In 2014, Malkan Machinery supported garment and ready-to-wear investments in Turkey and abroad with PLC-controlled, fully automatic garment ironing presses and turnkey installation. In these projects, standardizing pressing quality and increasing production efficiency stood at the center of the investment decision.

1. WHY PRESSING QUALITY IS DECISIVE IN GARMENT INVESTMENTS

Modern ironing line operating with PLC-controlled systems.

Leading garment and ready-to-wear manufacturers in Turkey and around the world treat garment ironing presses as a strategic threshold in capacity expansions and new factory investments. In a suit, jacket, trousers, trench coat, coat or overcoat group, the final form is defined as much by pressing quality as by stitching quality.

At this point, garment ironing presses deliver dimensional stabilization, form retention and surface smoothness in both intermediate and final pressing. In projects commissioned across Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, investors' preference for Malkan Machinery products stands out as a result of this technical requirement.

2. MALKAN MACHINERY AND ITS PLC-CONTROLLED R&D APPROACH

Malkan Machinery is a brand founded in 1971 that manufactures industrial ironing machines in Turkey. The first industrial iron produced in Turkey is exhibited today at the Rahmi Koc Museum. Since 1971, the brand has gradually expanded its presence in the domestic market and abroad.

For more on the company's history, see Malkan Machinery's journey of more than half a century.

R&D work focused on PLC-controlled, fully automatic special garment ironing presses responds directly to the standardization needs of garment and ready-to-wear manufacturers on their production lines. This work aims to turn pressing from an operator-dependent practice into a measurable production parameter.

The PLC control architecture allows parameters such as heat, steam, vacuum, pressing time and pressure to be defined as recipes. This structure delivers operator-independent repeatability and supports traceable production data. The resulting order offers a production flow consistent with a smart manufacturing approach.

3. PRODUCTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT

CNC and laser cutting form set detail.

On the production infrastructure side, high-technology CNC machines and laser cutting machines work together with trained engineers and technical personnel. As a result, part machining precision, form compatibility and assembly repeatability are kept at a high level.

For the technical fundamentals of laser cutting, see the laser cutting machine working principle article.

Malkan Machinery continues to apply its quality management system as one of the first companies in its sector to receive ISO 9001 certification, in May 2000. The continuous improvement approach supports the balance between production cost control and service continuity.

Production in line with national and international quality standards shows itself in garment ironing presses through material selection, heating surface homogeneity, steam distribution and safety systems. Each of these topics directly affects the long-term operating stability of garment ironing presses.

4. INTERMEDIATE AND FINAL PRESSING: THE CRITICAL LINK IN THE CHAIN

In garment manufacturing, pressing is not a single station but the critical link in a chain that runs from cutting to sewing and packing. Intermediate pressing brings shrinkage, bagginess and seam marks under control while parts are prepared for sewing.

Final pressing means giving the garment its final form, flattening the seams and preparing the garment for store presentation. When garment ironing presses used in these two stages work together with correct form geometry, correct heat and steam synchronization and correct vacuum, they reduce waste in production.

The same conditions lower the need for rework and limit returns at quality-control stations. Preserving the collar, shoulder, sleeve and body forms in suit and jacket production, and stabilizing the hem, knee and waist areas in trouser production, are directly linked to garment ironing presses.

In the jacket group, the jacket ironing presses and benches category includes press and bench options for jacket pressing. For seam operations in the pocket area of trousers, the peto pocket seam opening machine page is also worth exploring.

For needs on the store side, the Home and Store product category of Malkan Machinery can also be explored.

5. TURNKEY INVESTMENT AND PROCESS CONSULTING

Recipe-based ironing line in the Giresun project.

From the investor's point of view, the value of a pressing system is not measured by the machine alone. Turnkey installation, line layout, steam and air infrastructure, ergonomics, operator training and after-sales service are among the factors that determine the payback period of the investment.

For this reason, Malkan Machinery treats projects not merely as equipment supply but as process consulting. Positioning the intermediate and final pressing stations according to the line flow, preventing bottlenecks and capacity calculations suited to the shift plan stand out as parts of the turnkey approach.

On the steam infrastructure side, the steam boilers category of Malkan Machinery can also be considered in project planning. For transfer printing needs within the line, the transfer printing presses category can be explored.

