Weaving the Future: How Itema is Powering Innovation, Sustainability & Growth in Indian Textiles
June 01, 2025 | By Textile Outlook India
In this exclusive interview, Ugo Ghilardi, CEO of Itema Group—a global leader in advanced weaving solutions—shares his perspectives on the company’s strategic priorities and its deepening engagement with the Indian textile industry. He discusses eco-efficient solutions like iSAVER® and EVO models and emphasizes Itema’s commitment to helping Indian weavers “weave different”.
Q. Itema has long been at the forefront of weaving innovation. How would you describe Itema’s current positioning in the global textile machinery landscape?
Itema has always been committed to leading the way in the field of textile performance, and today we continue to hold a strong position in the global textile machinery landscape. We are proud to be recognized for our textile mastery as we believe that the added value of a weaving machine lies in its textile capabilities. We are determined to maintain our leadership in this field and, from this point of view, India offers interesting insights. We are in fact carrying out textile development projects with Indian weavers with the aim of developing solutions capable of making a difference for the Indian textile market.
Q. How is ITEMA leveraging Industry 4.0, IoT, and automation to enhance the performance of its weaving solutions? Itema is actively leveraging Industry 4.0, IoT, and automation to boost the performance and efficiency of our weaving solutions. By integrating IoT technologies, our machines can collect real-time data on various parameters, allowing for better monitoring and quick troubleshooting. This helps reduce downtime and increases overall productivity. Overall, these technologies help our customers achieve higher quality, greater efficiency, and more sustainable operations and as Itema we are focused on exploring all the possibilities that can determine real added value to weavers. For example, India being a major market and also a reference point in the IT field, we are developing an ad hoc solution for the Indian textile market.
Q. With sustainability being a top priority in textile manufacturing, how is ITEMA addressing energy efficiency and eco-conscious operations in its machinery offerings?
At Itema, we are conscious of the impact of the textile industry on the planet, and we take the issue of sustainability very seriously. For our rapier weaving machines we developed iSAVER®, the mechatronic device that eliminates the waste selvedge on the left-hand side of the fabric leading to resources, raw materials and money saving, precisely to offer our customers a reliable, tangible solution to make their weaving process greener. We also took a significant step in reducing the footprint of our weaving machines with the latest EVO models, that compared to previous models and thanks to the main mechanical components revision provide less energy consumption. The Itema weaving machines also proved during customer trials to be capable of successfully handling recycled yarns. Finally, I would like to mention that we feature in our product portfolio the projectile P7300HP which is still the most sustainable weaving machine on the market as it consumes less energy, produces less waste and has the longest life cycle of other technologies. Especially when maintained with original spare parts, the projectile weaving machine guarantees the best return on investment and the highest value on the second-hand market.
Q. India has been a significant market for ITEMA. How do you view the evolving demand from Indian weavers and how is ITEMA tailoring its solutions for this dynamic market?
Every year, some experts opine that the there is a limit to the growth of the Indian weaving industry. But every year and year on year, the industry is growing strongly. The Indian textile industry is very dynamic, and the internal demand is constantly growing. Itema is focused on continuing to be a valuable partner for the Indian textile industry by enabling Indian weavers to achieve the best return on investment. Our mission is to enable our customers to weave different, because it is only by making the difference that we can be successful in today’s competitive context. India is for Itema the fertile ground to carry forward textile and technological challenges, the textile laboratory where our experts are testing themselves to develop tailor-made solutions, truly innovative and certainly with high added value.
Q. How does ITEMA approach service, training, and technical support for its growing customer base in countries like India?
At Itema, we truly believe that excellent service, comprehensive training, and reliable technical support are key to building strong relationships with our customers, especially as our presence grows in countries like India. In 2003, Itema set up its own organization in India, Itema India Pvt. Ltd., which today features more than 50 skilled and trained employees based in 4 different locations (Mumbai, Coimbatore, New Dehli, Kolhapur). The India after-sales service team is made by skilled engineers and technicians based across the country. Our goal is to ensure that our customers receive prompt assistance whenever needed. We also offer extensive training programs—both at customer premises or in our Itema Campus training centers —to help operators and technicians maximize the performance of our machines and stay updated on the latest technologies. Moreover, we provide ongoing technical support through original spare parts availability, upgrade kits and regular maintenance services. This integrated approach helps minimize downtime and ensures smooth, efficient production for our clients. Being close to our customers has always been our prerogative, and I can therefore announce that, in the coming months, we will inaugurate the new Itema Service Station in Surat, the cradle of Saree production for which Itema is the main supplier of high-end rapier looms.
Q. Can you share insights into how ITEMA is responding to rising demand for high-speed, versatile, and multi-fiber weaving applications—especially for technical textiles?
Recognizing that the production of technical fabrics requires specific characteristics, in 2019 we established Itematech, a division comprising engineers, textile experts, and technicians with specialized skills in this field. Today, Itematech offers the widest range of weaving technologies to produce technical fabrics. We feature in our weft transfers portfolio for technical fibres weaving: positive and negative rapiers, mono-rapier, projectile and air-jet. Thanks to this, we provide technical fabrics weavers with the perfect machine to weave the widest range of yarns, from the coarsest to the finest. The Itematech team know-how excels in the fine-tuning of specific machine versions to respond to any customer request. Just to mention an example, we recently rolled out the Itema A9500EVO iLENO which is an air-jet weaving machines specifically developed to weave secondary carpet backing.
Q. Finally, what message would you like to share with Indian textile manufacturers and industry stakeholders regarding ITEMA’s vision for the future?
Whether the Indian textile investors are looking for a smart, agile partner focused in providing weaving solutions designed to help them in making the difference in their production process with a clear advantage in terms of fabric quality and versatility, Itema is the partner. We believe that the primary task of a weaving machine is to weave fabric, and we are determined to maintain the primacy of Itema technology in doing it better than anyone else.
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