Itema’s Itemalab – which has been tasked with developing the weaving looms of the future at its base in Bergamo, Italy – is to become an independent company and broaden its field of activities to provide customers and partners with systems engineering and business process re-engineering skills.

The textile machinery sector is one of the most complex in the industrial world

With a team made up of 70 engineers and specialised professionals, the Textile division of Itemalab will continue to respond to the innovation needs of Itema Group and the textile industry. The new Industrial division meanwhile will assist a broad range of companies looking to develop advanced solutions for digitalizing and reshaping products and processes.

“The textile machinery sector is one of the most complex in the industrial world, due to its combination of high precision mechanical, electronic and mechatronic technologies which face very severe challenges in terms of their conditions of use, applications and productivity,” said Lorenzo Minelli, general manager of Itemalab. “Multi-disciplined know-how is one of the strong points of Itemalab, making it possible for us to offer transversal solutions and provide significant added value in terms of innovation, sustainability, digitalization and systems engineering, by transferring the know-how gained in the textile machinery world to other sectors.”

“Innovation is essential to compete in increasingly complex and competitive markets,” added Ugo Ghilardi, CEO of Itema Group. “With the strengthening and evolution of Itemalab we are setting the conditions for endless innovation opportunities in the most diverse application fields.

“In recent years we have teamed up with various companies and explored new horizons and perspectives in the areas of materials and mechatronic principles. I am sure that Itemalab will continue to play a crucial role for the development of Itema Group, but also become a key partner for many other companies looking to transform and innovate.

Itema is majority owned by the RadiciGroup, which a few months ago launched Radici InNova – a consortium company combining research and innovation activities across the group’s business areas, by opening up to other companies, as well as universities and external public and private research centres.

“Itemalab is heading in this direction too,” said director Angelo Radici, “tackling complex projects and addressing cross-cutting initiatives that alone would be difficult to even imagine.”

Itema is the only manufacturer in the world to supply weaving machines based on all three weft insertion technologies – rapier, air jet and projectile and also owns majority shares in Lamilflex, a producer of composites, and Schoch, a supplier of textile accessories.

www.itemagroup.com