6. 2014 REFERENCE PROJECTS IN TURKEY

The field results of this approach can be seen through the projects carried out in Turkey and abroad during 2014. These projects cover both new factory installations and capacity expansion steps at existing facilities, and show how investments in garment ironing presses scale.

The DAMAT – TWEEN / GIRESUN project represents the new investment, on the Black Sea coast, of one of the well-known menswear brands in Turkey. At the Giresun facility, planned to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2015, the targets were a daily production increase on top of existing capacity and 600 additional jobs.

All pressing and table equipment for the intermediate and final pressing stages of the project was produced by Malkan Machinery with form geometries specific to the brand's refined style.

For the suit and jacket group, recipe-based garment ironing presses were commissioned to preserve collar and body form, and for the trouser group to control the pressing line and hem form.

This project was recorded as one of the important links added to the chain of garment manufacturers in Turkey.

The AVANTGARDE (AGILOGLU) / IZMIR project stands out as a new facility established in Izmir both to produce the company's own brand and to carry out contract manufacturing. At this facility, built from scratch in a region where menswear production is concentrated, full A-to-Z turnkey installation was carried out by Malkan Machinery.

Installation and commissioning were targeted for completion in December 2014, with production starting as of January 1, 2015. Because all equipment for intermediate and final pressing carries the Malkan Machinery brand, the investor gained a unified structure in terms of equipment compatibility on the line, spare-part standardization and ease of maintenance.

At this facility too, garment ironing presses were positioned at the center of the daily production flow.

The MARENGO (AYPATEKS TEKSTIL) / KIRKLARELI project reflects the growth story of one of Turkey's young and fast-growing brands. Marengo exports mainly to European countries, and also to the Middle East, the Nordic countries and North Africa, and has a sales network of 600 points in Turkey.

The brand traces its production experience back to the 1960s and has operated as a brand since 1999. Combining a modern, comfortable fit with refined fabrics, Marengo defined pressing forms matching its pattern structure on Malkan Machinery's advanced-technology garment ironing presses.

The brand made all of its 2014 pressing equipment investments on this basis. Keeping the same form quality across different fabric types became possible here with recipe-managed garment ironing presses.

The SIR (KOSTUM) GIYIM / IZMIR project describes the capacity expansion of a long-established manufacturer founded in Izmir in 1967 and active in woven ready-to-wear. Sir Kostum Giyim produces woven menswear for international brands and domestic firms.

Besides contract manufacturing, the company prepares jacket, suit, trench coat, coat and overcoat collections for its own Sir brand, and moved into a new 9,000-square-meter production facility in early 2013. Throughout 2014, Malkan Machinery was the partner in all pressing equipment purchase and renewal projects needed for the capacity expansion.

At the facility, which has about 550 employees and an annual capacity of 390,000 units, garment ironing presses that improve form repeatability in intermediate and final pressing were positioned as an element that improves quality-control data.

The KLASMEN / ISTANBUL project shows the journey of a brand that entered the sector in 2004 through contract manufacturing and, after a 10-year growth period, established its own production facility in 2014. Soon after its establishment, Klasmen reached a daily production capacity of 450-500 units.

At the facility of the company, which produces for well-known market brands in addition to its own brands Antoni Zeeman and Torres, the complete final pressing line and many intermediate pressing units were supplied by Malkan Machinery. Form-to-pattern compatibility is achieved through the correct temperature and steam synchronization defined on garment ironing presses.

For firms focused on quality and standard production, form-to-pattern compatibility is critically important, and it ranks first in equipment selection.

7. INTERNATIONAL REFERENCES AND THE DISTRIBUTOR NETWORK

Turnkey lines in Poland and Uzbekistan projects.

The ALJEKA / POLAND project is important for showing the position of a Turkish machinery manufacturer in the European market. Aiming to make a leap in production capacity and standard production, the company chose Malkan Machinery for its complete pressing set investment, made with the help of EU support funds.

In the Polish market, despite the strong references of German-brand irons, the choice of a Turkish brand for its high-level technology and cost-efficiency balance means that a competitive alternative has been proven in the field, in the area of garment ironing presses.

The company set targets to double its production capacity in a short period of about six months and to produce suits of higher quality. These targets were addressed together with recipe-based pressing and vacuum support.

