BTMA - British Textile Machinery Association
BTMA: HERITAGE & INNOVATION
"Successful innovation needs a foundation of experience and expertise, and UK textile machinery firms are known for their leadership in technology development in all areas of textile production," Alan Little, BTMA Director.
Among the many strengths of Britain's textile machinery manufacturers is a focus on building for the future and a general reluctance to reflect on former glories.
This is a typically British trait, and while, for example, Germany is happy to point out its mechanical and electronic prowess, Italy to emphasise its entrepreneurship and flair and Switzerland to take pride in its precision and attention to detail, the general approach in the UK is to say little and just get on with things.
You don't need to go back to the Spinning Jenny or Arkwright's Loom, however, to find examples of British innovations in textile machinery and processing. They're everywhere.
Virtually all of today's textile manufacturing processes - from the carding, spinning, weaving, knitting, tuftingand nonwoven bonding of fibres through to advanced colouration, finishing and printing techniques - can be traced back to British patents and research and development somewhere along the line.
The country's vast textile machinery heritage puts many of the BTMA members at the forefront of their fields.
Successful innovation needs a foundation of experience and expertise, and UK textile machinery firms are known for their leadership in technology development in all areas of textile production.