New AMEC AMTEX President Patricia Masias says Spanish textile machinery manufacturers must build on their technical knowledge, resilience and international presence while simplifying solutions and responding to growing sustainability demands.
Patricia Masias, CEO and General Manager of Masias Maquinaria, has taken over as the new President of AMEC AMTEX at a challenging moment for the European textile machinery industry.
With manufacturers facing growing international competition, regulatory pressure, workforce shortages and rapidly changing customer requirements, Masias believes cooperation between Spanish technology companies will be increasingly important.
In an interview with Kohan Textile Journal, she discussed the challenges facing AMEC AMTEX members, the strengths of Spanish textile machinery manufacturers, competition from Asia, sustainability and the importance of international markets.
Navigating a Challenging European Textile Machinery Market
Q: You are taking over the presidency of AMEC AMTEX at a challenging time for the industry. What do you see as the main challenges facing member companies?
Patricia Masias: There are many challenges today because the general global environment is quite complicated. It is not always easy to know which direction to take.
I think one of the things we can do through AMEC AMTEX is help companies navigate these circumstances together. The situation we are facing is, in many ways, shared by everyone. We need to put our experiences and knowledge in common, help each other and try to guide the industry in the right direction.
Q: Masias Maquinaria is well known for product development and innovation. What advice would you give manufacturers trying to navigate the current market?
Patricia Masias: In Europe, we are not going through easy times. We face a lot of bureaucracy, and finding people to work in the industry can also be complicated. In comparison, companies in some Asian countries can sometimes move more easily and quickly.
However, we have to believe in what we know and in our ability to do things well. We have a great deal of knowledge and experience.
What we need to do is make things much simpler than we sometimes do today. We need to develop very good machinery, but at the same time make solutions simpler and more effective. This will be important if European manufacturers want to compete with Asian markets, which are putting significant pressure on us.
Read more: All You Need to Know About AMEC AMTEX
Simplicity, Innovation and Spain’s Industrial Strength
Q: Masias Maquinaria was founded in 1941 and has a long history of developing technologies for textile factories. What do you consider the main strengths of Spain’s textile machinery industry?
Patricia Masias: One important strength is that we have been here for many years. You could see that as either a good or a bad thing, but it means we have learned how to survive through very different market situations. It is a very resilient industry.
Even in the region where I live, we still have a spinning industry, perhaps among the last remaining ones in Europe.
I believe companies have been able to continue by focusing on two important pillars: simplicity and sustainability.
Textile machinery manufacturers and textile producers need to focus on new solutions that address today’s problems. Innovation is essential. If we do not innovate in areas such as automation, simplification and new technologies, somebody else will.
Sustainability as a Technology Opportunity
Q: You also mentioned sustainability. Do you see it primarily as a challenge or as a new business opportunity?
Patricia Masias: Sustainability is definitely an important area. At least in Europe, regulation is pushing the industry towards developing new technologies and finding new solutions.
Developments such as Extended Producer Responsibility create new requirements, but they can also create opportunities for machinery manufacturers. There are gaps where technology providers can develop solutions that help textile producers respond to these new responsibilities.
I believe this is an area where machinery manufacturers need to focus. Innovation and sustainability are challenges, but they can also become important opportunities.
Internationalisation Remains Essential
Q: Internationalisation has always been central to AMEC AMTEX, including participation in international exhibitions and ITMA. What role will internationalisation play during your presidency?
Patricia Masias: I don’t think internationalisation will play a different role from the one it has played until now. For a machinery manufacturer, internationalisation is something you are practically obliged to pursue if you want to achieve significant turnover.
Our domestic markets alone are not large enough to support everything we want to achieve.
AMEC AMTEX has an important role in helping companies expand their sales around the world. Having a strong presence at major exhibitions such as ITMA also gives Spanish manufacturers an important platform to present their machinery and technologies to international customers.
A Presidency Built Around Cooperation
Q: Finally, what would you like your presidency of AMEC AMTEX to be remembered for?
Patricia Masias: That is quite a difficult question to answer at the beginning!
But I would like to be remembered for making things easier for the people and companies within AMEC AMTEX and helping them develop their businesses by sharing the knowledge and experience we have.
For me, the objective is to help. We need to work together as one group and, in a way, as one family, so that we can navigate and survive these strange and rapidly changing circumstances together.
Read more: AMEC AMTEX Members to Showcase Strong Presence at Techtextil 2026
A New Chapter for AMEC AMTEX
Masias’ appointment comes as European textile machinery manufacturers face a market increasingly shaped by global competition, sustainability requirements, automation and pressure to deliver more efficient and practical technologies.
Her message for the Spanish industry is clear: its long manufacturing experience remains an important advantage, but experience alone will not be enough. Innovation, simpler solutions, sustainability, internationalisation and stronger cooperation between companies will be central to maintaining the industry’s competitiveness.
For AMEC AMTEX, her presidency therefore begins with both a challenge and an opportunity: helping Spanish textile machinery manufacturers translate decades of engineering knowledge into technologies capable of competing in a rapidly changing global market.
