The largest national market for shuttleless looms in 2016, for the 22nd year in a row, was the textile industry in China.
Prior to 1995, the number one slot had been occupied by the textile industry in South Korea.
In 2016 shipments to the textile industry in China increased by 11.4%, or 4,621 looms, to 44,997 looms.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry rose from 49.5% to 53.1%.
However, shipments in 2016 remained below the annual average of 55,413 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The increase in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Chinese textile industry in 2016 was due to rises in shipments of water-jet looms and air-jet looms.
The fastest rise was a 19.7% jump in shipments of air-jet looms, to 10,794 machines. However, the jump followed declines of 21.0% in 2015 and 30.1% in 2014 and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were at their second lowest level since 2009.
Shipments of water-jet looms increased by 15.7% to 25,533 machines following a 41.2% rise in the previous year. However, the latter followed declines of 48.9% in 2014, 11.1% in 2013 and 67.5% in 2012 and, as a result, shipments in 2016 remained below the levels seen during 2010-13. Nevertheless, they were still at their fifth highest level on record.
Shipments of rapier and projectile looms, meanwhile, declined by 6.6% to 8,670 machines. However, the decline followed a 54.9% jump in the previous year and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were at their second highest level since 2009.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in India—the world’s second largest market—fell by 12.9% to 14,222 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry fell from 20.0% to 16.8%.
Having said that, the fall followed increases in six of the previous seven years and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were still at their third highest level on record.
Furthermore, shipments were well above the annual average of 9,659 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The decline in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Indian textile industry in 2016 was due to falls in shipments of water-jet looms and rapier and projectile looms.
The steepest fall was a 27.6% decline in shipments of water-jet looms, to 3,848 machines. However, shipments were still at their third highest level on record, having remained above the levels seen prior to 2014.
Shipments of rapier and projectile looms, meanwhile, fell by 26.2% to 4,907 machines, which represented their lowest level since 2011.
Shipments of air-jet looms, by contrast, increased by 25.3% to a record high of 5,467 machines.
As a result, the share of air-jet looms in total shipments of shuttleless looms increased from 26.7% to 38.4% between 2015 and 2016 and this category of machine became the most popular after being the least popular in the previous year.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Bangladesh— the world’s third largest market—fell by 3.8% to 7,734 machines in 2016 and the share of global shipments which went to the industry declined from 9.9% to 9.1%.
However, the fall in shipments came after four consecutive years of double digit growth and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were at their third highest level on record.
Furthermore, shipments were well above the annual average of 4,502 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The fall in shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Bangladesh in 2016 was due primarily to a 3.4% decline in shipments of rapier and projectile looms, to 7,038 machines. Shipments of air-jet looms were down by 10.0% but were much lower in number, at 668 machines. In the case of water-jet looms, shipments surged by 211.1% but they remained minimal in absolute terms, at just 28 machines.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Turkey shot up by 59.9% to 3,095 machines in 2016. As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry rose from 2.4% to 3.7% and Turkey climbed two places to become the world’s fourth largest market.
Furthermore, shipments in 2016 were at their highest level since 2003 and were well above the annual average of 1,826 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The rise in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Turkish textile industry in 2016 was due to increases in shipments of rapier and projectile looms and air-jet looms.
Shipments of rapier and projectile looms shot up by 61.7% to 2,433 machines—which represented their third highest level since 2003—while shipments of air-jet looms surged by 232.0% to 601 machines, which represented their highest level since 2003.
