By: Behnam Ghasemi – Kohan Textile Journal
Could you please let us know more about Mahlo Company, products, goals and success story?
Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG belongs to the worldwide leading manufacturers of measuring, control and automation systems for the textile and finishing industry as well as the coating, film and paper sector. Best-possible technical support and know-how transfer are written in capital letters at Mahlo. Thanks to roundabout 220 staff members worldwide as well as an international network of agencies and service centres, the customers have competent support at their disposal. A 24/7 hotline for spare parts helps to limit downtime in case of technical issues.
The highly experienced company in Bavaria was founded in 1945 by Dr. Heinz Mahlo, and has remained a family-owned enterprise until today, having steadfastly maintained its standing in the global marketplace. For decades they have been developing and producing their devices exclusively in Germany – employing highly motivated specialists trained in house. This is a guarantee for the highest level of quality. The success of the company is a result of the perfect interaction between customers, Mahlo products and employees precisely satisfying the needs of the industry
What do you think about Middle East and Africa textile and Nonwoven market and it’s potentials?
To this day, the Middle East is a role model for niche products in an outstanding quality. An example is the Thawb or Abaya production. But also home textiles and bedsheets are a common product. In Egypt though, with its resources of high-quality cotton, you find the entire spectrum of textiles: from high quality shirts to the mass production of leisurewear. The hub of textile production in this region, however, is Turkey. Since decades this country ranks amongst the top three in textile machinery exports. The skilled and motivated Turkish customers often have a “textile soul” and help us developing new machines as well as technologies.
Do you have export to the region? Which countries in Middle East and Africa are your main destination?
Due to the current crisis in Syria, many textile producers have found new roots in Egypt. Most of them already had a well working network to the land of the pharaohs since long, which made it easy for them to relocate. Others had to fit in to the Egypt infrastructure first, but due to those migrations Egypt has become the most important textile destination in Northern Africa. Morocco and the rest of Maghreb also hold a good stake in this region, but due to the political instability, the productivity suffers a bit. Ethiopia since many years is working on a sustainable position in the field of textile / garment production. Infrastructure as well as industrial parks are already in place, next step would be skilled labour as well as a more secure financial and customs system in order to get the ball rolling.
How do you evaluate textile and Nonwoven machinery in the world? What kind of innovation is expected in your future products?
It’s the age of digitalization. Big data is getting more and more important. It helps increasing transparency and securing the value-added chain in the textile production. It prevents from claims and rejects. It helps to understand and to optimize all the different steps of textile production from the fibre to the ready-made garment. Mahlo since long is following this aspect. In 1948 Dr. Heinz Mahlo invented the online moisture control. Ever since, the focus on optimization and increased efficiency is the main emphasis for all the R&D efforts of the family business.
The urge for digitalization might also be based on the fact that most of the textile machines have reached a certain level of optimization. The actual series of weft straighteners from Mahlo are definitely the best weft straighteners the company has ever made. Every single aspect of mechanics, drives, controls and interfaces has been evaluated against the background of the 75 years of experience and amended accordingly.
In terms of performance there’s no comparison to the actual version. And of course, Industry 4.0 is high up on Mahlo’s agenda. Our machines are interconnected, providing and storing data ready to retrieve at any moment. If customers use suitable sensor technology and the appropriate networking, they can access the machine from anywhere, provided that an Internet connection is available
How big is your market for textile machinery in Middle East and Africa?
The worst enemy of the market developments is the political situation in many of the countries in Middle East and Africa. Those countries with a stable political system might take advantage of this situation now.
It goes without saying that any conflict has a major negative impact on the economical performance of a country. Regaining the original economic power takes a long time as often infrastructure, educational systems and also the manpower is lost for many years. Therefore, a stable system might be a good starting point for a substantial growth in any of the countries in the region.
What are the major barriers in textile investment and trade in the region?
Still today in many countries corruption and an insufficient financial system are obstacles for international trade in general. A reliable legal system is the backbone of any exchange of goods. Many countries in Middle East are already on the right track. In Africa we find a lot of room for improvement in many places.
Normally how many exhibitions you participate annually and which ones? Your next participation is in which country?
The Corona virus has postponed most of the exhibitions. The actual events can be found on the website www.mahlo.com. This site also offers all of our brochures as well as interesting articles for download.
