“As the global apparel industry shifts toward more flexible production models, Jack Technology has moved beyond the traditional machine sales model,” said CEO Moli. “Drawing on extensive project experience, we have developed intelligent total solutions that can be adapted to different production environments and help manufacturers respond more effectively to changing market demands.”

During the event, Victor, General Manager of the Global Strategic Key Client Department, introduced the SmartLink Master. Built on the Polaris AI Intelligent System and Siemens’ Mendix platform, the solution integrates SkyFox AI Vision Technology, Spirit-Ape AI Kitting Technology, and Lightning AI Distribution Technology. The platform connects software, equipment, and production processes to create factory solutions tailored to different apparel manufacturing requirements. Jornt Moerland, Senior Vice President of Siemens Digital Industries Software for Asia Pacific, said the two companies will work together to develop digital twin-enabled production lines and pilot smart factories for the apparel industry.

Jimmy, President of Human Resources, introduced the URUS2. James, General Manager of the Southeast Asia Region, introduced the M6 Mold-Free Template Machine. Steve, CEO of Marketing Team, signed cooperation agreements with several leading global apparel manufacturers. Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of VITAS, said the solutions could help accelerate the modernization of Vietnam’s apparel manufacturing sector. With demonstration factories in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Jack showcased its intelligent total solutions in real production environments.

As one of Southeast Asia’s leading textile and apparel manufacturing hubs, Vietnam is accelerating the adoption of smart factory technologies. Through its integrated intelligent manufacturing and factory digitalization solutions, Jack Technology is helping apparel manufacturers improve flexibility, responsiveness, and production efficiency in an increasingly demand-driven market.

Premium technology “Made in Germany”

Together with Mayer Mümessillik, Mayer & Cie. Global presented two OV 3.2 QCe circular knitting machines. The machines have been among the company’s most successful models formany years and represent the premium interlock segment, which is in strong demand both in Turkey and internationally. With its trade fair appearance, Mayer & Cie. Global deliberately sent a signal of continuity.Development and production of its premium machines will continue to take place in Germany. Customers can therefore continue to rely on the quality and performance for which the Mayer &Cie. brand has stood for decades.

Clear positioning

The future direction of Mayer & Cie. Global and its cooperation with Huixing attracted considerable interest at the trade fair. The team used numerous discussions to explain the company’s positioning.

Mayer & Cie. premium machines will continue to be developed and manufactured in Germany. At the same time, the partnership with Huixing opens up additional opportunities: in future, customers will also be able to obtain suitable solutions from the Huixing portfolio for the middle and lower market segments. This enables Mayer & Cie. Global to serve a broader range of customer requirements without changing the premium positioning of the Mayer & Cie. brand.

Alton Xu, owner of Mayer & Cie. Global, explains: “With our new setup, we can now support customers across a much wider range of market requirements than before. At the same time, we remain fully committed to our premium segment and Mayer & Cie.’s promise of quality. Where budget constraints or specific applications require different solutions, we can now offer additional alternatives. This strengthens our market position and enables our representatives to support and retain customers within the Mayer & Cie. Global network in the long term.”

Exchange with international representatives

ITM also provided an important platform for personal exchange with international representatives. Delegations from Mexico, Uzbekistan, Russia and Iran used the trade fair to discuss further cooperation and to get to know Alton Xu and the Mayer & Cie. Global team in person. The direct exchange underlined the importance of the global sales and service network for the
ompany’s further development.

New requirements in the interlock segment

In addition to market and company topics, technological developments were also a key focus of the discussions. In the interlock segment, demand is currently increasing for so-called fivethread knitted fabrics. This special variation of a double-face fabric o􀆯ers additional design and performance options and is increasingly being used in sportswear and technical apparel.

Mayer & Cie. Global regards this development as an important future topic and is working to integrate corresponding solutions into its technology portfolio in the near future. The aim is to support customers quickly and practically, even when new market requirements arise.

