The long success story of the partnership between Monforts and its representative in Indonesia, Primatek, has seen more than 200 stenters installed during the past 15 years.

Today, with Indonesian producers facing surging demand for both quality and volume from domestic consumers, the textile mills are increasingly looking towards extra capacity with new Montex stenters, and to other Monforts hi-tech ranges, such as the Thermex continuous dyeing line, the company reports.

With the acquisition in 2013 of Primatek by the Swiss giant DKSH, formidable resources are now being deployed to ensure Monforts remains the premier brand name for quality in the Indonesian market.

Opportunities and competitiveness

“Indonesian mills are looking at improved quality, production volumes, and energy savings,” commented Primatek founder Walter Widmer. “They need this domestically, and the exporters also need this to be able to compete with the other regional producers in the European market.”

“The rising costs in China and the image problems that the Bangladesh producers are currently facing, for example, are two opportunities that are opening up for the Indonesians. This is a ferociously competitive business internationally, and when our producers can position themselves to take market share away from other producing countries, they can make dramatic advances in the markets.”

Ideal partner

Primatek was founded in 1994 and became the representative for Monforts in 1998. “This has been an enormously productive time for Primatek and for Monforts,” said Widmer. “We now have a population of more than 200 Monforts stenters in Indonesia, and the number is growing steadily.”

Widmer believes DKSH is the ideal partner to take the company forward into the future, with Indonesia’s market becoming more regulated and backed to a greater degree by international experience. He has become Head of Country Management and President Director of DKSH Indonesia.

DKSH is a leading market expansion services group, with a focus on Asia, bridging complex markets within and between Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. The focus is on helping companies grow their business, offering a package of services that includes organising and running the entire value chain for any product from sourcing, research and analysis, through to marketing, sales, distribution and logistics to after-sales services.

Advanced technology

At the upper end of the market the potential is good for the new Monforts Thermex continuous dyeing range, fitted with the Econtrol thermosol process, Widmer believes.

“The Econtrol process ensures low consumption of chemicals, energy and water. Because this is an attractive development, we are promoting the Thermex to the industry here, and are gaining considerable interest, mainly from customers who have experience of the Monforts stenters,” he said.

“The DynAir relaxation dryer is also of interest to those producers who are now realising that advanced technology will help them progress in both the domestic and the international markets. We are seeing some take-up here, and anticipate this unit becoming an important part of the product range as the industry continues to evolve.”

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