Members of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) can reflect on 2025 as a year of strong technological progress and steady global engagement, despite continued market volatility. Throughout the year, BTMA members advanced innovation across technical textiles, automation, digital manufacturing, and testing technologies.
“Our members have remained highly active over the past year,” said Jason Kent, CEO of BTMA. “This momentum has delivered new technologies for technical fibre and fabric production, wider use of AI and machine learning in process control, and major improvements in materials testing. Looking ahead, there is real optimism as we prepare for events such as JEC Composites in Paris and Techtextil in Frankfurt in 2026.”
Advancing Composites Manufacturing
Momentum in composites continued through significant collaborations and awards recognition. Cygnet Texkimp earned a nomination for a 2026 JEC Innovation Award following its work with McLaren Automotive on the ART rapid tape-deposition system. The system deposits dry fibre tapes at speeds of up to 2.5 metres per second while maintaining high precision. As a result, it reduces scrap, shortens cycle times, and improves structural performance across McLaren’s composite-heavy vehicle platforms.
Cygnet Texkimp also leads the global market as an independent manufacturer of prepreg production machinery. In addition, the company holds a licence to design and build the DEECOM® composite recycling system, developed by BTMA member Longworth Sustainable Recycling Technologies. The pressolysis-based system uses pressure and steam to reclaim fibres and resin polymers with zero emissions and a low carbon footprint.
Other BTMA members continue to support the composites sector. Emerson & Renwick applies expertise in printing, forming, vacuum, and coating technologies to carbon fibre processing. Airbond pioneers pneumatic yarn splicing for high-value carbon and aramid fibres. Meanwhile, Slack & Parr supplies high-precision gear metering pumps that ensure uniform processing across a wide range of manmade fibres and polymers.
Resource Efficiency in Gel Spinning
BTMA members have also achieved significant resource savings in high-end fibre processing. Fibre Extrusion Technology (FET) introduced a new manufacturing process for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) using a patented solvent extraction system based on supercritical carbon dioxide.
“Traditional UHMWPE systems operate at an enormous scale and involve extreme complexity,” explained Jonny Hunter, R&D Manager at FET. “This limits flexibility and slows product development. Our new FET-500 series lab and small-scale gel spinning system directly addresses these challenges.”
Digital Quality Assurance and Inspection
Digitalisation continues to reshape quality assurance across textile manufacturing. Shelton Vision has advanced automated fabric inspection through the latest version of its WebSpector system. Using patent-pending image processing, the system now delivers real-time defect detection on complex patterned fabrics, including materials subject to distortion, stretch, or shear during production.
The system adapts to intricate designs such as camouflage and maintains fault detection at high speeds. While automotive interiors and woven airbags remain key applications, manufacturers of performance wear, denim, upholstery, mattress ticking, window furnishings, and carbon fibre composites are increasingly adopting the technology.
Continuous Colour Monitoring in Production
Colour management has also shifted from periodic inspection to continuous monitoring. C-Tex now enables mills to carry out laboratory-grade colour measurement directly within production environments.
“We are bringing laboratory capability onto the production floor,” said Rob Ricketts, Managing Director of C-Tex. By integrating inline defect detection with continuous colour variation analysis, the system allows manufacturers to assess both parameters at the same time.
Crucially, this data flows across supply chains. Garment, automotive, and furniture manufacturers now receive clear insight into fabric quality before production begins. “This level of visibility already exists in automotive manufacturing,” Ricketts added. “Now, textiles are catching up.”
Smarter and More Intuitive Testing Systems
Advanced testing remains central to BTMA innovation. James Heal continues to refine textile testing systems with a focus on speed, simplicity, and intuitive operation. Its latest Performance Testing range improves testing for airflow and water resistance, while the TruRain system reduces both wastewater and energy use during water repellency testing.
During 2025, the company also launched the Martindale Motion, a nine-station testing instrument with independently operated lifting heads. Each station can run separate tests simultaneously. Once configured, the system operates unattended, including overnight, allowing technicians to focus on other tasks.
Colour accuracy has also improved through the VeriVide DigiEye system, which provides non-contact colour measurement and digital imaging. Recent upgrades include full LED illumination, integrated dust filtration, software-controlled lighting geometry, and automated image capture. These enhancements improve precision while increasing operational efficiency.
Solving the Fabric Tactility Challenge
Fabric tactility remains one of the most subjective aspects of textile evaluation. Designers and manufacturers often struggle to describe fabric feel without physical samples, which slows decision-making and increases costs.
Roaches International addresses this challenge with the Sentire fabric handle tester. The system objectively measures properties such as softness, smoothness, drape, and stiffness.
“No two people describe fabric feel in the same way,” said Sean O’Neill, Managing Director at Roaches International. “Sentire provides a shared language for fabric tactility. Market response during 2025 has been extremely positive.”
A Converging Future for Textile Machinery
According to BTMA CEO Jason Kent, these developments reflect a clear strategic shift. “We are seeing convergence across advanced machinery, intelligent software, and rigorous testing,” he said. “Our members are addressing efficiency, sustainability, and quality challenges while building a transparent, data-driven, and resilient textile manufacturing sector.”
Founded in 1940, the British Textile Machinery Association continues to promote British textile machinery manufacturers worldwide. As a non-profit organisation, BTMA connects its members with a diverse and evolving global textile industry.
