Switzerland’s textile machinery producers, long-term partners of Iranian textile companies are willing to play a major role in Iran’s renewed growth post the recent removal of international sanctions with aim to bring an increase in exports to Iran. Switzerland’s textile machinery producers recently participated at a two day seminar organised by Swissmem, the Swiss national textile machinery representative body in Tehran. “Before the imposition of sanctions we enjoyed a very strong business level and a good relationship with customers in Iran. This continued during the period of sanctions, but understandably at a lower level. In the new situation today, we are keen to intensify our relationship and business dealings to pre-sanction levels and beyond,” said Ernesto Maurer president Swissmem. With export sales to Iran in the year 2015 totalling 6.4 million Swiss francs, Switzerland remains a significant provider of technology to the country and is anticipating the Iranian industry to account for a larger share of its global export sales total of more than 1 billion Swiss francs in the coming years. “Swissmem is always welcome and its presence is needed in Iran. Now, right after the removal of the sanctions, it was really necessary to say a new ‘hello’ to our textile industries, which have in the recent past had to rely on technology from lower-level suppliers in other countries,” said Mehran Zehtab, of Kian Sanat Afzar an engineering service company which represents Swiss companies Retech, SSM and Heberlein in Iran. “In our own specialist areas, such as synthetic fibre production and melt spinning in particular, companies in Iran are hungry for both know-how and latest technology in what is a critical and high added-value market. These are requirements which we believe the Swiss companies will be able to meet at a much more appropriate level in future,” Zehtab concluded. The seminar featured a strong presence from the leading technology providers and attracted 350 delegates including 40 per cent of the association’s membership. Companies from major textile manufacturing centres in Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd and Mashad were also present.
