“Turkish Manufacturers Want to Invest in Advanced Weaving Solutions That Improve Efficiency and Reduce Environmental Impact”

Interview: Dilek HAYIRLI

Despite the global challenges of 2025, Picanol, relentless in innovation, stands out with its technologies that shape the textile industry. Picanol Worldwide Sales Manager Kurt Lamkowski stated that Türkiye remains a key market for Picanol, adding, “While economic challenges exist, Turkish manufacturers want to invest in advanced weaving solutions that improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.”

While the global textile industry faces volatility in 2025, Picanol, a company distinguished by its innovation in weaving machinery, continues to shape the future of the sector with its strong R&D infrastructure, digital solutions, and sustainable production vision. In an interview with Tekstil Teknoloji magazine, Picanol Worldwide Sales Manager Kurt Lamkowski discussed the company’s commitment to growth and innovation despite the challenges, its outlook for the Turkish market, and the technological transformation that will propel the weaving industry to 2030.

How would you describe Picanol’s overall performance in 2025 so far? Which regions or market segments have shown the strongest growth for your weaving machines?

The year 2025 has been challenging in terms of volume in demand, something that is being felt worldwide. Despite these challenges, we continue investing in our innovative technologies and strong market presence. While we do not provide specific production volumes or sales figures, we emphasize our commitment to growth and innovation.

“We Focus on Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalization”

Have global economic fluctuations or textile market shifts affected your 2025 sales results? If so, how has Picanol adapted its strategy to maintain resilience and competitiveness?

Global economic fluctuations pose challenges to the textile sector. We address these challenges by focusing on innovation, sustainability, and digitization, ensuring that our machines and solutions remain relevant and valuable to customers despite external uncertainties. We also keep on developing new platforms and technologies. Last year we launched the Supermax rapier weaving machine and this year we introduced the next generation of the OmniPlus-i Connect airjet weaving machine, both responding to the evolving needs of our customers. We also keep on releasing new features on PicConnect, our digital platform, helping our customers to gain even more efficiency.

With the rise of smart textiles and high-performance fabrics, how is Picanol tailoring its machinery to meet the evolving needs of advanced textile applications?

Our success, as well as the success of our customers, is built on the dedication and expertise of our people. As a pioneer in the textile machinery market, our in-house R&D team is key. But we also have a long history of working closely with our customers and partners (universities and research institutions, suppliers, but also companies active up- and downstream in the added value chain of fabrics) to develop new technologies. These collaborative efforts have resulted in numerous advancements that benefit the entire textile industry. By fostering strong partnerships, Picanol ensures that it remains at the cutting edge of innovation, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in textile manufacturing.

Can you share measurable examples of how your recent machine generations have reduced air consumption, waste, or energy use compared to earlier models?

Our history is filled with groundbreaking technological advancements. Our four design principles: Sustainability Inside, Driven by Data, Smart Performance and Intuitive Control are the starting point for each new development. For example, features like Ecofill – that eliminates the left hand waste completely – and ERGO – that minimizes the right hand weft waste, are helping our customers to avoid waste. The SUMO drive on the other hand is still the most energy-efficient main drive available on the market. To give you another concrete example of energy reduction: the recently launched new generation of the OmniPlus-i Connect airjet weaving machine enables energy savings of up to 1.5 kW per weaving machine thanks to EcoBoost. This is a true game-changer for mills that are aiming to reduce operational costs and environmental impact.

“Turkish Weaving Industry Undergoing a Dynamic Technological Transformation”

Türkiye remains one of Picanol’s key markets. How do you evaluate the Turkish weaving industry’s technological transformation, and what role does Picanol play in that process?

Türkiye remains significant for Picanol, and we see the Turkish weaving industry undergoing a dynamic technological transformation. The sector is increasingly focused on automation, digitalization, and sustainability to stay competitive globally. While economic challenges exist, Turkish manufacturers want to invest in advanced weaving solutions that improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Picanol plays a pivotal role in this process by providing state-of-the-art weaving machines, combined with digital tools and high-quality services.

Has Picanol made any recent investments in production facilities, automation, or digital infrastructure to support its growth strategy for 2025 and beyond?

At Picanol, we never stop investing in our state-of-the-art production facilities. Continuous improvement is part of our DNA, not only in developing machines and services for our customers, but we also place a strong focus on automation and digitalization in our manufacturing process. Recent investments include a completely renewed inbound area, robotization of some processes, automated vehicles and enhanced digital infrastructure that allow us to optimize efficiency, quality, and flexibility across all operations. These initiatives are key to keeping on delivering high-tech weaving solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers worldwide.

“We are Preparing for Future by Continuously Investing in Innovations”

How do you envision the textile machinery market evolving by 2030, particularly in light of automation, reshoring trends, and circular production models? What do you consider to be the biggest technological disruption awaiting the weaving industry?

Automation will continue to accelerate, driven by the need for efficiency, precision, and reduced labor dependency. Reshoring trends will push manufacturers to enable cost-effective production closer to end markets. Circularity will become a core principle, requiring machinery that supports sustainable processes, energy optimization, and material recycling.

We believe the textile market will continue to evolve into a highly intelligent, adaptive system where predictive maintenance, real-time optimization, and resource efficiency are standard. At Picanol, we are preparing for this future by continuously investing in innovations to ensure our customers stay ahead of these changes.

“We are Ready to Lead the Way into A New Era of Textile Manufacturing”

Looking ahead, what are Picanol’s top three strategic priorities to strengthen its global position and support sustainable growth?

Looking ahead, our vision is clear: to continue leading the textile weaving machinery industry through innovation, sustainability, and excellence. Our commitment to developing the best weaving machines in the world, supported by a highly qualified service team, ensures that we remain at the forefront of the industry. With a focus on smart performance, sustainability inside, intuitive control, and being driven by data, we are poised to drive the future of textile manufacturing. We aim to help our customers achieve greater efficiency, versatility, and sustainability in their operations. We are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow together with our customers and lead the way into a new era of textile manufacturing.