VDMA Study Looks Toward 2035 as Automation and Digitalization Reshape Textile Production

September 2026 | Textile Machinery Industry News

The global textile machinery industry is looking further ahead as manufacturers prepare for major changes in production technology over the next decade. A new study prepared for the German Textile Machinery Association (VDMA) by Gherzi Germany examines how textile production could evolve toward 2035, with automation, digitalization, efficiency, and changing production structures expected to play increasingly important roles.

The study provides a forward-looking view of the textile manufacturing industry at a time when producers are facing pressure from rising costs, labor challenges, sustainability requirements, shorter production cycles, and increasing demands for flexibility.

For textile machinery manufacturers and factories, the developments highlighted by the study could have implications well beyond new machine purchases. Equipment reliability, production monitoring, maintenance, and the availability of precision components are also likely to become increasingly important as production systems become more automated.

VDMA Looks Ahead to the Future of Textile Production

The new study prepared by Gherzi Germany for VDMA focuses on the future development of textile processing, cut-and-sew production, and finishing technologies through 2035.

VDMA Textile Machinery represents manufacturers involved in machinery, equipment, components, accessories, and software across the textile production value chain. Its industry network therefore provides an important perspective on the technological and structural changes affecting textile manufacturing.

Rather than focusing on a single machine technology, the study looks at broader changes that could influence how textile factories operate in the coming decade.

Automation Is Expected to Become More Important

One of the major themes surrounding the future of textile manufacturing is the increasing use of automation.

Textile manufacturers are under continuous pressure to improve productivity while controlling labor and operating costs. Automated production systems can help reduce repetitive manual work, improve process consistency, and provide manufacturers with better control over production operations.

For machinery manufacturers, this trend means that future equipment will increasingly need to work as part of connected production systems rather than operate as isolated machines.

Sensors, digital monitoring, automated control systems, and production data are becoming more closely integrated into modern textile machinery.

Digitalization Could Change How Textile Factories Manage Equipment

Digitalization is another important element in the industry's long-term development.

Digital production systems can provide manufacturers with more information about machine operating conditions, production efficiency, and potential equipment problems.

This creates opportunities for textile factories to move from reactive maintenance toward more structured preventive and condition-based maintenance strategies.

Instead of waiting for a machine to experience a serious problem, production teams can increasingly use operating data and regular inspections to identify potential issues at an earlier stage.

Efficiency Will Remain a Key Priority for Textile Manufacturers

Efficiency is likely to remain one of the strongest drivers of textile machinery development through 2035.

Manufacturers are looking for ways to produce more efficiently while reducing energy consumption, material waste, production interruptions, and unnecessary labor requirements.

This means that machinery performance will increasingly be evaluated across the entire production lifecycle rather than simply by maximum production speed.

Factors such as machine utilization, production stability, maintenance requirements, energy efficiency, and equipment lifespan can all influence the overall economics of textile manufacturing.

What These Changes Mean for Circular Knitting Technology

The trends identified in the wider textile machinery industry are also relevant to circular knitting manufacturers.

Circular knitting machines are used extensively for the production of knitted fabrics for apparel, sportswear, underwear, casualwear, and other textile applications. As factories seek higher productivity and more stable production, the performance of knitting equipment becomes increasingly important.

Future circular knitting systems are likely to place greater emphasis on automation, production monitoring, energy efficiency, and machine reliability.

These developments will also increase the importance of maintaining the mechanical and precision components that support the knitting process.

Higher Automation Increases the Importance of Equipment Reliability

As textile production becomes more automated, an equipment failure can have a wider impact on the production process.

A highly automated production environment depends on multiple systems working together consistently. If one critical machine or component experiences an unexpected problem, production efficiency can be affected across a larger part of the operation.

For circular knitting factories, this makes equipment reliability and preventive maintenance increasingly important.

Reliable access to circular knitting machine parts and components can therefore form an important part of a factory's long-term equipment management strategy.

