Shuttleless looms

Shuttleless looms have dominated weaving machinery shipments since the early 1990s.

In 2016 shipments of shuttleless looms to the world’s mills rose by 3.9% to 84,733 machines. The rise followed a 13.8% increase in 2015 but this came after declines in the previous three years. As a result, shipments in 2016 remained below the levels seen during 2010-12. However, they were still at their fourth highest level on record.

The rise in 2016 was due to increases in shipments of water-jet looms and air-jet looms.

Shipments of water-jet looms rose by 6.2% to 31,792 machines during the year. The rise came after a 23.6% increase in 2015 but this followed declines of 30.0% in 2014, 13.4% in 2013 and 64.7% in 2012.

As a result, shipments in 2016 remained below the levels seen during 2010-13 but they were still at their fifth highest level on record, having remained above the levels seen prior to 2010.

Furthermore, the share of water-jet looms in total shipments of shuttleless looms rose from 36.7% to 37.5% between 2015 and 2016.

Global shipments of air-jet looms rose by 15.4% to 22,908 machines in 2016, which represented their fifth highest level on record. Having said that, the rise in 2016 followed declines of 1.6% in 2015 and 19.3% in 2014 and, as a result, shipments in 2016 remained below the levels seen in 2012 and 2013.

The share of air-jet looms in total shipments of shuttleless looms increased from 24.3% to 27.0% between 2015 and 2016. However, in terms of shipments in 2016, this category of machine remained the least popular.

Global shipments of rapier and projectile looms fell by 5.5% to 30,033 machines in 2016.

As a result, the share of rapier and projectile looms in total shipments of shuttleless looms declined from 39.0% to 35.4% between 2015 and 2016 and this category of shuttleless loom became only the second most popular in terms of shipments in 2016 after constituting the most popular category in 2015.

Having said that, the fall in shipments in 2016 came after five consecutive years of growth and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were at their second highest level since 2004.

The fall in shipments of rapier and projectile looms in 2016 was due primarily to a decline in shipments to the textile industries in Asia. By contrast, there were increases in shipments to the industries in Europe—which have tended to favour these types of machines—and to the industries in the Americas.

In fact, rapier and projectile looms accounted in 2016 for the lion’s share of shipments to the textile industries in Africa, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and other Europe (which comprises only Turkey, according to ITMF definitions).

The continued preference of rapier and projectile looms in Europe is due partly to the fact that these types of machine are capable of producing smaller batches more efficiently than other types of shuttleless looms. Air-jet machines have relatively high weft insertion rates and set-up times are longer, which makes them better suited to producing longer runs.

Also, rapier looms are capable of making fabrics which are more complex, such as home textiles, terry fabrics, technical fabrics and complicated apparel fabrics, whereas air-jet looms tend be to used for making basic fabrics such as apparel cloth and base cloth for printing.

Shuttleless looms: regional markets

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in Asia rose by 2.2%, or 1,635 machines, to 77,183 machines in 2016 (Table 2 and Figure 1).

However, the rise was slower than the increase in global shipments and, as a result, the share of global shipments which went to these industries fell from 92.6% to 91.1%.

Furthermore, shipments to the textile industries in Asia in 2016 were lower, albeit only marginally, than the annual average of 77,783 machines which were shipped to the industries over the ten years to 2016.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industry in other Europe (Turkey)—the world’s second largest regional market—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%.

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.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in Western Europe—the world’s third largest regional market—rose by 34.4% to 2,018 machines in 2016 following increases of 3.1% in 2015, 16.1% in 2014 and 65.4% in 2013.

As a result, shipments in 2016 were at their highest level since 2007 and were well above the annual average of 1,358 machines which were shipped to these industries over the ten years to 2016.

Furthermore, the share of global shipments which went to the industries rose from 1.8% to 2.4%.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in Eastern Europe shot up by 49.2% to 770 machines in 2016.

As a result, shipments were at their third highest level since 1998 and were well above the annual average of 552 machines which were shipped to the industries over the ten years to 2016.

Furthermore, the share of global shipments which went to these industries rose from 0.6% to 0.9% and the industries constituted the fourth largest regional market after ranking sixth in the previous year.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in North America rose by 3.1% to 693 machines in 2016, which represented their highest level since 2003. As a result, they were well above the annual average of 424 machines which were shipped to the industries over the ten years to 2016.

However, the share of global shipments which went to these industries remained static, at just 0.8%, and the industries continued to constitute the fifth largest regional market.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in Africa plunged by 54.8% to 479 machines in 2016 following a 21.0% decline in the previous year. As a result, they were at their lowest level since 2010 and were well below the annual average of 693 machines which were shipped to the industries over the ten years to 2016.

Furthermore, the share of global shipments which went to these industries fell from 1.3% to just 0.6% and the industries constituted the sixth largest regional market after ranking fourth in the previous year.

Shipments of shuttleless looms to the textile industries in South America rose by 40.2% to 460 machines in 2016. However, the rise came after declines of 37.9% in 2015 and 49.3% in 2014 and, as a result, shipments in 2016 were well below the annual average of 709 machines which were shipped to the industries over the ten years to 2016.

Furthermore, although the share of global shipments which went to these industries edged up between 2015 and 2016, from 0.4% to 0.5%, the industries continued to constitute the smallest regional market.