the global situation. This is because global supply chains and demand will only stabilise again once the situation is under control worldwide. I expect that we will see a gradual return to normality only from 2022 onwards.

In the first quarter of the current year we see a stabilisation of order intake. In particular， orders have picked up in the following markets - China， Germany， USA， Italy and Bangladesh. Not surprisingly， incoming orders in the nonwovens and technical textiles sector are developing very well. But the other segments along the textile value chain also have a positive development - from spinning all the way to embroidery and quality control.

We will not have the same number of Swiss exhibitors at this exhibition as in previous years. Although the market is still eminently important for all our members， the hurdles are too great for some companies to actively participate in the exhibition. Entry restrictions and logistics problems remain two current challenges. However， we are convinced that the participation of Swiss companies at the upcoming ITMA ASIA + CITME 2022 will recover and even grow. With a good number of exhibitors， many new advancements in machinery， operation and handling will be on display. The Swiss Textile Machinery manufacturers present solutions for the entire textile value chain from spinning to weaving， knitting， nonwovens to finishing and embroidery， including garmenting. So exciting and innovative novelties can be discovered in all steps of the textile value chain.

With regard to innovation and progress， the important trends for our industry continue to be sustainability， digitisation and the circular economy. Digitalisation offers various possibilities， be it in product or process optimization or in the development of completely new business models. Our textile machinery companies use these possibilities to generate maximum customer benefit. With regard to sustainability， the optimized utilisation of resources is again one of the major topics. Raw materials are scarce and energy is expensive， therefore making the machines and solutions more efficient in both aspects is key. I believe that the whole issue of sustainability and the circular economy will be our main challenge for many years to come. The purchasing power of the worlds population， which is increasing every year， is also leading to a disproportionate increase in textile production. This is why all players along the textile value chain are challenged to find creative and sustainable solutions.

China has been by far the most important export market， not only for the Swiss textile machinery industry， for many years. In 2020， 15% of Swiss Textile Machinery exports went to China. If you add to this the many production plants and branches of our member companies in China， the importance is massively increased. China will remain the most important global market for the textile industry for a long time to come. But of course other markets in the Asian region are also important and developing. To name just a few， Vietnam， Indonesia and Thailand. India ， another important hub of the textile industry is somewhat weakened at the moment due to the global Corona situation. But I am convinced that the Indian market will also recover well.

I am definitely positive about the textile industry. Whether it will be in 2021 or the following year remains to be seen. The pandemic has shown the importance of the textile industry， especially in European countries， which was forgotten for many years. When suddenly no masks and protective equipment were available， the importance of the industry was rediscovered and various products and technologies were regionalised again.

Our confidence is strengthened by the fact that China continues to be an attractive market for textile machinery manufacturers. Despite a very difficult global economic climate in 2020， Chinas textile exports increased 29 percent yearon-year to now $154 billion. With the COVID pandemic under control in China， holding this combined show will become even more important as a key marketplace for the textile industry for both the traditional and growing nonwoven sectors. In addition， ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 will be the only major show to take place after a difficult year， giving textile machinery manufacturers the opportunity to reconnect with the market after a year of minimal face-to-face interactions with customers and partners.