TW Special report
Founded in 1952, Svegea of Sweden – a member of TMAS, the Swedish Textile Machinery Association – has over 60 years of experience in the exclusive design, manufacture and installation of collar cutting machines of the most high quality in the world.
These are used by garment manufacturers around the world for the production of tubular garment components such as waistbands, cuff and neck bands and other seam reinforcements.
Of course, a lot has changed since the company was founded, when its first technologies had operational speeds of around 360 meters per hour.
Today, Svegea’s most productive collar machine has a speed of 20,000 meters per hour.
Clothing manufacturing was also still a dominant industry across Europe during the first decades of Svegea’s existence, largely made possible by such automatic machine production. Inevitably, however, labor costs, especially for sewing machinists, became too high in many countries in Europe.
As a result, companies began to shift their operations, first to neighboring low-wage countries, then inevitably to Asia and the Far East, which are today the main destination for Svegea’s flanged machines. for knitwear. At the same time, the company’s expertise has increasingly turned to the development of bespoke machinery for the production of special technical textiles and bespoke units for specific niche applications.
Resilience
The recent Covid-19 situation is now leading to the relocation of some niche textile production operations to Europe – notably in face masks and medical gowns, but also fast fashion items – following the realization that addiction total vis-à-vis foreign suppliers with long delays is unwise.
However, from the early 1990s until recently, only the most resilient garment manufacturing companies with highly automated processes and strong brands kept production in Europe.
This makes Svegea customer Triteks Trejd somewhat unique.
Founded in 1994, this family-owned company employs over 280 people at its factory in Prilep, North Macedonia, where high-quality cotton fabrics are expertly processed into Tritex Underwear branded products.
The Prilep operation encompasses fabric processing, design, cutting, sewing, quality control and packaging in a fully integrated workflow.
“We constantly monitor market and fashion trends, and our team of designers creates collections that meet the needs of the most demanding consumers,” explains Dejan Naumoski, factory manager. “Our high quality cotton fabrics are chosen through a rigorous selection process and we work to the relevant ISO 9001 standards.”
With around 200 seamstresses, the Tritex product range includes briefs, boxers, briefs, t-shirts, pajamas and briefs which are mainly sold in European Union countries, as well as in the domestic market.
The company has also just completed the digitization of all of its production via the internal DPC-SYS system, by installing around 200 industrial PCs connecting each of its workstations and departments.
E-commerce
“It was a nice challenge, and now we have all the real-time data on all our operations,” says Dejan. “Of course, we also benefit from the advantages that our country has to offer”, “The business climate here is relatively stable, there are skilled and productive workers, the textile industry is very flexible to market needs and the la Proximity to EU countries and well-developed transport and logistics are definitely a big plus.We also have a very efficient e-commerce operation which is essential in today’s market.
Triteks Trejd currently operate three of the latest Svegea flange cutting machines and are very pleased with their performance, as well as the service provided by the Swedish company.
“In recent years, Triteks Trejd has replaced their original Svegea flange machines with our latest highly automatic units featuring True-Drive control systems,” says Hakan Steene, Managing Director of Svegea. “They are also fitted with Dust Phantom units to ensure an optimal working environment through effective removal of dust and lint. Scalloping machine trim directly into boxes, rather than winding it onto rollers, also ensures fewer production interruptions for sewing machinists, with less stretching of the endless material produced.
“The latest machines are simple to use and we are very impressed with their precision, as well as the reduction in waste achieved through their use,” adds Dejan. “Any issues that may arise are rare and easily resolvable and so far the service has been online via Viber or by mail and is always prompt and helpful.”
For TMAS General Secretary Therese Premler-Andersson, the relationship between Triteks Trejd and Svegea is a good example of how Swedish textile machinery manufacturers contribute to production in Europe.
“With a high level of automation and expertise in many technological areas, TMAS members support the competitive advantage of the European textile industry,” she says. “Business today is not just about providing machines or technology. As suppliers, our members understand and are ready to integrate with procurement, administration, production and inventory management operations to create complete and intelligent systems. This means working closely with customers and providing a constant stream of ideas on efficiency, improving quality, reducing waste and adapting to automation.
Posted on June 14, 2021
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