2008 was a very poor year for the international textile yarn machinery market. Deliveries of all types of spinning and draw texturing machinery fell. Furthermore, shipments of four of the five main types of machinery fell at double digit rates.

In spinning, shipments of short staple spindles were down by 33% following increases of 9.0% in 2007 and 18% in 2006, and deliveries of open-end rotors declined by as much as 66% after a 64% rise a year earlier. Meanwhile, shipments of long staple spindles fell by a modest 3.4%, but this was the sixth decline in seven years.

In draw texturing, shipments of double heater false-twist spindles fell by 34%. This was the third decline in four years, and saw purchases fall to their lowest level since 2002. Deliveries of single heater false-twist spindles, meanwhile, fell by 20% following a 37% decline in 2007. The drop in 2008 was due to a complete cut in acquisitions in Europe and North America. Indeed, purchases were made only by mills in Asia.

In terms of individual countries, the textile industries in China and Turkey suffered the worst declines, as mills in both countries reduced their acquisitions of four of the five main types of yarn manufacturing machinery. In the case of Turkey, open-end rotor purchases fell by as much as 95%, short staple spindle acquisitions were down by 79%, long staple spindle purchases fell by 67% and shipments of double heater false-twist draw texturing spindles declined by 11%. Similarly, in China open-end rotor purchases fell by 70%, shipments of double heater false-twist draw texturing spindles declined by 53%, short staple spindle acquisitions were down by 39% and long staple spindle purchases fell by 2.5%. Despite the declines, however, the industry in China remained the largest buyer of all types of machinery. Elsewhere, several countries made gains in certain markets. For example, mills in the USA increased their investment in four types of machinery and those in Brazil increased their acquisitions of three types of machinery. Meanwhile, several Asian countries other than China and India made strong gains in acquisitions of double heater false-twist draw texturing machinery.

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World Markets for Textile Machinery, 2009: Part 3—Knitted Fabric Manufacture
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Prospects for the Textile and Garment Industry in Pakistan, 2009 edition
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