On the occasion of a VDMA press conference at ITMA ASIA + CITME, Dr. Janpeter Horn, Chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association and Managing Director of August Herzog Maschinenfabrik explained: “The geopolitical and economic conditions are currently difficult. This makes the strong presence of VDMA member companies at ITMA ASIA + CITME, which is being held in Singapore for the first time in twenty years, all the more gratifying. The show offers VDMA members a key opportunity to showcase their latest technologies and connect with the ASEAN markets as well as other markets in Asia.”

Dr. Harald Weber, Managing Director of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association added: “It is no surprise, that most visitors to the ITMA ASIA + CITME shows in Shanghai came from the People’s Republic. My expectations of the trade fair in Singapore are that the audience will be broader. I hope we will see numerous visitors from the ASEAN region, from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and from the Central Asian countries, just to mention a few.”

Experience leading technology

The VDMA members in Singapore cover nearly all different machinery chapters along the textile value chain including spinning and man-made fibres, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & warp knitting, finishing & dyeing as well as technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled material. The companies remain focused on developing innovative, sustainable solutions that reduce production costs while upholding the high standards of European machinery — a commitment captured in their shared slogan in Singapore: 'Experience Leading Technology'.

Major topics of the show will be automation, sustainability and circular economy. Here are just a few examples of exhibitors that stand for the entire industry:

Automation is a way to address the challenges of labour-constrained textile operations. On display in Singapore is an automation solution for the sliver transport in spinning. The topic of recycling is becoming increasingly important in the textile industry, for example due to corresponding government regulations that are aiming at a circular economy. At ITMA ASIA + CITME a system can be seen, that automatically sorts garments by composition and colour and prepares materials for further processing. It enables the recycling of post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste into fibres for spinning, nonwovens and composites.

Recycling is just one example for the broader topic sustainability. One way to produce sustainably is to make processes more efficient. Sustainable dyeing technologies reduce the consumption of water, energy, chemicals, and dyes while ensuring superior product quality and shorter production times by integrating flexibility and speed. That is another example of how economy and ecology can meet.

Export figures show a mixed picture

Asia has been the number one production location for textiles and clothing in the world and will retain this position for a long time to come. So, it is no surprise that Asia is the most important sales market for the VDMA member companies.

Between January and August 2025, German exports of textile machinery and accessories worldwide summed up to almost 1.2 billion euros, a decrease of 9.5% year-on-year. Half of the exports went to Asia. Nevertheless, a closer look reveals a mixed picture: German exports to China (plus 25%), Pakistan (plus 32%) and Uzbekistan (plus 16%) saw strong increases.

Cautious sales expectations

A survey among the VDMA member companies in the beginning of October showed that 50% of the responding companies assess their current business situation as satisfactory. Around 30% expect the business situation to remain unchanged in 2026, while 60% anticipate a deterioration in business prospects. For the current year, 60% of companies in the textile machinery manufacturing sector expect sales to stagnate. For 2026, 74% continue to expect stagnation. At least 19% of companies anticipate sales increases of up to 20%.

Better sales opportunities in Asia 2026

According to the VDMA survey, the member companies see better sales opportunities in Asian markets for the coming year than in 2025. Southeast Asia, Central Asia and South Asia are rated much better for 2026. These expectations are in line with IMF forecasts, which predict a GDP growth of over 6% for India and growth rates of just over 4% for China and the ASEAN region in 2026.

“The Asian markets are offering great chances that European machinery manufacturers can take with their innovative and sustainable solutions and the high quality of machinery that customers rightly expect. The VDMA members are looking forward to welcoming numerous visitors from various countries to their booths in Singapore”, summarised Dr. Janpeter Horn, Chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association.

A list of all VDMA member companies exhibiting at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is published at www.vdma.eu/itma.