Positive response to the restart

Overall, ITM 2026 confirmed the strong position of the Mayer & Cie. brand in the Turkish market. For many customers, reliable service and secure spare parts supply remain decisive factors alongside innovative technology – especially as Mayer & Cie. machines are used in many modern knitting mills throughout the country.

The positive response to the trade fair appearance shows that the restart of Mayer & Cie. Global is being closely followed by the market and is meeting with a high level of acceptance among customers and partners.

Jack Technology will deploy Siemens’ new industrial AI orchestration software, Intelligence Center X, starting with Mendix for agentic low code development, and Designcenter™ software for advanced product engineering – both from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio – to streamline product development, reduce complexity and support new applications for AI and humanoid robotics in sewing workshops.

Headquartered in China, Jack Technology serves customers in more than 160 countries and operates in a highly competitive market shaped by rising demand for shorter lead times, increased product customisation and improved cost efficiency. To address these pressures, the company is integrating AI‑enabled systems and humanoid robots into traditional sewing environments to improve flexibility, responsiveness and production performance.

To support this transformation, Jack Technology will deploy an integrated suite of Siemens’ technologies, including Intelligence Center X and Mendix to rapidly build, deploy and iterate manufacturing and robotics‑related applications, and Designcenter engineering software to support product design, simulation and manufacturing for complex mechanical systems such as humanoid robots. Siemens will also provide specialised technical training to support the development of a dedicated digital platform for the sewing equipment industry.

“Collaborating with Siemens marks a critical step in advancing our digital strategy,” said Hu Wenhai, President of New Product Development at Jack Technology. “The flexibility of Intelligence Center X – Mendix, combined with the capabilities of Siemens’ Designcenter, will help us manage growing manufacturing complexity, accelerate innovation and deliver more intelligent solutions to our customers.”

The integration of Siemen’s digital engineering and agentic enterprise system is designed to deliver measurable operational benefits. Jack Technology expects to shorten development cycles, improve product quality, optimise production workflows, reduce costs and increase overall manufacturing efficiency by up to 30%.

The collaboration reflects a broader shift across the apparel manufacturing sector, as companies adopt software driven engineering, agentic low code development and AI enabled automation to modernise operations and improve responsiveness to evolving market demands.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Jack Technology to explore the potential of intelligent manufacturing, including the application of AI and humanoid robotics,” said Raymond Kok, CEO, Mendix, a Siemens business. “By combining agentic low code development with digital product engineering, manufacturers can move faster from concept to production.”

“This collaboration highlights how digital technologies are reshaping apparel manufacturing,” said Leo Liang, senior vice president and managing director for Greater China, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “With Siemens’ AI-enabled  software portfolio, Jack Technology is well positioned to strengthen innovation capabilities and deliver greater value across the global apparel manufacturing ecosystem.”

When asked what UK consumers do with clothing they no longer wear, ‘donate’ and ‘recycle’ were the top responses. Globally, only US consumers choose to donate more than UK consumers with a higher percentage (46%) stating they donate clothing they no longer wear. When it comes to recycling, only German and Italian consumers surpass the UK, with 47% and 32% of people, respectively, stating they choose to recycle clothing they no longer wear.

“We spoke to nearly 10,000 global consumers in China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, UK and US, and are thrilled to see UK consumers leading the way in donating and recycling clothing they no longer wear, ” said Andrea Samber, Director of Brand Partnerships for Cotton Incorporated.

“Through the Cotton Lives On™ recycling programme we encourage brands to participate and increase the levels of clothing brands and consumers are giving and recycling, diverting away from landfill.”

The survey also found UK consumers rejecting ‘Throwaway Culture’ with only 22% of UK consumers stating they are throwing away clothing they no longer wear. This is well below the global average of 26% and contrasts sharply with Japan and France with 56% and 53% of consumers, respectively, who said they threw away clothing they no longer wear.

