New factories were set up and existing plants expanded their capacity in the garment and ready-to-wear sector during 2008-2013. In this period, a significant share of the local and international companies making garment investments chose Malkan Machinery as their solution partner for intermediate and final pressing equipment.

Domestic garment investments stretching from Kahramanmaras to Adana, from Karabuk to Izmir and from Malatya to Istanbul came to life in 2012. In the same period, factories in countries such as Egypt, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Poland, Bangladesh and Ethiopia also sourced their ironing equipment from Malkan Machinery.

The common expectation of these companies was high ironing quality, accessible technical service and a cost balance suited to the investment budget. When garment investments were assessed against these three criteria, the solutions that local production offered in PLC-controlled, fully automatic special ironing presses stood out.

In this article you will first find the project overview compiled at the end of 2013, followed by the infrastructure, equipment and service topics to consider when planning the ironing department. The aim is to offer managers planning a new factory or a capacity increase a roadmap distilled from the field.

1. MALKAN MACHINERY: TÜRKIYE’S FIRST DOMESTIC MANUFACTURER OF INDUSTRIAL IRONING MACHINES

Production line in a ready-to-wear factory

Malkan Machinery, founded in 1971, is Türkiye’s first domestic manufacturer of industrial ironing machines. The first industrial iron produced in Türkiye is exhibited today at the Rahmi Koc Museum; this piece bears witness to the starting point of local ironing technology.

Since then, the company has designed and manufactured ironing equipment for the textile and garment sectors. While maintaining the strong position it has held in the domestic market since its foundation, Malkan Machinery has also steadily increased its activity abroad.

During the five years leading up to 2013, innovations developed in PLC-controlled, fully automatic special ironing presses drew the attention of garment and ready-to-wear manufacturers to Malkan Machinery. These presses were designed to deliver repeatable ironing quality in serial production for products such as suits, jackets and trousers.

In this period, the company began bidding for the same projects as long-established European brands in the international market. In comparisons made for garment investments, Malkan Machinery stood out as a strong option for investors who weigh quality and price together.

High-tech CNC machines and a laser cutting machine on the production line, together with trained engineers and technical staff, formed the basis of precise, high-quality material processing. Products were manufactured in accordance with national and international quality standards.

Malkan Machinery received its ISO 9001 certificate in May 2000, becoming the first company in its sector to do so, and has applied its Quality Management System without interruption ever since. Continuous improvement, one of the system’s core requirements, guided efforts to reduce production costs and helped preserve the affordable price advantage.

Further details on Malkan Machinery’s quality approach are also covered in the TSE Quality Award article.

As a result of this approach, the company’s market share grew steadily. Today Malkan Machinery exports to 95 countries and holds a strong place among local manufacturers supplying ironing equipment for garment investments.

2. WHY DID PRODUCTION INVESTMENTS ACCELERATE IN 2008-2013?

In this period, garment investments in Türkiye largely stemmed from the wish to reduce dependence on subcontracted production, and many companies brought production in-house. The main reasons behind this decision were managing quality standards from a single hand, shortening delivery times and adapting quickly to collection changes.

Companies specialized in a single product group, such as shirts or womenswear, began moving into new products such as men’s jackets and trousers. Strong demand from customers abroad led some manufacturers to make garment investments directly in new factories.

Product diversification turned the ironing department into one of the most critical links of garment investments. In jackets and suits, ironing is the main process that determines the shape, drape and final appearance of the product; a wrong choice here affects the efficiency of the entire line.

For this reason, ironing equipment was not seen merely as a machine purchase when garment investments were planned. It was evaluated as a single system together with bucks, programs, infrastructure and service support, and investors turned to a local manufacturer from which they could obtain this system through a single point of contact.

A similar trend was seen abroad. In new factory and capacity increase projects, garment investments in men’s suits, jackets and trousers turned toward solutions that balance quality and cost.

3. KAHRAMANMARAS AND ADANA: TERKONSAN, IMZA GIYIM AND SOZUTEK

Garment ironing presses

In Kahramanmaras, Terkonsan was the investment through which Ihsan Kurtar, known for his craftsmanship and at the time chairman of the Kahramanmaras Chamber of Tailors, moved into garment production. The facility was established with a capacity of 500 men’s suits per day on a 5,000 m² production area.

Ihsan Kurtar combined his experience in bespoke tailoring with Malkan Machinery’s ironing presses. This investment was expected to make a significant contribution to the development of the region.

In Adana, Imza Giyim was the company of Ismail Taskinirmak, one of Türkiye’s long-established shirt manufacturers. Alongside shirts, the company brought men’s jacket production in-house and started with 400 jackets per day in a 3,000 m² indoor area.

