“Despite the Energy Crisis and Raw Material Problems, We Increased Our Turnover by 10 Percent”
Walter Wirz, Emeritus CEO of Crealet
In the 20 years since its start-up, Crealet has built a reputation as a global leader in electronic warp feeding systems for both wide and narrow fabric weaving.
We interviewed Walter Wirz for the special issue of “Swiss Textile Machinery Industry” of our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine. Wirz answered our questions, talked about the details of their products, and gave some preliminary information about the products they will exhibit at ITMA 2023. Stating that they did not prefer to disclose the exact turnover figures, Wirz made a general assessment of the situation.
Expressing that they are not affected much by the increasing energy costs globally, Wirz said that the partners of the company producing in Portugal are faced with these cost increases, which are naturally reflected in the prices.
Walter Wirz, with whom we talked about the supply and raw material problems, stated that as Crealet, they are concerned because these problems do not disappear any time soon. Wirz added the following about the subject: “We anticipate that we will continue to face shortages over the next six months. As the economy as a whole will only grow marginally until 2023, this also applies to the textile industry, which will also continue to have great difficulties recruiting suitable staff.”
“We Ensure That Old Machines Have a Longer Life Thanks to Our Products”
Wirz drew attention to the fact that they adopted a sustainable and environmentally friendly product approach while developing new products. Wirz added: “By ensuring that existing machines achieve better quality and efficiency with our products, we enable older machines to remain in use for longer. This is what we mean by environmental friendliness and sustainability. At ITMA we will show an innovation that goes in this direction.”
“Customers have increasingly strict demands on fabric quality”
At the ITMA 2023 Press Conference organized by Swissmem in Switzerland, Crealet Honorary CEO Walter Wirz made a presentation. Stating that there are more and more stringent demands on fabric quality from customers Wirz said; “Markets are now more dynamic than ever, with the rate of new products and variations accelerating. At the same time, customers have increasingly strict demands on fabric quality. It makes weaving a sector that is getting tougher and more competitive all the time. To make the task even harder, product varieties are expanding, and batch sizes are fluctuating. That’s why weavers need the reliability they get from Crealet, with warp feeding solutions that keep pace with trends and sophisticated technologies to optimize processes. Modern solutions must fit with IOT and Industry 4.0, so Crealet is dedicated to making the warp thread feed reproducible, traceable and reliable.”
New Warp Tension Control System from Crealet: KAST ECR
Crealet, which will exhibit its latest innovations, the new KAST ECR warp tension control is presented to the world for the first time at ITMA 2023: the idea is that the warp beam does not need to be driven, as the warp tension is sufficient and the warp beam only needs to be braked. The warp tension is monitored by load cells or distance sensors.
“But there will be more: innovations in warp feeders for ribbon machines and the latest ECR control systems should be highlights for visitors – while the main attraction, as always, will surely be access to valuable first-hand knowledge from Crealet experts in both weaving and knitting applications. Yarn tension is a big story in warp feeding. Getting it right makes a massive difference to how the warp performs. In recognition of this, Crealet has devised effective solutions which quickly and precisely synchronize the tension of different warp beams – and which connect to an integrated network.” Wirz said.
Explaining Crealet’s new KAST ECR warp tension control, Wirz talked about the features and details of the product: “The newest development is a warp yarn feeding solution for ribbon weaving machines that will be introduced at the upcoming exhibition in Milan. The system features the ECR system for electronic control of rope braking on warp beams in ribbon weaving. Upgrading rope brakes with the ECR control keeps warp tension constant from full to empty beam. This improves fabric quality and reduces labor requirements. Technical benefits are the easy adjustment of warp tension and the monitoring and visualization of warp tension.”
Interview: Özge Çağıl Sütcü