The comprehensive Cotton Incorporated survey also found 22% of UK consumers give to friends and family, 19% sell, 14% repurpose, 13% keep and 10% return clothing they no longer wear.

The Cotton Lives On™ recycling programme works with a premium collective of UK fashion brands and retailers through its cotton recycling programme. Brands joining the Cotton Lives On™ family include &SONS, Margaret Howell, ME+EM, PAIGE, Charles Tyrwhitt, Hush, Whistles, Hobbs, Phase Eight, L’Estrange, Anthropologie, Bianca Saunders, Nexvision, Veronica Beard and The White Company.

The Cotton Lives On™ programme diverts old cottons from landfill and transforms them into mattresses for people at risk of homelessness. To date, the Cotton Lives On™ recycling programme has collected approximately 8,000kg of cotton in the UK and provided over 100 roll mats. Each new roll mat contains the equivalent to 45 cotton T-shirts. People around the UK at risk of homelessness and living in difficult conditions are given the roll mats as part of their first essential products package when moving to a hostel, or as part of their new home kit once they have been found a more permanent place of residence.The Cotton Lives On™ recycling programme’s purpose is simple. Its aim is to reduce landfill waste and extend the life of old cotton in a way that helps both people and our planet.

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38^th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

The new survey shows a business situation balance rising to −17 percentage points (pp) from −25pp in March. Business expectations climbed to +16pp (from +5pp), order intake to −9pp (from −25pp), backlogs to 2.5 months and capacity utilization to 74%. Order cancellations stayed contained and inventories lean low. The direction is encouraging, but the levels rest on a thin and fragile cushion.

The upturn was geographically uneven. Africa led on business situation, order intake, backlog and expectations, alongside gains in Europe and North & Central America. The Asian production hubs lagged, with East Asia weakest on both current conditions and the six-month outlook. Along the value chain, segments closest to the end-consumer slightly fared best, while capital-goods and upstream segments trailed.

Cost and demand pressures persist: weak demand remains the major concern for 53% of participating textile manufacturers, followed by raw-material prices (52%) and energy prices and geopolitics (42% each). The survey links rising costs to the war in Iran, which has pushed crude oil to around USD 100 and lifted gasoline prices by roughly 50% since March, feeding inflation and squeezing margins. Whether the May reading holds will depend largely on energy prices and the resolution of ongoing conflicts.

Knitting

In the Circular Knitting segment, Groz-Beckert will spotlight the LCmax™, the next generation of energy-saving needles. Featuring a pioneering wave-shaped shank geometry, the LCmax™ delivers optimized energy efficiency, reduced friction, and easy handling — enabling maximum performance with lower energy consumption.

For Flat Knitting, Groz-Beckert will present two specialized needle solutions:

• SAN™ TT – developed for particularly tight loops and ideal for technical and medical textile applications.
• SAN™ FY – engineered for processing uneven effect yarns, ensuring a flawless fabric appearance even in demanding and complex designs.

In the Legwear segment, visitors can discover the dur™ needles, recognized for their exceptional durability and precision in the production of fine hosiery.

For Warp Knitting, Groz-Beckert will showcase its continuously expanding module portfolio, setting new benchmarks in precision, stability, and efficiency for loop formation processes.

Weaving

The Weaving product area will present the KnotMaster tying machine — a high-performance solution for efficient and flexible weaving preparation. Thanks to its modular and compact design, the KnotMaster enables fast warp changes and reduced processing times, helping weaving mills achieve higher productivity. The system reliably handles complex patterns as well as demanding upholstery yarns, covering a broad range of standard and special applications. These capabilities will also be demonstrated live at the booth during ITM 2026.

In addition, Groz-Beckert will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of reeds, healds, and drop wires, optimized for a wide variety of applications and tailored to meet diverse production requirements.

Another highlight is the PosiLeno® system, which offers virtually unlimited patterning possibilities, maximum flexibility, optimized shed formation movements, and easy installation — making it an efficient solution for modern leno weaving applications.