Precision Components Remain Important in Modern Knitting Machines

Automation and digitalization do not eliminate the importance of mechanical components. Instead, higher machine performance can increase the requirements placed on those components.

Circular knitting machines rely on the coordinated operation of numerous precision components throughout the knitting process. Components must maintain consistent movement and positioning while operating continuously under production conditions.

Wear, contamination, incorrect adjustment, or component deterioration can potentially affect machine stability and fabric quality.

As a result, machinery modernization and component maintenance should be considered together when factories plan long-term equipment strategies.

Preventive Maintenance Could Become More Data-Driven

One of the potential benefits of increasing digitalization is the ability to improve maintenance planning.

Traditional maintenance programs often rely on fixed inspection intervals and operator experience. Future systems may increasingly combine scheduled maintenance with information collected from machine sensors and production monitoring systems.

This could help factories identify abnormal operating conditions earlier and plan component replacement before an unexpected breakdown occurs.

For large knitting factories operating many machines, better maintenance planning could help reduce unplanned downtime and improve overall equipment utilization.

Textile Machinery Supply Chains Will Also Need to Adapt

The transformation of textile manufacturing is not limited to machinery manufacturers.

The wider supply chain, including component suppliers, maintenance providers, technical service companies, and textile factories, will also need to adapt to changing equipment requirements.

As machines become more sophisticated, manufacturers will increasingly require suppliers that can provide consistent components, technical information, and reliable replacement solutions.

This makes the availability of suitable circular knitting machine spare parts an important consideration for factories seeking to maintain equipment performance over the long term.

Sustainability Will Continue to Influence Machine Development

Sustainability is another factor influencing the future direction of textile machinery.

Textile manufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce energy use, minimize material waste, and improve resource efficiency throughout production.

Machinery manufacturers are therefore being challenged to develop systems that can combine productivity with more efficient use of energy and materials.

For knitting factories, this may involve improvements in machine efficiency, automated control, production monitoring, lubrication management, and maintenance practices.

What Textile Manufacturers Should Watch Through 2035

The direction outlined by the VDMA study suggests that textile manufacturers will need to evaluate technology investments from a broader perspective in the coming years.

Machine speed will remain important, but it will increasingly be considered alongside automation capability, digital connectivity, energy efficiency, production flexibility, maintenance requirements, and equipment reliability.

For circular knitting factories, this means that modernization may involve more than purchasing new machines. Existing equipment may also require improved monitoring, maintenance systems, and component management.

Why the Next Decade Matters for the Circular Knitting Industry

The period leading toward 2035 could represent a significant transition for textile machinery.

Manufacturers that successfully combine mechanical engineering with automation, digital technologies, and efficient production systems may be better positioned to respond to changing market requirements.

At the same time, factories will need to ensure that their existing machinery remains reliable as production systems become more sophisticated.

This creates a closer relationship between technology upgrades, preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, and the supply of precision components.

QATTEX and the Future of Circular Knitting Machine Components

The development of textile machinery toward greater automation and digitalization also highlights the continuing importance of reliable machine components.

QATTEX supplies textile machinery components and spare parts for circular knitting machines, supporting textile manufacturers and machinery users with replacement solutions for different equipment requirements.

As the industry moves toward more automated and efficiency-focused production, maintaining the reliability of both new and existing machinery will remain an important part of textile factory management.

The VDMA outlook toward 2035 therefore represents more than a prediction about future machines. It also points toward a broader transformation in how textile factories operate, maintain equipment, manage production data, and organize their machinery supply chains.

For the circular knitting industry, the combination of smarter machinery, better maintenance strategies, and dependable component supply could become an increasingly important foundation for long-term production efficiency.

Keywords: VDMA textile production 2035, VDMA textile machinery, textile production 2035, textile automation, textile digitalization, textile manufacturing technology, future textile machinery, circular knitting machine technology, circular knitting machine parts, textile machinery components