Rieter is the world’s leading system supplier for processing natural and man-madefibers into short-staple and long-staple yarn, as well as for the production of filament yarns, man-made fibers and nonwovens. With its comprehensive technology portfolio, Rieter covers the entire textile value chain – from fiber to yarn, and from polymer melt to texturized filament, synthetic staple fibers and nonwoven.
Textile Focus conversed with Thomas Oetterli, CEO of the Rieter Group. Read the full conversation:-
Textile Focus: Could you please share your latest innovative technology to boost the Bangladesh Textile Sector?
Thomas Oetterli: Bangladesh is one of the world’s leading garment-exporting countries. To remain competitive, spinning mills need to address skilled-labor shortages, reduce manual work, and ensure consistent processes. Rieter’s vision 2027 responds to these needs with the concept of a fully automated spinning mill. Solutions already available include driverless transport systems for bales and cans, automated can exchange between draw frame and roving frame, and automated packaging.
By 2027, Rieter aims to enable the production of 1.9 tons of yarn per shift with only three qualified operators per 10 000 spindles. Automation is supported by ESSENTIAL, our digital mill management system, which provides real-time transparency on production, quality and energy data so mills can make faster, fact-based decisions.
Textile Focus: How can your technology help the Bangladesh Spinning Industry to reduce production costs and save energy?
Thomas Oetterli: For spinning mills, reducing costs is not about one single measure. It requires higher productivity, lower energy consumption, efficient use of raw material, and reliable machine performance. Rieter addresses all four areas. Let me give you three examples. COMPACT4 is the latest compacting solution on our improved ring spinning machine G 38. The combination leads to excellent compact yarn quality, low maintenance requirements and low energy consumption.
A second example is our new combing preparation machine OMEGAlap E 40, which has achieved up to 33% higher productivity than its predecessor and energy savings of up to 30% at customer sites. And last but not least, our rotor spinning machine R 70 can reduce energy consumption per kilogram of yarn by up to 10% compared with the segment benchmark.
We also help customers improve the performance of machines already in operation, thereby reducing production costs. Modifications, conversions, upgrades and original Rieter technology components can be a very cost-effective investment. At one customer mill, replacing non-original components and optimizing the machine settings reduced yarn imperfections by 38% while reducing noil extraction by 1.3%. For spinning mills, reducing costs is not about one single measure. It requires higher productivity, lower energy consumption, efficient use of raw material and reliable machine performance. Rieter addresses all four areas.
Textile Focus: As a European brand, what is your specialty compared to others?
Thomas Oetterli: What distinguishes Rieter is the combination of long-term experience, technology leadership, engineering expertise, and a truly comprehensive technology portfolio. For more than 230 years, we have worked closely with spinning mills and continuously developed solutions that respond to their operational challenges.
Today, Rieter covers the textile value chain from fiber to yarn, as well as from polymer melt to texturized filament, synthetic staple fibers and nonwovens. This broad expertise allows us to look beyond an individual machine and consider the customer’s complete production process.
Our component brands – Accotex, Bräcker, Graf, Novibra, Prosino, Suessen and Temco – add specialized technological expertise and high-precision products. For our customers, this means they receive integrated solutions, reliable technology and professional support from a single partner.
Textile Focus: How do you see the Bangladesh market and what is your future plan?
Thomas Oetterli: Bangladesh is a highly important textile market with a strong garment industry and an increasingly integrated supply chain. We see significant opportunities for spinning mills to strengthen their competitiveness through automation, digitization and more
resource-efficient production.
Recycling will also play a growing role. Brands, consumers and regulators are increasingly demanding textiles with a lower environmental impact and a higher share of recycled material. Processing recycled fibers is technically demanding because the fibers are generally shorter and more variable. Rieter has developed technologies for tearing, fiber preparation, carding and combing mechanically recycled fibers that help mills maintain stable processes and achieve a high recycled content without compromising yarn quality. This expertise also contributes to Recycling Powerhouse, the new venture created to industrialize, standardize and scale textile-to-textile recycling through the production of high-quality, certified recycled yarns.
Our plan is to continue working closely with customers in Bangladesh and support them with technology, service and expertise. The aim is clear: to help mills improve productivity and resource efficiency while preparing their operations for the future requirements of the global textile market.
