Ahead of ITM 2026 Istanbul, Saurer is preparing to present its latest spinning technologies with a focus on sustainability, automation and digitalisation. In a statement to Textilegence, Saurer Group CSO Cem Yalçın outlined the company’s strategy for helping spinning mills improve efficiency, reduce labour dependency and adapt to increasing sustainability requirements.
Key technology focus: automation, digitalisation and recycling
Saurer is centring its innovation strategy on three main pillars: energy efficiency, recycled fibre processing and digitalised mill operations.
According to Cem Yalçın, sustainability remains one of the strongest drivers shaping textile production technologies. He explained that Saurer’s machinery portfolio is developed under the company’s E³ concept, combining energy efficiency, economics and ergonomics: “The latest Zinser 51 and Autocoro 11 models consume 10% less energy than their previous generations, while the Autocoro platform has achieved more than 30% energy reduction over the past 15 years.”
The company is also expanding its focus on recycled fibre processing. “The newest Autocoro model is available in a Recycling Xtreme edition that enables efficient processing of even very short mechanically recycled fibres” he said, stressing that maximising raw material utilisation and increasing production output per square metre remain central priorities in machine development.
In addition, Saurer extends machinery lifecycles through upgrade and retrofit solutions. The company develops update packages that allow innovations from newer generations to be integrated into older machines whenever possible, while software updates are an essential part of its long-term customer support approach.
Automation responds to global labour shortages
Labour shortages in spinning mills are accelerating the adoption of automation technologies worldwide. Cem Yalçın noted that Saurer’s automation strategy is based on a two-level approach combining intelligent machine automation with fully connected mill logistics systems.
Machine-integrated solutions include autodoffing, piecing, intelligent speed control and quality monitoring systems designed to streamline production processes. At the same time, Saurer is developing autonomous driving systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), bobbin transport systems (BTS) and collaborative robots to optimise material flow across mills. “These modular, customer-specific automation solutions enhance productivity, reduce labour dependency, and ensure efficient, high-quality operations throughout the textile production process,” said Yalçın.
Digitalisation enables real-time mill control
Digitalisation forms another key pillar of Saurer’s strategy. The company’s Senses mill management system enables mills to connect machines digitally, monitor production data in real time and gain full operational transparency across facilities.
Central dashboards support predictive maintenance, energy monitoring per lot, as well as production efficiency and quality tracking.
According to Yalçın, automation and digitalisation now work hand in hand to improve workflow efficiency and support smarter decision-making processes in spinning mills.
New spinning technologies of Saurer at ITM Istanbul 2026
At ITM Istanbul, Saurer will showcase a complete range of flexible, automated and digitalised spinning technologies.
Cem Yalçın said that one of the key highlights will be the Autocard SC8, developed to deliver superior sliver quality, higher productivity and improved energy efficiency while meeting the flexibility demands of modern spinning mills. He stated that they will also introduce the Zinser 51 ring spinning machine technology equipped with the new Zpact FX compact unit and described the system as a universal and highly flexible compact spinning solution suitable for a wide range of yarn counts and applications, including high-speed spinning, siro yarns and core yarns.
“Another major focus will be Senses mill management platform together with new can transport automation technologies, which are expected to play an important role in future mill logistics and workflow optimisation,” he said.
Türkiye’s textile industry: competitiveness and innovation pressure
Discussing the Turkish textile industry, Yalçın emphasised Türkiye’s strong competitive position thanks to its proximity to European markets and its fully integrated textile value chain.
He noted that Turkish manufacturers can deliver products to European brands within days by road transport while remaining less dependent on external suppliers.
He also described the Turkish textile industry as highly innovative, particularly in recycling and the development of new fibres. Turkish mill owners continuously challenge machinery manufacturers to improve machine capabilities and production efficiency.
At the same time, he pointed out that increasing cost pressure from neighbouring low-cost regions continues to challenge the sector. To remain competitive, the industry must continue investing in automation and advanced production technologies. Yalçın particularly highlighted the importance of automated material flow systems that reduce labour dependency and allow personnel to focus on higher-value operations instead of logistics tasks.
“Automation and digitalisation are the new normal”
Summarising Saurer’s innovation strategy, Yalçın said automation and digitalisation have become the “new normal” for spinning mills.
“With the new legal requirements regarding the circular economy in Europe, the importance of flexible production and the use of recycled fibres will increase, as will the demand for the highest yarn quality. We offer such solutions today and will continue to innovate to find solutions for the future. At Saurer, our goal is to provide our customers with cutting-edge innovations in textile machinery for tomorrow’s yarn. We will be pleased to welcome spinning professionals to our stand at ITM and to showcase the advantages offered by our innovations,” he said.