By contrast, shipments of water-jet looms plunged by 75.6% to 61 machines. As a result, they were at their lowest level since 2010.
| Rank | Shipments | % change | % share of world | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) | |||||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2016/15 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| 1 | 1 | Asiaa | 75,548 | 77,183 | 2.2 | 92.6 | 91.1 |
| 2 | 2 | Other Europeb | 1,936 | 3,095 | 59.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| 3 | 3 | Western Europe | 1,501 | 2,018 | 34.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| 6 | 4 | Eastern Europe | 516 | 770 | 49.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| 5 | 5 | North America | 672 | 693 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| 4 | 6 | Africa | 1,060 | 479 | -54.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| 7 | 7 | South America | 328 | 460 | 40.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Not specified | 0 | 35 | n/a | 0 | 0 | ||
| World | 81,561 | 84,733 | 3.9 | 100 | 100 | ||
| Rank | Shipments | % change | % share of world | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) | |||||||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2016/15 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| 1 | 1 | China | 40,376 | 44,997 | 11.4 | 49.5 | 53.1 |
| 2 | 2 | India | 16,326 | 14,222 | -12.9 | 20 | 16.8 |
| 3 | 3 | Bangladesh | 8,039 | 7,734 | -3.8 | 9.9 | 9.1 |
| 6 | 4 | Turkey | 1,936 | 3,095 | 59.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| 7 | 5 | Pakistan | 1,441 | 2,815 | 95.4 | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| 4 | 6 | Vietnam | 3,161 | 2,537 | -19.7 | 3.9 | 3 |
| 5 | 7 | Indonesia | 2,601 | 1,815 | -30.2 | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| 9 | 8 | Italy | 677 | 845 | 24.8 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 10 | 9 | Japan | 592 | 576 | -2.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 12 | 10 | South Korea | 454 | 571 | 25.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 13 | 11 | Mexico | 348 | 401 | 15.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 21 | 12 | Germany | 188 | 378 | 101.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 11 | 13 | Taiwan | 517 | 354 | -31.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| 8 | 14 | Thailand | 842 | 311 | -63.1 | 1 | 0.4 |
| 22 | 15 | Brazil | 158 | 273 | 72.8 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| 30 | 16 | Uzbekistan | 89 | 247 | 177.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| 14 | 17 | Iran | 312 | 242 | -22.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 31 | 18 | Russia | 85 | 212 | 149.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| 20 | 19 | Portugal | 209 | 206 | -1.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 15 | 20 | USA | 276 | 202 | -26.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 66 | 21 | Myanmar | 5 | 154 | 2,980.00 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 54 | 22 | Austria | 20 | 140 | 600 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 18 | 22 | Malaysia | 232 | 140 | -39.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 23 | 24 | Spain | 157 | 139 | -11.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 50 | 25 | Belarus | 29 | 133 | 358.6 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 19 | 26 | Egypt | 220 | 118 | -46.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 29 | 27 | Sri Lanka | 93 | 101 | 8.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 32 | 28 | UK | 81 | 99 | 22.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 36 | 29 | France | 49 | 88 | 79.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 34 | 30 | Romania | 59 | 86 | 45.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 48 | 31 | Morocco | 30 | 83 | 176.7 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 38 | 32 | Belgium | 44 | 82 | 86.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| n/a | 33 | Afghanistan | 0 | 78 | n/a | 0 | 0.1 |
| 27 | 33 | Czech Republic | 128 | 78 | -39.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 71 | 33 | Djibouti | 3 | 78 | 2,500.00 | 0 | 0.1 |
| World | 81,561 | 84,733 | 3.9 | 100 | 100 | ||
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Pakistan surged by 95.4% to a record high of 2,815 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry rose from 1.8% to 3.3% and the industry climbed two places to become the world’s fifth largest market.
Furthermore, shipments in 2016 were more than double the annual average of 1,219 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
Within the total for 2016, shipments rose in the case of all three main categories of shuttleless loom. Shipments of water-jet looms soared by 498.4% to 365 machines, shipments of air-jet looms shot up by 91.1% to 2,026 machines and shipments of rapier and projectile looms increased by 32.5% to 424 machines.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Vietnam declined by 19.7% to 2,537 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry fell from 3.9% to 3.0% and the industry slipped two places to become the sixth largest market.
