“Turkey Represented One of Our Strong Holds in the Pandemic Period”
Ferdinando De Micheli, Itema Sales Director
We interviewed Itema Sales Director, Ferdinando De Micheli for our Textile Technology magazine. We talked with De Micheli about the changes and trends in the post-pandemic weaving machinery industry and Itema’s 2021-2022 expectations. Stating that as Itema, they are preparing for the ITM 2022 to be held next year, De Micheli said, “ITM 2022 will be the first exhibition after the long forced stop caused by the pandemic and the perfect stage to present all the latest innovation we have been working on over the last two years, nevertheless the event represents un unmissable occasion to meet again our customers, partners and friends in person.”
How has covid-19 impacted your company? What do you think about the weaving machinery industry situation globally in this hard time and what is your prediction for post pandemic period?
The pandemic heavily impacted our personal and working lives and required to all of us to quickly adapt to the “new normal”. Our company implemented all the safety measures recommended by the local and international authorities both to guarantee our employees a safe working environment and to ensure business continuity and support to our customers worldwide.
Weaving machines industry in general faced the challanges of the pandemic with an exemplary spirit of resilience, by changing the traditional ways of operating and experiencing more digital ways of working and meeting.
In the post-pandemic period, there will be some changes in the products, production models, and supply points required in the textile industry. What kind of changes do you think will happen for the sector?
The Covid-19 outbreak made clear that we need to rethink the global supply chains and to find new ways to create value for our final customers. We are therefore working together with partners and suppliers to find the most appropriate answers to the new issues that the pandemic brought to the table in order to find solutions that can benefit the whole textile industry’s ecosystem.
“We Will Keep Working to Provide Our Customer with A Fully Digital Experience”
Which kind of innovations and progress is expected in upcoming years in weaving machinery sector?
Digitization and sustainability are, without doubts, the two main trends which will deeply influence the textile industry in the upcoming years. On the one hand, indeed, the need to rethink our traditional business model in order to reduced the environmental footprint of our activities is urgining more than ever.
On the other hand, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of being able to always respond in a smart, digital and reactive way: digitalization is a core driver at Itema and we will keep working to provide our customer with a fully digital experience in order to always be next to them.
How important is the Turkish market to Itema – and much work do you carry out in this region?
Turkey is a steadly growing textile market and since many years one of our top 5 markets on a global scale. The country represented one of our strong holds in the pandemic scenario, thanks to good performance in the home textile sector in particular.
Over the years, we have established valuable long-term relastionships and we continuosuly open up to new partneships to strengthen our customer base by tirelessly provinding Turkish weaver with all the needed support thanks to our local skilled sales and service representatives’s teams.
“We are experiencing one of the best years in terms of sales volume”
As Itema, what are your expectations from 2021 and 2022?
Despite the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, as Itema we experiencing one of the best years in terms of sales volumes, with orders covering already the first part of 2022 in all our manufacturing plants, and this apply to all our portfolio of weft insertions, namely rapier, airjet and projectile. Beside this, many new customers witness our growing presence in the market making us very satisfied. All these aspects allow us to look at 2022 as another promising year.
“ITM 2022 will Provide the Perfect Stage to Present Our Innovations”
Do you have any new products that you intend to exhibit at ITM 2022? What are your expectations from the exhibition?
ITM 2022 will be the first exhibition after the long forced stop caused by the pandemic and the perfect stage to present all the latest innovation we have been working on over the last two years, nethertheless the event represents un unmissable occasion to meet again our customers, partners and friends in person.
Itema will welcome visitors with a product line-up designed to to meet and exceed the most demanding Customers’ needs and to confirm once again its dedication to innovation and the Made in Italy excellence in the weaving sector.
Interview: Dilek Hayırlı
