Frankfurt am Main, June 15th, 2007 – After a weaker year 2005, the German textile machinery industry is back on track again. With exports worth 3.6 billion Euro the industry reached an increase of six percent compared to 2005. Even the prospects for the current year are promising: For 2007, VDMA is expecting sales increases of 13 percent compared to 2006. This positive tendency is expected to continue even in 2008.

“We are delighted by these impressive figures of our industry. The general conditions, a continuing positive development of incoming orders combined with the investment plans of our classic markets and of emerging textile nations are a perfect basis for further sales increases”, explains Thomas Waldmann, Managing Director of the VDMA textile machinery branch.

36 percent of the German textile machinery and accessories were shipped to China and India. The People’s Republic including Hong Kong accounted for 929 million thus remaining the unchallenged number one destination. Since the second half of 2004 sales to China dropped clearly, and it took them until the second quarter of 2006 to rise again. The last quarter of 2006 however, was the best quarter ever for China exports: Textile machinery worth 312 million Euro were shipped from Germany to China between October and December 2006.

India became the number two market for the first time by ordering goods worth 368 million Euro. The top five markets for textile technology made in Germany are completed by Turkey (236 million Euro), the United States (192 million) and Italy (172 million).

With exports worth 1944 million Euro, Asia is by far the most important region for German textile machinery followed by Europe (1044 million Euro), Latin America (215 million), North America (212 million) and Africa (81 million).

The biggest share within German textile machinery exports was hold by spinning machinery. This branch accounted for 1352 million Euro. The exports of knitting, hosiery and similar machinery reached a value of 1217 million Euro. The export number of finishing machinery inclusive washing and bleaching and dyeing technologies was 706 million Euro. The shipments of weaving machinery summed up to 344 million Euro in 2006.

For more than 40 years, the German textile machinery industry is export world champion, holding a market share of nearly 30 percent.