The Chinese market remained strong in 2018 although a general downward trend in the demand of both weaving and knitting sectors was recorded last year, according to the Italian electronic yarn feeder specialist LGL Electronics S.p.A.

The company established LGL HANGZHOU in Zhejiang Province, China, in 2004 to optimize the production, sales and after-sales service for Chinese as well as Far-Eastern markets.

Talking about the key to success in China, Ms. Francesca Castelli, Sales Director, LGL Electronics S.p.A., said: “Our technological leadership meets the requirements of Chinese customers for higher performances of the machines as well as higher quality of their final products. The growth of our group is closely linked to the reading of Chinese market more as an ally rather than a competitor.”

The company’s ambition is to continue to develop new products that are increasingly easy to use, reliable and tailored to meet the specific needs of the end-users. “To occupy a position of leadership in today's market, it is essential to innovate, to offer different solutions, beyond the standard product,” she emphasized.

She further disclosed that the sales performance of LGL Italy was good last year until the third quarter of the year. For LGL Hangzhou, 2018 has been a successful year with significant sales increase.

Interconnection under the spotlight

Smart factory requires interconnection among equipment and devices both within the factory and across the value chain. Ms. Castelli also shared the same view on this. “Interconnection is the latest technology trend. It refers to the linkage of IT systems with remote loading of instructions as well as automated integration with the factory’s logistics system, the supply network and/or with others machines of the production cycle.”

“Our yarn feeding systems are controlled by a Personal Computer that allows the  use of all the features of the machines and puts them in communication with the company’s network,” she explained.

The simple and intuitive interface of the systems is designed on Windows and Android platforms, allowing management via tablet or smartphone.

The growth of LGL is linked to a corporate philosophy that bases its strong point in the own intellectual property. The path of the company’s innovation passes mainly through a technological assets in constant evolution, for the protection of which about 200 international patents have been filed.

“On average, 10% of our revenue is invested in R&D every year,” said Ms. Castelli. “There is no doubt that innovation is an important factor to meet higher market requirements. Since the beginning, our ambition has been set to meet the most demanding expectations.”

To showcase green and innovative solutions

Since a long time, LGL is committed to the development of technology with low environmental impact. The electronic feeders are “GREEN CERTIFIED” since 2009 to grant high efficiency and drastic reduction of energy consumption, up to 30%.

At the forthcoming ITMA 2019, the company will showcase innovative solutions for yarn feeding and tension control not only for weaving and knitting machines but also for other applications at the booth (H8.1 C109).

The development of every new device implies the challenge to further reduce energy consumption compared to the previous one. This goal is also achieved by the new products on show.