The SOHRET TEKSTIL / UZBEKISTAN project is one of the investments that joined the Malkan Machinery family in 2014 in the reviving Uzbek garment and ready-to-wear sector. Aiming at both higher quality and higher volume in line with customer demand, the company supplied its pressing equipment for the new investment entirely from Malkan Machinery.

This project is also cited as an example of how Malkan Machinery's presence in Central Asia has strengthened. Maintaining the same pressing quality even across a mix of fabrics and models is possible with defined parameters.

For current observations on the Central Asian market, see also Malkan Machinery's CAITME 2026 Tashkent exhibition article.

In addition to these projects, many garment and ready-to-wear factories have made new investments through Malkan Machinery's international distributor network. Among these investments, the following firms can be listed:

• In Egypt, ISMACO (Ermenegildo Zegna), a shirt manufacturer known internationally, and Vestia, one of Egypt's large men's suit manufacturers.
• In Turkey, the internationally known brands Mavi Jeans, Colin's and Taha Giyim (LC Waikiki).
• In Ukraine, the men's suit manufacturer Voronin.
• In Iran, the well-known menswear brands Avishan and Salar.
• In Uzbekistan, the men's suit producers Tekstile Libos, Mohinur Liboslari, Bagira Teks, OFS, Fahir Teks and Sprid Plyus.
• In Uzbekistan, the large knitted-fabric (jersey) factories Soley Teks, JV Inwesttex, Kalorama and Uztex.
• In Uzbekistan, the Turkish-known names Boybo Group, Alkim Tekstil, Bayteks, Arge Fashion, Bursel, Flemingo and Kontex.
• In Lithuania, F.Engel, a Danish trouser manufacturer.
• In Kyrgyzstan, Bosser Luks, one of the country's large trouser manufacturers.
• In Poland, Eles, a well-known domestic men's suit brand.
• In India, Blackberry, a suit maker exporting to Europe.
• In Bangladesh, Bitopi Group, with a daily capacity of 6,000 classic woven trousers.
• In Azerbaijan, the large suit manufacturers Mirzayef and Akkord Tekstil, and the jersey producer Alyans Tekstil.
• Ayka Holding's investment in Ethiopia, which included the purchase of more than 300 ironing tables.
• All intermediate and final pressing systems of the Izmir factory of the German menswear brand Roy Robson, with a daily capacity of 1,800 suits; this project was carried out by Malkan Machinery as a complete turnkey project.

These firms generally work on men's suit, jacket and trouser production and own brands known in their own markets. In their new factory investments or capacity expansion projects, they prefer the products Malkan Machinery offers with its quality and service approach.

The deciding factor here is the form retention, operator-independent repeatability and after-sales support continuity provided by garment ironing presses.

8. TECHNICAL EVALUATION: A THREE-LAYER APPROACH

From a technical point of view, the topics to consider in an investment in garment ironing presses can be handled in three layers. In the first layer is the synchronization of the heat, steam and vacuum trio.

For fabrics containing wool, wool blends, polyester, viscose, cotton and elastane, the ideal temperature range, steam quantity and vacuum time vary. For this reason, recipe management on garment ironing presses should allow a separate parameter set to be created for each model and fabric.

In practice, a pressing recipe is a parameter set determined by fabric type, fabric weight, interlining and lining structure, and model details. When the same model runs on different shifts with the same recipe, differences in dimensions and appearance fall markedly.

In the second layer are the form geometry and pressing surface. Different forms for the shoulder, armhole, collar, chest and back areas allow the fabric to take shape without shrinking, shining or leaving bagginess.

Form options vary by product group; for example, for products that need a form such as hats, see the single-station hat ironing press page. In the third layer are automation and traceability.

PLC-controlled, fully automatic garment ironing presses manage pressing time, pressure value and steam injection time automatically. They reduce operator intervention and generate production data per shift. This data can be used to analyze line efficiency in a way consistent with a smart manufacturing approach.

9. ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND WORKFLOW PLANNING

Energy-efficient lines and steam boiler integration.

Energy efficiency is also an important criterion in an investment decision. For garment ironing presses, steam consumption, vacuum motor running time and heating surface insulation directly affect operating cost.

Garment ironing presses developed by Malkan Machinery aim to keep energy use under control through heat insulation, optimized steam channels and a vacuum system that runs as needed. This approach aims to provide an advantage in both energy consumption and unit cost.

