India is one of Stäubli’s most strategic markets: Summer Hsia

In this interaction, Summer Hsia, Textile Marketing & Communication Officer, Stäubli, explores changes in the global textile manufacturing processes and the company’s plans for India.

Stäubli is strengthening global textile manufacturing through automation, durable weaving solutions, and digital integration. According to Summer Hsia, Textile Marketing & Communication Officer, Stäubli, India remains a strategic growth market, driven by modernisation, technical textiles, and export-oriented manufacturing.

As a global leader in weaving solutions, how is Stäubli supporting global textile industry?

At Stäubli, our mission is to empower mills worldwide with solutions that deliver higher productivity, superior fabric quality, reduced downtime and optimized resource use. Efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand: a machine that runs more reliably, wastes fewer materials and requires less energy directly contributes to more sustainable manufacturing. Our machines are also built for long‑term durability, designed to operate reliably for decades and therefore reduce the need for replacement. The Managing Director of D’Decor, one of our esteemed Indian customers and a global leader in home textile manufacturing, reports that their Stäubli machines run 24/7 for 350–360 days a year, with some units from as early as 1995 still performing today.

We also promote recyclability and repairability by engineering equipment that is easy to maintain and by ensuring the long-term availability of spare parts. Through our digital platform MyStäubli, mills gain full visibility over their machines’ lifecycle, allowing them to monitor performance and identify inefficiencies at an early stage. This combination of durability, precision engineering, and digital support fosters a more sustainable, efficient, and responsible production environment.

Part of our latest innovations, our SAFIR PRO drawing-in systems drastically reduce style-change time while ensuring flawless warp preparation — a crucial advantage in a market where flexibility and rapid turnaround are essential. The TIEPRO warp-tying system helps mills minimise downtime thanks to its fast, reliable operation.

For weaving, our LX PRO Jacquard and our S3018 rotary dobby are particularly relevant to Indian producers looking for stable, high-speed performance with low energy consumption. Together, these technologies allow mills to improve productivity and remain competitive in both domestic and export-oriented segments.

With the demand for automation growing, how is your company helping textile firms in their automation journey?

Automation is rapidly reshaping the way weaving mills operate, and its influence will only intensify. We are witnessing a shift from reactive production to highly predictable and stable processes. Solutions such as automatic drawing‑in systems, intelligent shedding technologies, and advanced Jacquard electronics significantly reduce dependency on skilled labour while minimising the need for lengthy personnel training and considerably shortening machine start‑up time.

At the same time, the integration of IoT‑enabled features is transforming the level of control mills can achieve. Smart sensors and connected components provide real‑time visibility over critical machine parameters, allowing mills to anticipate issues before they arise, schedule maintenance proactively, and maintain consistently high fabric quality.

Automation is no longer just about running faster. It is about creating production environments that are more reliable, more sustainable, and more resilient — regardless of external pressures or market fluctuations. Our approach goes beyond supplying machines: we partner with mills by offering consulting, training, and long‑term service support, ensuring a smooth and future‑proof automation roadmap.

How do you view the global textile machinery market and key demand drivers today?

The global textile machinery market is evolving rapidly, shaped by a combination of economic, technological, and geopolitical factors. Rising labour costs and the growing shortage of skilled operators continue to push mills toward greater automation. At the same time, manufacturers are shifting toward technical and high‑value textiles, which require highly precise and reliable machinery like our LX PRO Jacquard machine. Sustainability expectations are also intensifying, as brands demand cleaner, more transparent, and traceable supply chains.

Adding to this complexity, ongoing geopolitical instability disrupts trade flows and increases uncertainty. In this context, Indian mills increasingly rely on trusted partners like Stäubli whose long‑term stability, resilient technologies, and equipment designed for consistent, high‑quality production provide the reliability they need, even in volatile conditions. With its strong engineering foundation, and global service network, Stäubli is ideally positioned to support customers navigating this rapidly changing landscape.

How do you assess India’s market potential for your company’s business?

India has long been a strategic market for Stäubli, and our footprint there continues to expand.  With five service offices located in Mumbai, Surat (Gujarat), Erode (Tamil Nadu), Ichalkaranji (Maharashtra) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat), this local presence enables fast response times, fosters customer trust, and upholds Stäubli’s global standards of quality and performance. We rely on strong local service teams made up of nearly 30 technicians supported by global experts, providing technical training and working closely with customers to ensure that our solutions truly match their production requirements. Our most recent investment in Bangalore further strengthens this long‑term commitment by expanding our local capabilities and reinforcing customer proximity.

India is one of Stäubli’s most strategic markets, with a dynamic, fast‑growing and increasingly technology‑driven textile ecosystem. The country offers strong potential through major investments in modern weaving plants, the rapid development of technical textiles, automotive and filtration fabrics, and a young, skilled workforce that is open to advanced technologies. India also benefits from a vibrant export-oriented textile industry that relies on consistent quality and high productivity to remain competitive.

What role can your company play in strengthening India’s man-made fibre (MMF) and technical textiles?

India’s ambition to strengthen its technical textiles and MMF value chain aligns closely with the capabilities that Stäubli has developed over decades of working with advanced fabric producers. Our technologies already support a wide range of applications—from MMF fabrics and industrial textiles to protective materials, elastic fabrics, and filtration media—where precision and consistency are essential.

A key contribution we make with our SAFIR PRO drawing-in machines is helping mills achieve reliable and repeatable warp preparation and weaving performance, which is critical in technical textiles where even small deviations can affect material properties. Stäubli provides solutions that improve process stability, enhance fabric accuracy, and reduce operational variability, enabling manufacturers to meet the increasingly stringent performance requirements of these segments.

While our portfolio includes specialized systems (Stäubli’s TF weaving systems) capable of producing multilayer or engineered structures when required, our broader role is to support Indian manufacturers in upgrading processes, improving quality control, and adopting best‑in‑class weaving practices. By combining advanced technologies with long-term local collaboration—training, service, and application support—Stäubli helps mills move up the value chain and strengthen their competitiveness in the global technical textiles market.

Will the new trade agreement between India and European Free Trade Association help in developing collaboration between Swiss technology providers and India’s textile sector?

Absolutely. The new trade agreement opens the door for closer cooperation, technology transfer, and long‑term industrial partnerships. For Swiss companies like Stäubli, it can support more competitive import conditions for advanced machinery, an improved exchange of expertise and innovation, faster deployment of new technologies across Indian mills, and expanded joint development opportunities. This agreement reinforces a win‑win dynamic: India accelerates its modernization, and Swiss companies deepen their footprint in a key global textile hub.

How do you see 2026 shaping up?

In 2026, Stäubli enters the year with strong momentum. Our premium brand reputation, technology leadership in performance, energy‑efficient and Industry 4.0 solutions, and our solid end‑to‑end weaving ecosystem position us well to support the accelerating modernization of the Indian market.

India offers strong opportunities for growth. The country is rapidly transitioning from obsolete to shuttleless weaving, driving demand for modern, reliable machinery. The expansion of value‑added and export‑oriented fabrics further strengthens the need for high‑precision solutions. With rising expectations around energy efficiency and sustainability, mills are increasingly seeking long‑term, durable technologies. Technical textiles as well as automotive and filtration fabrics are also developing rapidly, creating demand for advanced machinery.

Stäubli remains deeply committed to supporting India’s development through high‑performance machinery, automation solutions, and strong local service support.