Shuttleless Loom Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Rapier (Single and Double Type), Air Jet Loom, Water Jet Loom and Gripper or Projectile Loom), By Application (Natural Fibers Industry and Chemical Fiber Industry), and Regional Forecast to 2033

SHUTTLELESS LOOM MARKET OVERVIEW

Shuttleless Loom Market was valued at USD 3289 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 3361 million in 2025, growing to USD 4000 million by 2033, with a CAGR of 2.2% during the forecast period.

In the coming years, shuttleless loom market will be growing steadily owing to the textiles industry in high speed and efficient weaving technologies with rising demand. Shuttleless looms that work without the traditional shuttle mechanism are more productive, save operational costs, deliver better fabric in quality. With the wide-spread use in textiles ranging from apparel fabrics, home textiles and industrial applications; the popularity and adoption of these looms increases demand across verticals. Enhanced efficiency of shuttleless looms due to automation & advanced digital control systems in furtherance has led the sector for choice among textile manufacturers. Moreover, upsurge in investments for modern textile mills at high pace particularly in emerging economies; likewise contributing to growth

Loom systems are categorized in terms of loom type such as an air-jet, water-jet, rapier and projectile looms provide certain features for fabrics, choosing variety of fabric types and production requirements. The shuttleless loom market is dominated by Asia, primarily in countries like China and India due to its substantial base from textile manufacturing. North America and Europe are also growing at a fast pace with technological progress, high quality requirements for available chemicals. The market landscape is in constant evolution driven by sustainability trends like the transition to more energy-efficient and eco-friendly manufacturing processes. Textile manufacturers will continue to look for the best process to manufacture low cost textiles and meet high output and with this, the usage of shuttleless looms is anticipated to increase in several years.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with the market experiencing lower-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. The sudden market growth reflected by the rise in CAGR is attributable to the market’s growth and demand returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic caused global supply chain breaks and slowdowns in global textile production due to labor shortage during the lockdown disrupted by the shuttleless loom market. Due to delays in the procurement of all the raw materials and machinery ancillaries, many textile manufacturers saw an ill effect on production capacity, monetarily. But the pandemic also led to a decline in demand of apparel and home textiles by consumers, which impacted overall market growth and setbacks for loom manufacturers as well textile producers, lasting only a temporary time. But [as] economies rebounded post-crisis, the market rebounded thanks to a ramp up of demand for cost-effective high-speed weaving. Governments partnered with the textile industry to start modernizing production plants to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of future disruption. The growing emphasis on automation and digitalization in textile manufacturing further accelerated the adoption of shuttleless looms, positioning the market for long-term growth despite the initial pandemic-related challenges.

LATEST TREND

"Advancements in Automation and Sustainability to Drive Market Growth"

Currently in the shuttleless loom market there is an evolution of new paradigm as use of automation and digital monitoring systems to increase productivity in textile production. IoT sensors and AI based analytical services are being embedded, by manufacturers into their looms for operation optimizations to reduce downtime and increase fabric quality in parallel with the automation. Moreover, the trend is also heading towards energy-saving and a greener loom too because in this era sustainability is an important issue for the textile industry. Air-jet and rapier looms are in high demand with the capability of creating intricate fabric designs by leaving minimal wastage. Similarly, it also is nurturing smart textile production leading to the launch of new shuttleless looms that can communicate with next generation weaving techniques.

SHUTTLELESS LOOM MARKET SEGMENTATION

BY TYPE

Based on type, the global market can be categorized into rapier (single and double type), air jet loom, water jet loom and gripper or projectile loom

• Rapier (Single and Double Type): Rapier looms are used commonly since these looms are capable of weaving a number of fabric types ranging from fine to heavy and high-quality textures. The single rapier is cheaper while double rapier will expedite it and furthermore increase production.

• Air Jet Loom: It is generally accepted that the air jet loom is the fastest type of weaving machine for mass production suitable only where high output is essential. They shoot the weft yarn with compressed air to eliminate mechanical actions and improve durability.

• Water Jet Loom: they are very efficient for synthetic fabrics because it uses water to carry the weft across the warp. However, they are restricted to water resistive materials and therefore less versatile compared with air jet looms.

• Gripper or Projectile Loom: These looms use a mechanical gripper to insert the weft yarn, providing excellent fabric quality with reduced energy consumption. They are preferred for producing heavy and technical textiles, such as industrial fabrics and upholstery materials.

