At ITMA ASIA + CITME Singapore 2025, David Valmana, Managing Director of ICOMATEX, shared a realistic but optimistic outlook on the future of global textile machinery demand. Speaking about current market conditions, Valmana acknowledged that recent years have been challenging for machinery manufacturers worldwide.
“We had a couple of years where doing business was more difficult,” he said. “We had to work harder to achieve the same results.” Despite market slowdowns and increased competition, particularly from both European and Asian manufacturers, Valmana believes the sector is transitioning toward recovery.
“Competition is everywhere — from Turkey, Europe and Asia — and we have to live with this. This is the future,” he said. “Just like the automotive sector, we all need to coexist, be smart, and not fight each other.” Valmana highlighted that heavy investments have already been made across the supply chain, and international manufacturers are now waiting for demand to stabilize so that production can expand again.
“Business will go up again,” he added. “Companies have invested, and textile factories will return to a situation where they are ready to buy machinery because they want to produce more — and produce better.” His comments reflect a broader sentiment within ITMA ASIA + CITME: that after a period of uncertainty, the textile industry is preparing to accelerate into a new cycle of investment, innovation, and growth.
