“ITM 2024 will be an Important Platform to Present Our New Technologies”
Interview: Dilek Hayırlı
Johann Philipp Dilo, General Manager of Dilo Group said; “ITM 2024 will be a very important platform to present our new technologies and address the existing needs of high performance equipment to improve quality, productivity, efficiency and sustainability.”
Dilo Group, one of the leading companies in the production of complete lines for the production of nonwoven fabrics; is celebrating its 122nd year in the industry. DiloGroup, which is known for its complete line deliveries worldwide through its own offices in the United States, China, India, Turkey and approximately 60 agencies and representative offices worldwide, had a successful year in 2023. In 2024, DiloGroup will continue its efforts to increase quality, productivity, efficiency and sustainability and will exhibit its latest technologies at ITM 2024.
We interviewed with Johann Philipp Dilo, General Manager of Dilo Group, for the special issue of ‘German Textile Machinery Industry’. J.P. Dilo evaluated the company’s 2023 year and explained the plans for 2024.

Dilo Complete Nonwoven Line
Machine building at Dilo since 1902 has been undertaken by five generations of the Dilo family and by their highly specialized, competent and experienced associates.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the machines were related to spinning and curling of natural fibre and animal hair for the mattress, bedding and upholstery sector. This early type of spinning preparation included machines for opening and cleaning of hard fibre. It comprised a very simple web forming and a special form of needling of a fibre batt on a woven carrier fabric. After World War II, an automated web forming process by carding and cross lapping machines as well as airlay equipment was developed and a new interlacing machine was invented by Dilo for consolidating the web. The textile products continued to be foremost cushioning mats for mattresses and upholstery applications. The complete lines for this purpose included also spaying units and drying ovens for chemical bonding as well as cutting, winding and stacking equipment.
During the second half of the sixties, the natural fibre and animal hair processing machines were less on demand because of the invention of the foam mattress. At the same time the needle felting process and related machinery have more than compensated this change because of the increasing business with needled floor coverings. The range of needle looms already produced at Dilo since the late fifties had replaced the interlacing process with a more efficient and productive needling method. Needle looms have taken over as the “bread and butter” production programme in the second half of the sixties.

Dilo DI-LOUR IV
Needle looms as a Dilo specialty have at the time been made available in various versions for down, up and double punching in working widths of up to 5 m to provide state-of-the-art machinery for the needle felted carpet business. Soon, however, the flat felts used as carpet or carpet underlay needed a face lift which was realized by the DI-LOOP structuring and patterning process invented by Richard Dilo. This process created a lot more surface quality and attractivity for needle felted carpet compared to flat felts.
Later in the seventies the DI-LOFT version for producing lighter weights has led to more applications in the car interior. The DI-LOFT machine was further developed to produce random velour felts based on the DI-LOUR invention of needling on a brush apron. These Dilo specialty innovations and inventions have made an important impact to the industry of nonwoven carpets production.
In 1991, Dilo presented the first needle loom running at a stroke frequency of up to 3000 strokes per minute. Highly specialized in needle loom manufacturing of all sorts and sizes the PMF-series for working widths up to 16 m was launched in 1990 for the production of paper machine felts.
It became obvious in the first half of the nineties that due to a reduction in staff and engineering capacity in the nonwoven industry complete manufacturing lines were required from general contractors who were capable to engineer, integrate, manufacture, deliver, install and start-up a complete process. This included bale opening, web forming, consolidation and end-of-line equipment from one single source.
Dilo, in order to respond to these market needs, formed DiloGroup by the acquisition of the carding equipment specialist Spinnbau in 1996 and Temafa, the specialist for opening, blending and air systems engineering, through a majority share in 2005. This move has led again to major improvements and a completion of the machinery portfolio. It has proven to be very successful in supplying complete nonwoven lines with the specialty of needling lines as well as other consolidation technologies gained through partnering with various other specialists. DiloGroup is renowned for the complete line deliveries worldwide through own offices in the United States, China, India, Turkey and through around 60 agencies and representatives throughout the world.