BY APPLICATION

Based on application, the global market can be categorized into natural fibers industry and chemical fiber industry

• Natural Fibers Industry: This type of loom is crucial for the production of cotton, wool and silk because it satisfies the growing need for eco-friendly organic fabrics among other sustainable fabrics. Utilizing them, for fabric quality enhancement and waste reduction of material.

• Chemical Fiber Industry: The production of synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and nylon, heavily relies on shuttleless looms due to their speed and adaptability. These looms enhance productivity and ensure high-quality output, catering to industries like fashion, sportswear, and home textiles.

MARKET DYNAMICS

Market dynamics include driving and restraining factors, opportunities and challenges stating the market conditions.

DRIVING FACTORS

"Increasing Demand for High-Speed and Efficient Weaving Technologies to Boost the Market"

Faster textile production process & less downtime is quickly becoming the need of hour which should be catering a major momentum to shuttleless looms. Shuttle looms are slower and have high maintenance due to using the mechanical wear, while shuttleless looms i.e. air jet or rapier loom are quicker easier with less mechanical complexity and thus more efficient. It is very advantageous for large scale textile manufacturers, who want to produce them at short lead time with no reduction in fabric quality. These looms can handle several types of fabrics, mostly heavy and delicate fabrics too making them quite alluring. As the textile competitive landscape grows more competitive, the manufacturers are purchasing the shuttleless looms to increase output, decrease wastage rate and enhance profitability in overall leading market growth of the overall shuttleless loom. Moreover, shuttle less looms offers automation capability which helps to reduced labor cost and improve accuracy in fabric manufacturing which ultimately makes them a preferred choice of textile manufacturers today.

"Rising Adoption of Synthetic and Technical Textiles to Expand the Market"

One of the key factors behind the shuttleless loom market growth is increasing demand for synthetic textiles in fashion, automotive and home furnishings industry. Unlike natural fibers, synthetic materials such as polyester nylon and polypropylene need good methods of weaving to keep their shape and this is where shuttleless looms (especially water jet and projectile) proves to be efficient. Technical textiles – found largely in industrial, medical and defense application—need high-performance fabrics, with increased strength & functionality. The rising demands of new materials is what makes shuttleless looms successful for manufacturers to fabricate #textile while placing high efficiency that comply with need. With the development of textile technology for high-performance and sustainable fabrics, shuttleless looms are one of those playing a critical role in the changing landscape of textile manufacturing. In addition, the capability of these weaves to generate thin-and-strong textiles is in line with the worldwide trend over for energy efficient and durable fabric solutions.

RESTRAINING FACTOR

"High Initial Investment and Maintenance Costs ""to Potentially Impede Market Growth"A key obstacle for the development of shuttleless loom market is the high initial investment in purchasing installing the advanced weaving machines. The costs to set up a shuttleless loom include the price of buying a more complex automation, precision components and state-of-the art controls come higher than automated shuttle looms. However (on a global scale), the costly machinery for such purposes is hard for small and medium scale textile manufacturing to bite, which in return does not allow this market expand much in general especially in the developing regions. Shuttleless looms, need regular maintenance and operational costs are very high. They demand expert technicians for repairs and periodic maintaining hence escalating life-time cost. Operational costs increase due to the requirement of stable power supply and compressed air or water (depending on the loom type) required, for manufacturers from account producing scarce financial resources it is difficult adopt these technologies.

OPPORTUNITY

"Growing Demand for High-Quality and Efficient Textile Production To Create Opportunity for the Product in the Market"

Shuttleless loom market growth prospective is highly dependent on the increasing number of textile requirement demand at an agile rate for different industry segments from quality to mass producers. By their high-quality fabrics, higher production rate and low labor requirement shuttleless looms are a very alluring prospect for manufacturers who want to step into leading productivity. Premium Textiles in fashion, home and industrial applications are on the rise as global demand is forecasted to increase and advanced weaving is therefore believed to become more prevalent. In addition, rapid industrialization and government schemes for textile modernization will offer lucrative opportunities for shuttersless loom manufacturers. India, China and Bangladesh are among other countries reinventing their textile infrastructure through policy and financial support to drive infrastructure upgrades in the industry. The aspirations to automation and optimization are predicted to strengthen implementation of shuttleless looms across both traditional as well as new textile markets.