Among the ironing machines in Malkan Machinery's product range, energy management makes a difference especially in facilities with high-volume production.

On the workflow side, intermediate pressing stations must be positioned correctly, integration with conveyor and hanger systems must be ensured, and the final check before packing after final pressing must be planned. A wrongly positioned pressing station can mean waiting on the belt, model mix-ups and rework.

For this reason, Malkan Machinery addresses the layout plan and infrastructure needs together in its projects. Steam line diameter, condensate return, compressed air needs and electrical infrastructure are designed before the garment ironing presses are commissioned.

Correct discharge of condensate in the steam line reduces the risk of wet steam reaching the fabric and causing stains. Dry and stable compressed air also contributes to the regular operation of pneumatic press movements.

As also emphasized on the corporate pages, the turnkey approach covers not only machine installation but the whole process.

10. SCALABILITY, GLOBAL MARKETS AND THE NEW FACILITY PLAN

Scalability of the investment is also a topic that should not be overlooked. For example, a facility producing 400-500 units a day may aim to reach 1,000 units within two years.

In this case, it becomes important for the garment ironing presses line to be expandable in a modular way, for new forms to be added and for new recipes to be created on the software side.

Malkan Machinery's product architecture is designed to support this modular expansion. In this way, the first investment does not sit idle as capacity grows.

On the global reference side, production cultures in different countries also shape expectations of garment ironing presses. For example, high volume and standard quality stand out in shirt and suit production in Egypt, while workmanship and form precision suited to the European market come to the fore in Poland and Lithuania.

In markets such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, the balance of cost and efficiency is decisive for both domestic-market and export-oriented production. The local service and spare-part support Malkan Machinery provides through its distributor network increases the sustainability of investments in these different markets.

This sustainability should be considered together with regular maintenance, form renewal and software updates, especially for garment ironing presses. A planned maintenance calendar protects production continuity by reducing unexpected stoppages.

Malkan Machinery continues to pursue its goal of increasing the products and services it offers customers with the new, state-of-the-art production facility it is planning in Hadimkoy, Istanbul. At the new facility, enlarging the closed area, expanding the CNC and laser cutting line and re-planning the assembly lines according to smart manufacturing principles are planned.

For garment ironing presses, this planning means increasing form variety, digitally monitoring test and quality-control processes and shortening delivery times. It is also planned that energy-efficiency recipe work will be among the series-production criteria for new-generation garment ironing presses.

11. Conclusion: Investment Planning with Garment Ironing Presses

In conclusion, among the factors that determine success in garment and ready-to-wear investments, pressing technologies are as important as sewing technologies. Well-chosen garment ironing presses provide form retention, dimensional stabilization, surface quality and production repeatability in both intermediate and final pressing.

The example projects in Turkey and abroad show that Malkan Machinery offers turnkey solutions in this field, supports production efficiency with PLC-controlled, fully automatic systems, and can maintain the same quality standard across different countries and brand scales.

For firms planning an investment, the recommendation is to address the pressing system at the very start of the project, together with the line layout and infrastructure. At the same stage, recipe management, form compatibility, energy efficiency and service continuity should be evaluated together for garment ironing presses.

Because the basic dynamics of garment manufacturing are directly tied to pressing quality, this approach pays back in the long term in both quality and cost. A well-designed pressing line reduces the quality-control load on the line, protects delivery deadlines and strengthens the perception of the final product on the store shelf.

12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What should be considered when investing in garment ironing presses? Heat and steam synchronization suited to the fabric type, form geometry matched to the model, PLC-controlled recipe management, vacuum efficiency, energy consumption and the after-sales service network should be evaluated together. Line layout and infrastructure needs should also be settled at the project stage.

What is the difference between intermediate and final pressing? Intermediate pressing controls shrinkage and bagginess in preparation for sewing; final pressing gives the garment its final form and prepares it for store presentation. Garment ironing presses working with correct parameters reduce waste in both stages and lower quality-control returns.

Which production groups are Malkan Machinery's garment ironing presses suitable for? They can be used on woven and knitted product groups such as men's suits, jackets, trousers, trench coats, coats and overcoats. Thanks to different form shapes and recipe management, they provide dimensional stabilization and form retention on fabrics containing wool, polyester, viscose, cotton and elastane.