Dilo Hypertex
“2023 was a Successful Year for Dilo Group”
How was the year 2023 for your company? Can you evaluate it in terms of your production volume, orders and export markets?
The year 2023 has been a year of consolidation after the Covid pandemic, yet, on the other hand it was already influenced by the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, it has been a successful year were business in the United States has shown a large potential for further growth in the nonwoven industry.
Which are the key global markets in which Dilo has a strong presence and the emerging markets which are promising for the future? What is the importance of the Turkish market for Dilo?
The business in the United States is served by Dilo Incorporated in Charlotte as a subsidiary for sales, spare parts and service. The positive US market development has more than compensated some reduction in business on other markets which, nevertheless, remain as well most important for Dilo.
Despite some setbacks in the further development of the economy in Turkey, it keeps a high potential of a successful future of its nonwoven industry as well and still can be considered as one of the most interesting markets for the production of nonwovens.
Speaking about Industry 4.0, automation and digitilazation, how has Dilo progressed on these aspects? Can you highlight Dilo’s technology roadmap?
Dilo has undertaken a lot of efforts to develop and provide modules of Industry 4.0 and IOT applications. Among those are solutions for better surveillance, automation, operation and remote control of complete lines, solutions to reduce the consumption of electric energy, reduce the amount of raw material and fibre as well as for operating and maintenance guidance. These are active measures for ease of operating and a higher degree of automation in manufacturing through digital assistance.
Yet, the development of Industry 4.0 is a process to also be adapted to existing organizational structures and the personnel capacity. This is an evolutionary and not a revolutionary process.

Dilo MicroPunch Line exhibited on ITMA 2023
Sustainability is an important subjects for textile manufacturers all around the world. What is Dilo’s philosophy and how are you supporting your customer’s sustainability mission and goals?
Dilo is keeping a strong foothold in the area of sustainability by modern state-of-the-art lines with reduced energy and fibre consumption. Lately, our “MicroPunch” intensive needling process particularly for needling light weights can be applied to the manufacturing of hygiene, medical and technical applications with a potential to reduce electric energy as well as heating gas consumption considerably. Together with our complete line solutions in the field of recycling textiles Dilo provides a complete package for sustainability also together with our partners Dell’Orco & Villani for specialty tearing equipment and Technoplants for special aerodynamic web forming equipment.
What are your expectations about the world textile sector and especially the technical textile and nonwoven sector in 2024?
It is obvious that the general economic conditions around the world have flattened and therefore will also influence this year of 2024. Yet, there is remaining a basic need to keep up production installations by modernizations through individual machine components, electric process and drive controls. In the sector of complete lines and technical applications foremost Dilo lines for the production of geotextiles, filtration media, automotive applications, building material as well as new developments for specialty fields are prevailing.

Dilo 3D-Lofter
As a company, do you have new investments and new machine developments on your agenda in the near future? Can you tell us about your 2024 targets?
Dilo has invested a lot in the development of new processes like the mentioned “MicroPunch” technology for light weights. But also in other areas namely “additive manufacturing” through our 3D-Lofter which produces 3D-shaped nonwovens we have made progress. The 3D-Lofter can be used for manufacturing moulding parts used for example in the automotive interior or for special garment and upholstery applications. The 3D-topology made by varying fibre mass in running and cross direction by segmented individual web forming units creates another potential for increased fibre savings in technical products.
A reversed form of this 3D-Lofter is our ISOFEED card feeder and feeder to airlay units to offer an improved evenness of the fleece for additional fibre savings. This array of new solutions are on our list to complement our standard machinery programme during this year.
As Dilo, how are you preparing for the ITM 2024 Exhibition? How do you think the ITM Exhibition will accelerate the textile machinery sector, which has stagnated in the last period?
As mentioned before, the current general economic situation will also influence the market conditions in the nonwoven field worldwide. Nevertheless, the upcoming ITM 2024 is a very important platform to discuss our new technologies and to address existing needs of high performance equipment to improve quality, productivity, efficiency and sustainability.