CHALLENGE

"High Initial Investment and Skilled Workforce Requirement Could Be a Potential Challenge for Consumers"

The main growth barrier for shuttleless loom market is high cost of buying and installing advanced looms in the early stages. Air-jet and rapier advanced shuttleless looms have heavy capital costs which make the adoption of these technologies not easily affordable for small and medium scale textile manufacturers. Moreover, maintenance and operational expenses adds to the life-cycle cost making these solutions not economically viable for broad based market needs. The most pressing obstacle is labor needed to operate and support these cutting-edge looms — much more complicated than the everyday shuttle loom. Unlike in standard shuttle looms shuttleless looms are run under special training to reduce cycle time and maximize uptime. Textile manufacturers are having difficulty with labour shortages and paucity of skilled workers which are hampering the conversion to new generation weaving techniques. To tackle this challenge the industry will have to work on training for the human capital and financial support of smaller players in the textile sector.

SHUTTLELESS LOOM MARKET REGIONAL INSIGHTS

• NORTH AMERICA

United States shuttleless loom market is growing because of need for superior quality of fabrics and increasing adoption through technology in automated weaving. The region is a consolidated textile manufacturing belt with substantial investments in digital looms and smart manufacturing. Sustainability programs and the increased use of bio-based fibers help drive adoption of modern weaving technologies even further. Moreover, increasing labor costs are making textile manufacturers to go for automation to increase their return on investment which is lifting the requirement of high-speed shuttleless looms.

• EUROPE

European countries particularly Germany Italy and France are the toppers in shuttleless loom market owing to their large textile manufacturing base as well focus on innovation. With high-speed and energy-efficient looms being in great demand, manufacturers have started to load IoT, AI-based monitoring systems to increase productivity. Moreover, strict environmental rules are bringing pressure on the textile sector to adopt water and energy-saving weaving technologies too. Market is growing with the support of established loom manufacturers and government initiatives for Industry 4.0.

• ASIA

The biggest shuttleless loom market share is from Asia based on its large scale of total textile production countries like China, India and Bangladesh. While China is still the world's largest producer and consumer of shuttleless loom, as constrained by government automation subsidies in textile manufacturing. Over the same period, India and Bangladesh are also gaining traction with exports growing quickly with the changing textile sector landscape. Besides, the new wave of foreign Investments in the textile manufacturing and huge conversion from traditional to shuttleless looms are also speeding up market growth in the region.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

"Key Industry Players Shaping the Market Through Innovation and Market Expansion"

Leading companies in the shuttleless loom market are focusing on technological innovation, automation, and sustainability to enhance productivity and efficiency. Manufacturers are integrating IoT-enabled monitoring systems and AI-driven predictive maintenance to improve operational performance and reduce downtime. Additionally, companies are investing in energy-efficient and eco-friendly loom designs to comply with stringent environmental regulations and meet the growing demand for sustainable textile production. Strategic partnerships, expansions, and new product launches are being pursued to strengthen global market presence, while efforts to digitalize textile manufacturing processes are further driving industry advancements.

LIST OF TOP SHUTTLELESS LOOM COMPANIES

• Picanol (Belgium)
• Itema Group (Italy)
• Tsudakoma (Japan)
• Dornier (Germany)
• Toyota (Japan)
• RIFA (China)
• Jingwei Textile Machinery (China)
• Haijia Machinery (China)
• Yiinchuen Machine (Taiwan)
• Huasense (China)
• SMIT (Italy)
• Huayi Machinery (China)
• Tongda Group (China)
• SPR (China)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

October 2023: Itema Group (Italy) announced the launch of a new generation Rapier R9500E Shuttleless Loom, designed to enhance energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. This advanced model features optimized weft insertion technology and a smart digital control system, improving fabric quality while minimizing power consumption. The development aligns with the growing demand for sustainable and high-performance weaving solutions, reinforcing Itema’s commitment to innovation in the shuttleless loom market.

REPORT COVERAGE

The report on the shuttleless loom market provides a comprehensive analysis of key industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes. It covers various loom types, including rapier, air jet, water jet, and gripper/projectile looms, and explores their applications in the natural fibers and chemical fiber industries. The study evaluates driving factors such as technological advancements and increasing demand for high-speed, energy-efficient weaving solutions. Additionally, the report highlights restraining factors, including high initial costs and complex maintenance requirements, which could impact market adoption.

Furthermore, the report includes regional insights, examining the market landscape across North America, Europe, and Asia, with a focus on leading manufacturing hubs and emerging economies. It also provides an in-depth analysis of key industry players, their strategic initiatives, and recent technological innovations shaping the market. The study presents key industry developments, challenges, and opportunities, offering valuable insights for stakeholders, investors, and businesses looking to expand their presence in the shuttleless loom market.