In this massive event shaping the transformation of the global textile industry, Malkan Machinery will also take its place — but not merely as an exhibitor. We will be on the ITM 2026 exhibition stage as a strong engineering brand shaping the sector's future in textile finishing technologies, industrial ironing systems, garment production automation and AI-supported press technologies.

The engineering culture we have built since 1971 today adds value to production lines not only in Turkey, but across a vast geography stretching from Europe to South America and the Middle East to Africa.

Thanks to 55 years of manufacturing experience, hands-on field expertise and a constantly evolving R&D infrastructure, the Malkan name is now associated with trust, sustainability, production efficiency and high performance.

The ITM 2026 exhibition will be one of the most important venues where we bring this vision together with the global textile industry, because the sector no longer competes on production capacity alone.

In today's world, competitiveness is shaped by far more complex parameters: production speed, energy efficiency, automation level, digital integration, sustainability, data management, quality standardization and operational flexibility.

The shifting global production balances of the post-pandemic era, nearshoring strategies, faster collection cycles and rising energy costs have pushed textile manufacturers toward smarter, faster and more controlled production models. The ITM 2026 exhibition will be exactly the center of this transformation.

So why does the ITM 2026 exhibition matter so much? What technologies await the textile sector? How are AI-supported production systems transforming the production line?

What strength does the Malkan–Indupress strategic partnership bring to the industry? Let's take a closer look together at the textile technologies of the future.

1. What Is the ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition?

The ITM 2026 exhibition is a global technology and trade platform bringing every stage of production — from yarn to weaving, knitting to dyeing and finishing, digital printing to garment technology — together under one roof.

Held at the Istanbul Tüyap Fair and Congress Center, the event is expected to welcome tens of thousands of professional visitors from around the world.

Investors from Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa, the Turkic republics and Asia will have the chance to examine next-generation production technologies live and in person.

One of the greatest advantages of ITM exhibitions is that machines are not simply put on display. Systems are actively run and shown to visitors within real production scenarios, letting investors directly assess the performance, energy consumption, production capacity, operating speed, effect on fabric and long-term efficiency of the systems they plan to purchase.

The transformation that has taken place in global textile production in recent years has made technology investment more important than ever. Manufacturers worldwide are now investing heavily to achieve lower energy consumption, less dependence on operators, higher quality standards, faster production, lower waste rates and a more sustainable production base.

The ITM 2026 exhibition will be a center not only where this transformation is displayed, but where it is actively shaped.

Given Turkey's strong textile infrastructure, its strategic logistics advantage and Istanbul's position as a global transport hub, it is clear that the ITM 2026 exhibition will be a critical trade and technology platform not just regionally, but on a global scale.

In this context, the impact of Smart Manufacturing on the textile sector will be clearly visible throughout the exhibition.

2. Malkan Vision 2025–2026: The Force That Turns Technology Into Production

The textile sector no longer simply buys machines. Manufacturers today are buying solutions, speed, sustainability, automation, data management, low cost and uninterrupted production. Malkan Machinery is positioned right at the center of this shift.

Under our "Malkan Vision 2025–2026" strategy, our core goal is to make a zero-defect approach the standard in textile and garment production. One of the biggest challenges manufacturers face worldwide today is maintaining quality standards while simultaneously delivering speed, energy savings and low operating costs.

As fast-fashion production becomes more widespread, the pressure on production lines keeps increasing: collection timelines are shrinking, delivery deadlines are tightening, and quality expectations keep rising. This is exactly where engineering quality becomes decisive, and Malkan engineering is being developed precisely to answer these needs.

The new-generation systems we will showcase at the ITM 2026 exhibition stand out with AI-supported fabric analysis technology, smart press automation, Smart Manufacturing and Industry 5.0–ready production infrastructure, energy optimization systems, remote-access control panels, autonomous production solutions, data-driven performance analysis systems and smart maintenance technologies. For more detail, visit our Malkan Vision 2025-2026 page.

Malkan's approach, however, is not limited to building machines. We act as a strong engineering partner that analyzes a customer's production line at a micro level, identifies bottlenecks and develops tailored solutions to boost operational efficiency.

This is how we develop solutions specific to each factory's production structure, always aiming for maximum production efficiency. In modern textile manufacturing, standard solutions are no longer enough — every factory's production dynamics differ, every brand's quality expectations differ, and every production line's operational needs differ.

Malkan engineering is shaped precisely around analyzing these differences. Visitors who stop by our stand throughout the ITM 2026 exhibition will have the opportunity to evaluate solutions tailored to their own production processes directly with our expert engineering team.

3. The Malkan–Indupress Strategic Partnership: Two Engineering Cultures Come Together

One of the most significant developments raising the quality bar in textile press technology has undoubtedly been the Malkan–Indupress strategic partnership. Bringing together Indupress's German engineering discipline with Malkan's 55 years of field experience has created a remarkably strong synergy in garment press technology.

This collaboration has raised pressing precision, optimized energy efficiency, shortened operating times, strengthened production standardization, minimized fabric-deformation risk, boosted operator efficiency and delivered a longer service life.

