Speed matters in the production machinery industry. Whether you are producing recycled paper or high-tech fabric, top production speed is required at all times, but not at all costs.

In the 21st century, manufacturers have had to deal with new environmental issues as well as one of the most severe economic crises in modern history.

Whatever you are manufacturing, conserving energy is essential.

The ESTOMAD (Energy Software Tools for Sustainable Machine Design) consortium was established in 2009 with industry players and research institutes such as LMS International (now Siemens PLM Software), Flanders’ Mechatronics Technology Centre, JOBS, EC Engineering, the Institute of Industrial Technologies and Automation, FIDIA and the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium).

The European research project aims to create a machine development process that considers energy efficiency a critical parameter in machine design.

Picanol is one of the industrial actors involved in the ESTOMAD project. Picanol develops and manufactures high-tech weaving machines that are based on air jet and rapier technology. For 75 years, Picanol has played a pioneering role in the weaving machine industry to become a leading global player. Besides its headquarters in Ypres, Belgium, the Picanol Group has facilities in Asia, Europe and the United States. Today, about 2,600 weaving mills around the world use Picanol machinery, totaling some 130,000 weaving machines.

Stringent market regulations and a tough competitive environment are compelling the production machinery industry to improve its machine design processes.
Manufacturers need to deliver top-performing machines that comply with strict health and safety requirements.
Innovations are being introduced faster all the time. These considerations make earlystage simulation virtually compulsory to release innovative products faster and faster. The industry is also experiencing a recent shift in customer expectations.

“It’s not all about purchase price or performance anymore,” says Kristof Roelstraete,
the research and development (R&D) manager at Picanol

“More and more customers tend to choose the machine that offers the best deal in terms of total cost of ownership. They don’t only consider the initial investment price, but also maintenance
and operational costs for the complete machine lifecycle.

“Due to rising energy prices, low energy consumption is essential to managing operational expenses. Our products must deliver the highest fabric quality at the lowest total cost of ownership for the weaver. We have focused our efforts on energy efficiency to gain a substantial competitive advantage.”