Egypt is emerging as an increasingly attractive destination for textile investment as local manufacturers expand and foreign companies establish new production operations, according to representatives of FONG’S Europe and XORELLA.
Speaking with Kohan Textile Journal during EGY Stitch & Tex 2026 in Cairo, Thomas Walther, Sales Director at XORELLA, and Kadir Esmer, Area Sales Director at FONG’S Europe GmbH, discussed the group’s dyeing, finishing and yarn-conditioning technologies, its cooperation with NobelTex and the growing role of automation in textile production.
Thomas Walther and Kadir Esmer Discuss Egypt’s Textile Potential
Kohan Textile Journal: Could you introduce your responsibilities and the technologies you offer to the Egyptian market?
Thomas Walther: My name is Thomas Walther, and I am responsible for the XORELLA brand, which is part of the Fong’s Group.
My colleague Kadir Esmer is responsible for our dyeing machinery, while I focus on XORELLA’s steaming and conditioning systems. These machines are used primarily in yarn production, including cotton spinning.
XORELLA specialises in vacuum conditioning and heat-setting systems for yarns and fabrics. These technologies can support more controlled processing and improve the preparation of textile materials for subsequent production stages.
Kadir Esmer: I am Area Sales Director for the Fong’s Group and am responsible for FONG’S, GOLLER and THEN products in the Egyptian market.
We offer machinery for yarn and fabric dyeing alongside continuous processing technologies. Through the different brands within the group, we can provide customers with a broad range of solutions for dyeing and finishing operations.
The FONG’S Europe portfolio brings together the FONG’S, THEN, GOLLER and XORELLA brands, covering dyeing, bleaching, washing, scouring, mercerising, desizing and yarn conditioning.
Kohan Textile Journal: How do you assess the current situation and future potential of Egypt’s textile industry?
Thomas Walther: The global textile machinery market is currently experiencing a difficult period, and we are facing many of the same challenges as other technology suppliers.
Nevertheless, the Egyptian market appears promising. We are seeing textile manufacturers and investors from Türkiye moving part of their production to Egypt and establishing new factories in the country.
Egypt benefits from competitive labour and energy costs, while it also has a long history in cotton spinning. For these reasons, we believe the market will continue to grow over the longer term.
Kadir Esmer: Egypt offers potential both for local textile manufacturers and foreign investors. It is therefore important for us to maintain a strong presence in the market.
We work with NobelTex as our local partner in Egypt. This cooperation allows us to remain close to customers, understand the requirements of new projects and provide local commercial and technical support.
Kohan Textile Journal: What solutions do FONG’S, THEN and GOLLER provide for dyeing and finishing plants?
Kadir Esmer: The FONG’S and THEN brands provide technologies for yarn and fabric dyeing.
Through GOLLER, we offer continuous processing ranges for applications including bleaching, mercerising and pad-steam processes. These technologies enable us to support customers across both discontinuous dyeing and continuous fabric processing.
By combining the capabilities of the different brands, we can provide a one-stop solution for customers in the dyeing and finishing sector.
This can be particularly valuable for new textile investments where manufacturers need to coordinate different processes and select machinery that works together as part of an integrated production line.
Kohan Textile Journal: How important is automation for yarn-conditioning and textile-finishing machinery?
Thomas Walther: Automation is becoming increasingly important for XORELLA machinery and for textile manufacturing more broadly.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many factories recognised that labour shortages could create serious operational challenges. Even textile manufacturers in countries with comparatively low labour costs have started investing in automation to reduce their dependence on manual work.
The payback period for automation may be longer in a lower-cost manufacturing market than in a country with high wages. Nevertheless, the direction is clear, and we expect investment in automation to continue.
Automation can help manufacturers achieve more consistent processes while reducing the number of manual operations required around machinery.
Read More: Egypt Stitch & Tex 2026: What the Exhibition Revealed About the Future of Egypt’s Textile Industry
Integrated Technology Supports New Textile Investments
Egypt’s expanding textile industry is creating opportunities across cotton spinning, yarn conditioning, dyeing and fabric finishing.
Investors establishing new factories increasingly require technology partners capable of supporting several production stages rather than supplying isolated machines. The combination of FONG’S, THEN, GOLLER and XORELLA enables the group to address different requirements within yarn and fabric processing.
The availability of local support through NobelTex can also be important for manufacturers evaluating technical configurations, installing new machinery and maintaining production performance after commissioning.
As labour availability, process consistency and operating costs become more important, automation is expected to play a larger role in both new and existing Egyptian textile plants.