Nonwovens

The Nonwovens product area will present its latest innovations, ranging from a needle designed to significantly reduce insertion and removal times, to the Digital Ecosystem, which enables nonwovens manufacturers to optimize and automate their production processes. Furthermore, the unique Groz-Beckert Mounting Service for the Nonwovens Carding product group will be showcased, as well as our newly developed CB-barb felting needle.

For Lindex, the use of loopamid builds on its long‑term work to increase the use of recycled materials and reduce dependency on virgin raw materials. Building on progress in textile-­to-­textile recycled cellulosic fibres, Lindex is now driving innovation in polyamide within lingerie.

“As a major lingerie player, we have a clear responsibility and opportunity to drive change in this category. Polyamide is an important material category for Lindex, where our scale allows us to drive real impact. With loopamid, we are moving from ambition to action, advancing more circular solutions while supporting long‑term, sustainable growth and reducing the use of virgin material. Progress at this level requires new technologies and close partnerships across the value chain, and BASF plays a key role in enabling this development,” said Anna-Karin Dahlberg, Chief Sustainability Officer at Lindex.

Developed by BASF, loopamid is a recycled polyamide 6 made entirely from textile waste such as post-industrial waste and post‑consumer waste. The technology enables the recycling of polyamide materials that are otherwise difficult to process, including blended textiles, while maintaining material quality comparable to virgin polyamide 6 and enabling multiple recycling cycles.

“With loopamid, our goal is to fully close the loop for polyamide textiles. Working with Lindex allows us to actively shape the transformation towards a more circular fashion industry,” said Dag Wiebelhaus, head of innovation and project lead of loopamid at BASF’s Monomers division.

First lingerie products made with loopamid are planned to be introduced in selected Lindex lingerie styles at the beginning of 2027. The collaboration and use of loopamid support Lindex’s overall material ambition that by the end of 2026, 100 per cent of materials used will be recycled or sustainably sourced.

The fully digital, single-step system, based on the proven Presto MAX solution, requires minimal setup, eliminates Minimum Order Quantities, supports the industry’s widest array of fabrics, and offers water-free printing with no pre- or post-washing, reducing waste, energy consumption, and environmental impact. At its core, Kornit MAX technology ensures retail print quality and superior hand feel.

Industry-First Innovation
Presto MAX PLUS introduces DuraTech™, a durability enhancer delivering consistent resistance to wear, flex, and abrasion, enabling digital production for demanding applications such as footwear uppers, technical apparel, automotive interiors, and performance textiles. Its patent-pending Precise Overprint technology intelligently adapts to material variability, ensuring accurate image placement on complex, pre-knitted, and dimensionally unstable substrates.

These capabilities are already field proven with footwear manufacturers. Using breakthrough process and technology, Presto MAX PLUS enables digital application of proprietary functional inks to deliver customizable performance characteristics such as abrasion resistance, compression and protection, and technical applications.

“Digital production is entering a new phase of industrial adoption, expanding into high-performance categories that require durability, precision and consistency at scale,” said Ronen Samuel, CEO of Kornit Digital. “Presto MAX PLUS extends the boundaries of what digital manufacturing can achieve, enabling brands and manufacturers to unlock new applications, operate with greater agility, and accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable production model.”

The system also features white ink printing on dyed fabrics, extended color gamuts with Red/Green or Neon inks, and Kornit’s XDi Technology for unique 3-D effects. Quality automation via QualiSet ensures hands-off calibration and consistent, repeatable results across batches, systems, and distributed production sites.

Customers currently operating Presto MAX systems will be able to upgrade to Presto MAX PLUS capabilities, enabling access to new applications while protecting and extending the value of their existing investment.

The Kornit Presto MAX PLUS will be officially unveiled at Texprocess 2026 on April 21. Visit Kornit at Hall 8, Stand A20.