In Imza Giyim’s jacket project, all intermediate and final pressing equipment was selected from the Malkan Machinery brand. The company planned to bring trouser production in-house in the near future instead of subcontracting it, and this additional investment was also expected to be supported by Malkan Machinery irons.

Also in Adana, Mahmut Sozutek, one of the region’s young businesspeople, chose the entire ironing set from Malkan Machinery while moving from subcontracting to in-house production. Sozutek Konfeksiyon produced 650 men’s jackets per day in a 4,500 m² indoor area and exported 80-90 percent of its output.

These three examples also revealed a regional trend in garment investments. Manufacturers in Anatolia wanted to secure ironing quality from the outset as they carried their experience in tailoring and shirts over to men’s outerwear.

4. KARABUK, IZMIR, MALATYA AND SANLIURFA: KARGISAN, YILMAZ, TAHA AND OZAK

In Karabuk, Kargisan was the investment of Halil Sahin, an experienced name in womenswear. Set up to respond to strong demand for menswear from customers abroad, the new factory had a capacity of 300 branded jackets per day in a 3,000 m² indoor area.

Kargisan, one of the well-known companies in the womenswear market, aimed to gain a voice in menswear as well. The company’s garment investments in menswear were supported by Malkan Machinery products.

In Izmir, Yilmaz Konfeksiyon was the company of Galip Yilmaz, one of the respected and proven trouser manufacturers in the market. The company chose Malkan Machinery as its solution partner in its production line development project aimed at increasing capacity and quality together.

Yilmaz Konfeksiyon’s facility had a capacity to produce 2,000 women’s trousers per day on a 4,500 m² area. In a trouser line of this scale, matching the ironing stations to the sewing speed plays a decisive role in meeting the daily target.

In Malatya, Taha Giyim was the production arm of LC Waikiki, which had a chain of 435 stores in total in Türkiye and abroad. In addition to the existing seven factories in Istanbul, Adapazari, Malatya and Egypt, the eighth production facility set up in Malatya was fully equipped with Malkan Machinery products.

With this project, an additional output of 45,000 pieces per day was planned, all of it for export. Among garment investments, this was one of the most remarkable examples in terms of scale.

Ozak Tekstil, the company of Ahmet Akbalik, an experienced name in denim, continued to choose Malkan Machinery products for its additional garment investments at its Malatya factory and for its new factory in Sanliurfa. During 2012, more than 50 pieces of ironing equipment in total were installed by Malkan Machinery in the two factories.

5. A SERVICE SECTOR EXAMPLE IN ISTANBUL: DRY CORNER

An example outside the garment sector came from dry cleaning and laundry. Dry Corner, managed by Emre Kursad Uner, opened its new factory in Ikitelli to offer faster, higher-quality and higher-capacity service to its chain of one factory and eight shopping mall branches.

The new factory was equipped with washing and ironing equipment; this investment by the fast-growing company was also supported by Malkan Machinery. The project showed that ironing technology determines quality not only in serial production but also in service businesses working with individual pieces.

Every piece that comes to a service business has a different fabric, model and size. The equipment therefore needs to be flexible, adapt quickly to different pieces and be adjustable in a short time.

What garment investments and service sector investments have in common is that ironing quality directly determines customer satisfaction. The Dry Corner example showed that this principle also holds in a different business model.

6. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS: IRONING REFERENCES FROM EGYPT TO BANGLADESH

In the five years leading up to 2013, garment investments carried out through Malkan Machinery’s international sales network covered ready-to-wear factories in many countries. Most of these projects were built around men’s suit, jacket and trouser production.

In Egypt, the shirt manufacturer ISMACO, Türkiye’s internationally recognized brands Mavi Jeans, Colin’s and Taha Giyim (LC Waikiki), and Vestia, one of Egypt’s large men’s suit manufacturers, were among these garment investments. In Ukraine the men’s suit maker Voronin, and in Iran the well-known menswear brands Avishan and Salar, also chose Malkan Machinery products.

In Uzbekistan, Tekstile Libos, Mohinur Liboslari, Bagira Teks, OFS, Fahir Teks and Sprid Plyus, all with a strong voice in men’s suit production, were on this list. In knitted fabric, that is jersey, the Soley Teks, JV Inwesttex, Kalorama and Uztex projects stood out.

In the same country, familiar names from Türkiye, Boybo Group, Alkim Tekstil, Bayteks, Arge Fashion, Bursel, Flemingo and Kontex, also worked with Malkan Machinery. In Lithuania the Danish trouser manufacturer F.Engel and in Kyrgyzstan Bosser Luks, one of the country’s large trouser manufacturers, were also among the references.

In Poland, Eles, a men’s suit brand preferred in the domestic market, and Blackberry, a suit manufacturer exporting from India to Europe, were also among the projects of this period. In Bangladesh, Bitopi Group, with a capacity of 6,000 pairs of classic tailored trousers per day, worked with Malkan Machinery equipment.

