Monforts Targets India’s Shift To Higher-Value Textiles At ITME 2026

Monforts will showcase advanced finishing, coating and energy-efficient processing technologies at India ITME 2026, as Indian textile manufacturers increasingly seek higher-value products and lower operating costs.

The German finishing machinery specialist sees growth opportunities across apparel and home textiles, alongside expanding markets for technical textiles, activewear, sportswear, filtration and automotive applications. It will exhibit at Stand A5 in Hall 1 from December 4–9.

Supporting its regional business will be newly appointed Area Sales Manager for Asia Daniel Rütten, who takes over responsibility for India and the wider region from Hans Wroblowski. Rütten joined Monforts in 1998 and spent many years in head office sales and logistics before assuming responsibility for customers in Latin America.

The Eco Applicator enables finishing chemicals to be applied with a minimum amount of liquor.

“India remains one of the most important markets for Monforts, not only because of the scale of its textile industry but because of the breadth of its manufacturing base,” Rütten said. “Indian manufacturers are looking much more closely at energy, water and chemical consumption, as well as the level of automation required to achieve consistent quality. Productivity remains essential, but increasingly it has to be combined with lower operating costs, greater flexibility and the ability to manufacture more sophisticated products.”

At the exhibition, Monforts will highlight opportunities to increase fabric value through finishing. Its MONTEX stenters and THERMEX dyeing and curing systems continue to be developed to deliver consistent production while reducing energy consumption, particularly during energy-intensive drying processes.

The Monforts Eco Applicator applies finishing chemicals using minimal liquor, reducing the amount of water that must subsequently be evaporated. According to the company, this can deliver significant savings in water, chemicals and energy.

For technical textile manufacturers, the multifunctional MontexCoat offers knife coating, magnet roller coating, rotary screen printing and other application techniques. The more cost-effective coaTTex line primarily serves manufacturers focused on knife coating and is now also available with a table for special coating technology for activewear.

Monforts has also entered into a cooperation with BW Converting. A Baldwin TexCoat G4 digital spray unit has been installed at its Advanced Technology Center in Mönchengladbach for trials using advanced sustainable finishing chemistries supplied by Archroma.

“Basic fabric production is increasingly competitive and commoditised, but finishing is where much of a fabric’s appearance, handle, functionality and ultimately its value are created,” Rütten said. “The opportunity for Indian manufacturers is not simply to produce more fabric, but to extract greater value from every metre produced.”

The company’s long-standing partnership with A.T.E. Enterprises remains central to its Indian operations. With local business units across major textile regions, A.T.E. supports customer engagement, project planning, logistics, engineering and aftersales services.

The THERMEX line at the Monforts ATC in Germany has recently been equipped with the Monforts Universal Energy Tower.

Modernisation is also becoming an increasingly important business area, with many Monforts stenters operating for more than three decades. Existing lines can be upgraded with new controls, drives and monitoring technologies to improve productivity, energy efficiency and process control while extending their operating life.

“The combination of Monforts engineering and A.T.E.’s presence on the ground has proved very effective,” Rütten said. “Customers require a relationship that continues long after installation, covering service, spare parts, upgrades and increasingly sophisticated modernisation projects.”

Looking ahead, Monforts sees scope for greater investment and technical cooperation between India and Europe, including in alternative energy. The company has worked on adapting heating technology to use green hydrogen in place of natural gas for drying and heat treatment. It believes India’s developing renewable energy and green hydrogen sectors could create opportunities for future cooperation.

“Over the next decade, volume alone will not define competitiveness,” Rütten said. “Indian manufacturers have an opportunity to move further into specialised, higher-value fabrics, but doing so will require increasingly precise and flexible finishing technology. That is where we see some of the strongest opportunities for Monforts in India.”