At ITMA ASIA + CITME Singapore 2025, Alejandro Gallego Alcaide, Director of International Business at AMEC (Spain’s textile machinery association), shared a clear message about market uncertainty: “Instead of asking when the market will get better, we should focus on being competitive while uncertainty is happening.” Gallego noted that the industry has been waiting for a “market comeback” since before ITMA 2019.
Yet economic cycles, pandemic disruptions, energy costs and weakening demand have shown that uncertainty is no longer temporary. He believes the winners of the next decade will be companies that expand to new value-added sectors — technical textiles, medical and defense textiles — where investment continues even during downturns.
Sustainability and recycling regulations, especially from Europe, are accelerating machinery upgrades as factories must adapt to new rules on waste, traceability and environmental impact. Another major driver of future competitiveness is artificial intelligence. Gallego explained that AI is moving from theory to factory floor, enabling smarter production, machinery digital twins, and productivity optimization.
“AI will go deeper into manufacturing. It won’t just monitor machines — it will help us think and decide.” He emphasized that companies should prepare now, so when demand rises again, they will be ready to capture market share: “Good times will return — but only those who innovate during uncertainty will benefit from them.”
