Picanol's Trailblazing Presence at ITMA 2023

At ITMA 2023, Picanol, the world’s leading weaving machine manufacturer, presented its latest high-tech weaving machines and services. ITMA is the world’s most influential textile and garment technology exhibition. The eye- catcher at the Picanol booth was the world premiere of an all-new and revolutionary rapier weaving machine, the Ultimax, which will become available in the first quarter of 2024. In total, Picanol had 12 machines on display at ITMA 2023.

In addition to 6 rapier weaving machines, Picanol also presented 4 airjet weaving machines featuring new developments. Furthermore, a rapier machine in Jacquard execution was on display at the Bonas booth, and an airjet machine in Jacquard execution was presented at the Stäubli booth.

For more than 85 years, Picanol has played a pioneering role in the global textile industry and it is currently the world’s leading weaving machine manufacturer. Picanol develops, manufactures, and sells high-tech weaving machines based on airjet and rapier technology. Picanol offers upgrade kits, spare parts, training, troubleshooting services, and also digital services for its weaving machines through the PicConnect platform. Picanol has its headquarters in Ieper (Belgium) and it employs more than 1,200 people worldwide.

Participation @ ITMA

Picanol’s booth at ITMA 2023 was a hub of technological marvels, captivating industry professionals and visitors alike. The company showcased an impressive range of state-of-the-art machinery, weaving technologies, and digital solutions, all designed to optimize production processes, enhance efficiency, and deliver outstanding fabric quality.

“Picanol had sold more than 130,000 rapier machines worldwide since the launch of our first rapier weaving machine, and we had challenged ourselves to further improve our current and highly successful OptiMax-i Connect rapier platform. The result is the brand-new Ultimax rapier weaving machine that focuses on three main benefits: ultimate performance and high-quality output, readiness for the sustainability requirements of tomorrow, and the greatest ease of use thanks to a maximum level of digitization. In addition, the classic Picanol exterior design of the machine has been radically disrupted, to make it clear from the outside how revolutionary Ultimax is on the inside,” explained Johan Verstraete, Vice President Weaving Machines.

“Creating a worthy successor to the OptiMax rapier generation, of which over 60,000 units were running worldwide, was a real challenge. But combining 85 years of experience with new ideas and technologies resulted in the all-new and revolutionary Ultimax rapier machine. It excels in the fields of performance and quality, designed with sustainability as the baseline, and the high degree of digitization results in a previously unseen ease of use,” he said.

Innovations in airjet technology:

ITMA 2023 was also the moment when Picanol launched a speed increase on its airjet platform, the OmniPlus-i Connect. This was another example of how Picanol set the benchmark in the industry. Also on display for the very first time was a brand-new leno system, the o-Leno, which combines smart performance, user-friendliness, and intuitive control at its best.

Novelties in PicConnect:

With PicConnect, Picanol centralized its digital tools and services in one new fully digital platform. At ITMA 2023, visitors were able to discover all the benefits and latest features of PicConnect to leverage the full extent of the possibilities offered by Picanol weaving machines. Among other things, the recently released features such as alerting, access control, the action center, and the export of monitoring data caught the attention of many visitors.

PicConnect enables textile manufacturers to quickly react to changes in the weaving room, with an immediate impact on the performance of the weaving machines. This digital ecosystem not only changes how people work with their machines but also the way they interact with Picanol. The digital platform allows to increase the overall performance, to lower the energy consumption, to improve the efficiency and it gives useful insights insights to the manufacturers.

Sustainability as a Cornerstone:

Picanol’s commitment to sustainability was evident in their showcased solutions at ITMA Milan 2023. Today there is growing awareness about the importance of ecological and social sustainability in manufacturing processes. When it comes to preventing waste and reducing energy consumption, Picanol has long faced up to its responsibilities.

“When starting the design of a new machine, we have to do better than just make it a few picks faster than the machines of the previous generation. Our machines are designed with a built-in capacity for sustainability: energy efficiency and smart use of resources are at the heart of all our platforms. Sustainability Inside is, therefore, one of our main design principles when developing a weaving machine,” comments Johan Verstraete (Vice President Weaving Machines).

Collaboration and Expertise:

Picanol leveraged its presence at ITMA Milan 2023 to foster collaborations, engage with industry experts, and strengthen relationships with customers and partners. Their knowledgeable team of experts was readily available to provide tailored consultations, share insights on the showcased technologies, and discuss potential partnerships. Through live demonstrations and interactive sessions, Picanol’s experts demonstrated their deep understanding of customer needs and their commitment to delivering value-driven solutions.

Driving Industry Transformation:

Picanol’s participation at ITMA Milan 2023 exemplified their position as a key driver of innovation and transformation in the textile industry. By offering cutting-edge technologies, digital solutions, and sustainable machinery, Picanol enables textile manufacturers to adapt to market demands, improve productivity, and reduce their environmental footprint.

The brand-new Ultimax rapier weaving machine is a perfect example of the technological excellence of Picanol. It sets a new standard in performance with amongst other a completely new take-up concept and the integrated measurement of the gripper stroke that enables to run at maximum speed according to the drawing-in width and which allows to reduce the setting of the gripper stroke to a minimum period of time. Furthermore, with the new Ultimax rapier weaving Picanol keeps innovating towards more sustainable weaving with recycled yarns and by further minimizing waste and power consumption.

And last but not least, the Ultimax offers the highest level of digitization. All machine and contextual data are captured and made available, making production more efficient and intuitive.