Having said that, the decline in shipments in 2016 came after jumps of 59.9% in 2015 and 142.9% in 2014 and, as a result, shipments were still at their second highest level on record.
Furthermore, they were more or less double the annual average of 1,289 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The decline in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Vietnamese textile industry in 2016 was due to falls in shipments of rapier and projectile looms and air-jet looms. Shipments of rapier and projectile looms fell by 38.4% to 1,204 machines while shipments of air-jet looms were down by 18.0% to 762 machines. However, shipments of both types of machinery remained above the levels seen prior to 2014.
Shipments of water-jet looms, meanwhile, shot up by 106.9% to 571 machines. As a result, they reached their highest level since 1999 and their second highest level on record.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Indonesia plunged by 30.2% to 1,815 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry fell from 3.2% to 2.1% and the industry slipped two places to become the seventh largest market.
Furthermore, shipments in 2016 were below the annual average of 2,391 looms which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The plunge in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Indonesian textile industry in 2016 was due to falls in shipments of air-jet looms (down by 63.4% to 461 machines) and water-jet looms (down by 21.9% to 346 machines).
Shipments of rapier and projectile looms, by contrast, rose (by 12.1% to 1,008 machines).
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Italy rose by 24.8% to 845 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry increased from 0.8% to 1.0% and the industry climbed one place to become the eighth largest market.
The rise in shipments in 2016 represented the sixth increase in seven years. As a result, shipments were at their highest level since 2007 although they remained below the levels seen in earlier years. Nevertheless, they were above the annual average of 622 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The rise in shipments to the Italian textile industry in 2016 was due to increases in shipments of rapier and projectile looms (up by 28.3% to 735 machines) and air-jet looms (up by 5.8% to 110 machines). No water-jet looms were shipped to the industry in 2016, as in 2015.
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in Japan edged down by 2.7% to 576 machines in 2016. However, the share of global shipments which went to the industry remained stable at 0.7% and the industry climbed one place to become the ninth largest market.
Furthermore, shipments were above the annual average of 459 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The fall in shipments of shuttleless looms to the Japanese textile industry in 2016 was due entirely to a plunge in shipments of rapier and projectile looms (down by 46.8% to 101 machines).
By contrast, there were increases in shipments of air-jet looms (up by 20.7% to 309 machines) and water-jet looms (up by 13.7% to 166 machines).
Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in South Korea rose by 25.8% to 571 machines in 2016.
As a result, the share of global shipments which went to the industry increased from 0.6% to 0.7% and the industry climbed two places to become the tenth largest market.
However, the rise in shipments came after four consecutive years of decline and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were at their second lowest level since 2009 and were well below the annual average of 915 machines which were shipped to the industry over the ten years to 2016.
The rise in shipments of shuttleless looms to the South Korean textile industry in 2016 was due to increases in shipments of water-jet looms and air-jet looms. Shipments of water-jet looms surged by 221.6% to 328 machines while shipments of air-jet looms shot up by 58.2% to 125 machines.
By contrast, shipments of rapier and projectile looms plunged by 56.8% to 118 machines.
Over the ten years to 2016 (Table 4), the largest national market for shuttleless looms was the textile industry in China with a 66.5% share of global shipments during this period. The industry in India was a distant second with an 11.6% share.
The third largest national market was the industry in Bangladesh (with a 5.4% share), followed by the industries in Indonesia (with a 2.9% share), Turkey (with a 2.2% share), Vietnam (with a 1.5% share), Pakistan (also with a 1.5% share), South Korea (with a 1.1% share), Italy (with a 0.7% share) and Taiwan (also with a 0.7% share).
Table 3: Installed capacity of shuttleless loomsa by region and leading countries, 2015 and 2016
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Table 4: Cumulative shipments of shuttleless and shuttle looms by region and leading countries of destination, 2007-16
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Shuttleless looms
In shuttleless loom weaving, weft is inserted using such technologies as air jets, water jets, rigid or flexible rapiers, or projectiles.
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