Some 40 Swiss exhibitors are demonstrating their technology at ITMA Asia + CITME in Shanghai next week (July 27 – 31). Many have already established their own operations in China.

With China’s emergence as a powerhouse of the global textile industry, Swiss textile machinery has become popular among Chinese textile manufacturers, according to the Swiss textile-machinery association, Swissmem. Starting at 3-4% of overall volume in the late 1990s, Swiss exports grew rapidly to peak at about 20% of textile machinery shipments in the year 2003/2004. This rise was particularly marked after the handover of Hong Kong to mainland China.

Driven by the increasing global importance of China as a textile manufacturer and the desire to be closer to this market, Swiss textile machinery manufacturers were keen to establish their own operations in China and began to invest in local production or assembly lines.

Over the past few years many Swiss textile machinery manufacturers have set up their own manufacturing or assembly plants in China. For this reason, direct Swiss exports to the country started to decrease after 2005, accounting for some 15% of worldwide exports.

Today, the amount of Swiss machinery built in China being supplied to its textile mills is on the rise. Most companies expect this tendency to continue, as the quality of both the machines and after-sales services will continue to rise with ongoing training of the local workforce, growing experience and greater professional expertise, according to Swissmem.