Egypt’s established textile manufacturing base, proximity to Europe and long-standing cotton heritage could strengthen its position as a nearshoring destination for international apparel brands.
However, manufacturers must also respond to currency volatility, energy costs and increasingly demanding European requirements covering sustainability, product labelling and supply-chain traceability.
In this interview with Kohan Textile Journal, Juan Macanás, Ribbon Unit Manager at Comercial Arqué, discusses the company’s apparel identification and labelling solutions, including thermal-transfer printing, durable care labels and RFID hang-tag technology.
He also shares his assessment of Egypt’s textile industry, the future of manufacturing in North Africa and the factors supporting the international competitiveness of Spain’s textile technology sector.
Comercial Arqué’s Apparel Labelling and RFID Solutions
Could you briefly introduce your company, its main activities and key products or services?
Juan Macanás: Comercial Arque, based in Barcelona (Spain) since 1955, provides identification solutions for apparel labelling. We are the exclusive MENA distributor of two Japanese-made thermal transfer printers: Mercury for textile care labels, and Venus for hang tags, including RFID hang tags, which it prints, encodes and verifies in a single pass.
As converters, we also manufacture the consumables: textile label substrates and TTR ribbons. Our key combination, PTX polyester substrate + L555 textile resin ribbon + Mercury printer, offers high washing resistance for denim and heavy-wash garments (hard wash, stone wash, bleach, garment dyeing): a complete, tested system from a single partner.
Egypt’s Nearshoring Potential and Market Challenges
How do you evaluate the current situation of Egypt’s textile industry and market, including its main opportunities and challenges?
Juan Macanás: Egypt combines a long cotton tradition, a strong industrial base and proximity to Europe, making it a natural nearshoring option for European brands, as Egypt Stitch & Tex confirmed.
The main challenges are currency volatility, energy costs and increasingly strict European requirements on traceability, sustainability and labelling.
North Africa’s Future in Fast and Flexible Textile Production
What is your outlook for the future of the textile industry in Egypt and North Africa?
Juan Macanás: We are optimistic, and we speak from experience: our branches in Tunisia and Morocco have served the North African textile industry for more than 15 years.
The region can become a key hub for fast, flexible production for Europe, especially if it moves into higher-value segments such as denim and garment finishing. Durable care labels and RFID traceability will be essential, and that is where we can help.
Read more: Spanish Textile Technology Companies Strengthen Presence in Egypt
Why Spanish Textile Technology Competes Globally
What factors have contributed to the international success of Spain’s textile machinery industry, and how do you see the future of this sector in Spain?
Juan Macanás: Textile tradition, specialization in high-value niches, tailor-made engineering, close technical service and a strong export culture are the key factors behind the international success of Spanish companies.
The sector’s future lies in energy efficiency, sustainability, automation and new materials: exactly what emerging hubs like Egypt need. As a consumables supplier, we know that machine performance always depends on the materials it runs with.