In Azerbaijan, the large suit manufacturers Mirzayef and Akkord Tekstil and the jersey manufacturer Alyans Tekstil completed the list. What these companies had in common was that they owned brands well known in their own markets.

In new factory and capacity increase projects within the scope of garment investments, these companies gladly chose the products Malkan Machinery offered with its approach to quality and service. Internationally, garment investments require equipment that can operate under different energy infrastructures and workforce conditions; the diversity of references was the field evidence of this adaptability.

7. TURNKEY PROJECTS: ROY ROBSON IZMIR AND AYKA ETHIOPIA

Textile machinery

At the Izmir factory of the German menswear brand Roy Robson, with a capacity of 1,100 suits per day, all intermediate and final pressing systems were delivered by Malkan Machinery as a turnkey project. In the turnkey model, equipment selection, layout, infrastructure connections, commissioning and training are carried out under a single responsibility.

For AYKA Holding’s garment investments in Ethiopia, more than 300 ironing tables were supplied by Malkan Machinery. An ironing table fleet of this size requires balanced planning of steam and vacuum distribution, as well as setting up spare parts and maintenance routines from the start.

The turnkey approach saves considerable time for companies setting up a large factory for the first time or starting production in a different country. When garment investments are carried out with this model, interface problems between suppliers decrease and responsibility is gathered at a single point.

The first step in a turnkey project is to clarify the product mix to be produced and the target daily output. These data are the design inputs that determine which presses, how many ironing tables and which bucks are needed.

In new production bases such as Ethiopia, garment investments also require training a local technical team. Training provided with the installation and written maintenance instructions are the basis for equipment to operate efficiently for a long time in distant markets.

The second step is to draw the flow from sewing to ironing and packing on the factory floor plan. Once the flow is clear, the routes of the steam, vacuum, compressed air and electrical lines are determined naturally as well.

8. How Should the Ironing Department Be Planned for Garment Investments?

The ironing department is considered in two main layers: intermediate pressing and final pressing. Intermediate pressing covers operations within the sewing process such as seam opening, interlining fusing and shaping parts; final pressing gives the product its final shape and retail appearance.

In jacket production, intermediate pressing stations are distributed along the sewing line, while final pressing presses form a block at the end of the line. Trousers require separate stations for hem, waistband and leg pressing, and shirts for collar, cuff and body pressing.

The basic rule of planning for garment investments is to balance ironing capacity with sewing capacity. If an ironing station becomes a bottleneck, work piling up in sewing increases semi-finished stock; if ironing capacity is left in excess, the investment runs inefficiently.

During garment investments, cycle time, number of operators and process steps per product are calculated together for each station. This calculation bases the number of machines on a measurable workflow rather than on estimates.

In the layout, care is taken that product flow does not double back, that it fits overhead conveyor systems and that operators have a safe working area. Keeping steam, vacuum and compressed air lines short and orderly also reduces energy losses.

Needs differ for denim and jersey products. In denim, shape and hem pressing after washing come to the fore, while in jersey the priority is restoring the fabric with steam without spoiling its elasticity. Garment investments should therefore be planned with these differences in mind according to product type.

Since the product mix may change over time, leaving a margin of flexibility in the layout is a wise choice. Being able to adapt a station to another product removes the need to rebuild the line at season changes.

9. STEAM, VACUUM AND COMPRESSED AIR INFRASTRUCTURE

Press stations in the ironing department

Within garment investments, the efficiency of the ironing department depends largely on infrastructure. Presses and ironing tables reach their designed performance with dry steam at sufficient pressure, balanced vacuum and clean compressed air.

Dry steam reduces the risk of water stains and shine on the fabric. This requires proper slope in steam lines, condensate drainage and regular maintenance of steam traps; condensed water carried to the ironing surface is one of the common causes of quality defects.

Vacuum quickly draws moisture and heat out of the fabric after ironing and sets the shape. The choice between central vacuum and individual on-machine vacuum is made according to the number of stations, the layout and maintenance preferences.

Compressed air is used for pneumatic press movements and some control functions. Removing moisture and oil from the air extends the life of pneumatic components and prevents stains from being carried onto the product.

During garment investments, infrastructure should be sized together with the machines. Leaving room for later expansion removes the need to re-lay lines from scratch when capacity increases.

Returning drained condensate to the boiler feed water reduces energy and water consumption; the condensate return article covers this topic in detail. Principles of industrial steam boiler safety should also be included in the infrastructure plan for the safe operation of the plant that generates the steam.

10. PLC-CONTROLLED SPECIAL PRESSES AND RECIPE MANAGEMENT

PLC-controlled, fully automatic special presses store ironing time, steam and vacuum steps and pressing sequence as a program. As a result, the same product is ironed with the same recipe regardless of shift or operator.

Recipe management means keeping separate programs on record for different fabrics and models. Wool, blends or fabrics with sensitive surfaces may require a different balance of time and temperature; the right program reduces the risk of shine, marks and loss of shape on the fabric.

The press buck is the key part that determines the shape of the product. Being able to redesign the buck or make a new one when the model changes is the key to adapting quickly to fashion changes. The structure and covering layers of jacket pressing bucks are explained in detail in a separate guide.

Choosing electrical and pneumatic components from widely used brands makes it easier to find parts during maintenance. For garment investments, this approach makes the total cost of ownership as important as the initial price of the machine.

Keeping programs on record also makes root cause analysis easier when quality problems arise. Once it is known which recipe was used for which product, the source of the deviation is found quickly.

11. AFTER-SALES SERVICE, BUCK SUPPORT AND OPERATOR TRAINING

For garment investments, the purchasing decision for ironing equipment depends as much on access to service as on the machine’s technical specifications. Working with a local manufacturer provides faster access to the technical team, spare parts and buck changes.

During commissioning, operators need to be trained in press operation, recipe selection and daily maintenance steps. A trained operator uses the machine’s full capacity and reduces breakdowns caused by incorrect use.

A preventive maintenance plan includes regular checks of steam leaks, the condition of gaskets and table covers, vacuum filters and pneumatic connections. These checks reduce downtime and keep ironing quality stable.

Energy consumption should also be taken into account in the feasibility of garment investments. Insulating steam lines, fixing leaks quickly and shutting off steam at unused stations are simple but effective measures that lower operating costs.

Garment investments are long-term decisions; while the machine runs for years, models, fabrics and capacity needs change. The manufacturer’s openness to adapting bucks and programs therefore creates value throughout the life of the investment.

12. CONCLUSION

The eight projects carried out in Türkiye in 2012 and the broad list of international references clearly demonstrated Malkan Machinery’s place in garment investments. Companies working on men’s suits, jackets and trousers chose local ironing technology in their new factory and capacity increase projects.

The roots of this trust go back to a pioneering role dating to 1971. As Türkiye’s first domestic manufacturer of industrial ironing machines and the first company in its sector to obtain ISO 9001 certification, Malkan Machinery carried this experience into every new project.

In 2013, Malkan Machinery aimed to put a new production facility with 20,000 m² of indoor space into operation in Hadimkoy, Istanbul, and to expand the products and services it offers its customers. This goal was part of the plan to strengthen Türkiye’s international expansion in textile and garment ironing machines.

The present-day reflection of this experience can be followed in recent articles on Malkan Vision 2025-2026, the strategic partnership with Indupress and garment finishing technology.

13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When should the ironing department be planned in garment investments? The ironing department should be planned at the same time as the sewing line. When capacity balance, infrastructure lines and layout are considered together from the start, no bottleneck forms.

What is the difference between intermediate and final pressing? Intermediate pressing covers seam opening, interlining fusing and shaping parts during sewing. Final pressing gives the product its final shape and retail appearance.

Which domestic garment investments did Malkan Machinery supply equipment to in 2012? Ironing equipment was supplied to the Terkonsan, Imza Giyim, Sozutek Konfeksiyon, Kargisan, Yilmaz Konfeksiyon, Taha Giyim, Ozak Tekstil and Dry Corner projects.

What does a turnkey ironing project cover? Equipment selection, layout, infrastructure connections, commissioning and operator training are carried out under a single responsibility. Roy Robson’s Izmir factory is one example of this model.

Why is dry steam important? Wet steam increases the risk of water stains and shine on the fabric. Correct slope, condensate drainage and steam trap maintenance secure dry steam.

How does a PLC-controlled press contribute to ironing quality? The press stores time, steam, vacuum and pressing steps as a recipe. The same product is ironed with the same program regardless of shift.

What is the advantage of choosing a local manufacturer for garment investments? A local manufacturer provides faster access to technical service, spare parts and buck changes. Buck and program adaptations are also made more quickly on site.

Where is Türkiye’s first industrial iron exhibited? The first industrial iron produced in Türkiye is exhibited at the Rahmi Koc Museum. Malkan Machinery, founded in 1971, is Türkiye’s first domestic manufacturer of industrial ironing machines.

Since when has Malkan Machinery held its quality certificate? Malkan Machinery became the first company in its sector to obtain the ISO 9001 certificate, in May 2000. It has applied its Quality Management System without interruption since then.

How many countries does Malkan Machinery export to? Malkan Machinery exports to 95 countries today and has been manufacturing ironing equipment since 1971.