Today, one of the most critical concerns for fashion brands worldwide is ensuring every product is manufactured to the same quality standard. In high-volume factories especially, even small quality variations can cause serious operational costs. The Malkan–Indupress collaboration is built to solve exactly this problem.

The new-generation Indupress technologies to be shown at the ITM 2026 exhibition will deliver maximum shape quality across menswear, womenswear, suits, trousers, jackets and outerwear production. With flawless mold form, uniform press distribution, operator-assisted smart control systems and a high level of durability, our new-generation systems will be among the standout technologies at the ITM 2026 exhibition.

This strategic partnership is also an important milestone that further elevates Malkan's engineering strength in the international market. Our Garment Tech Istanbul 2025 vision was itself an important event where the foundations of this partnership were laid.

4. AI-Supported Ironing Technologies: The Center of Next-Generation Production

One of the most critical stages determining production quality in the textile sector is ironing and shape-finishing, because a product's final appearance before it reaches the store shelf directly affects a brand's perceived quality.

Quality standards that used to depend heavily on operator experience in traditional systems are now being taken to a completely different level thanks to AI-supported technology.

The new-generation AI-supported ironing and press systems we have developed at Malkan can analyze fabric and automatically determine the correct treatment. These systems assess fabric thickness, moisture level, weave structure, heat tolerance, pressure needs and steam density in real time.

The system then automatically optimizes the temperature, steam volume and press pressure to be applied. This technology minimizes operator-related errors, prevents fabric scorching, reduces the risk of shine, strengthens product standardization, shortens production times, optimizes energy consumption and lowers waste rates.

For high-volume global brands especially, quality standardization is no longer optional — it is now a requirement. Today, the world's largest manufacturers are investing in smart automation systems specifically to minimize the quality variation caused by the human factor, and Malkan's AI-supported systems are at the center of this shift.

You can learn more about the AI-supported ironing technologies we introduced at Exintex 2026.

At the ITM 2026 exhibition, visitors will be able to experience live how our AI-supported systems perform across different fabric types. This technology doesn't just represent today's production model — it represents the future.

5. A "Zero-Defect" Approach to Production, Through the Lens of Texprocess Frankfurt 2026

Texprocess Frankfurt, one of the most important events in the global textile industry, is regarded as one of the centers shaping the future of production technology. At Malkan, we feed the field data we gather from international exhibitions directly into our R&D processes.

Our "Zero Defect" approach in particular sits at the foundation of every system we develop today, because even a seemingly small defect in textile production can lead to return costs, brand reputation damage, repeated production runs, lost time, wasted energy and operational inefficiency.

This is why Malkan engineering focuses not only on production speed, but on sustainable quality standards. You can read our detailed article on the Texprocess Frankfurt 2026 exhibition.

The systems we will introduce at the ITM 2026 exhibition will highlight PLC-controlled smart management screens, precise temperature control, automatic pressure optimization, remote fault detection, data-driven production analysis, smart maintenance infrastructure and digital performance reporting systems.

Thanks to these systems, factories will be able to produce not only faster, but also with greater control, stability and sustainability.

In today's competitive environment, it has become very difficult for manufacturers who cannot build a sustainable quality standard to remain strong in the long run — and every system we develop at Malkan is designed precisely to answer this shift.

6. ThermoSteam Technology: A New-Generation Approach to Energy Efficiency

Energy costs are one of the most significant items in total operating expenses for textile production, and steam systems in particular account for substantial energy consumption at garment manufacturing facilities. As energy costs rise globally, manufacturers are being pushed toward technologies that don't just run fast, but consume less energy.

At Malkan, we develop solutions not only for ironing systems themselves, but also for optimizing the energy infrastructure behind them, and our ThermoSteam brand is exactly the product of this vision.

ThermoSteam systems — including steam generators, central boiler solutions, energy-recovery technology, smart steam management systems, heat-optimization infrastructure and fuel-efficiency solutions — are designed to deliver maximum efficiency at production facilities. Compared with conventional systems, this architecture achieves lower energy consumption while also delivering more stable steam output, creating a significant cost advantage, especially at high-capacity factories.

For global brands pursuing sustainable production goals today, energy efficiency is no longer just an economic consideration — it is a strategic necessity. At the ITM 2026 exhibition, visitors will be able to review real-time energy performance analytics from our ThermoSteam systems.

The integrated solutions we develop at Malkan make production processes more efficient, more controlled and more sustainable. Here, the industrial application of thermodynamics principles forms the scientific foundation of our energy-efficiency goals.

7. 2026 Trends in Garment Production Automation, and Conclusion

The shifting global production balances of the post-pandemic era have pushed the textile sector toward far more flexible and faster production models. Simply producing is no longer enough — manufacturers must produce faster, at lower cost, and with a minimum of errors.

By 2026, garment production automation has become one of the sector's fundamental building blocks. The systems we develop at Malkan reduce cycle times, lower dependence on operators, ensure production standardization, minimize error rates, increase production capacity, optimize workforce efficiency and simplify production planning.

Tandem working systems in particular allow multiple operations to be managed simultaneously, significantly boosting production efficiency. From jacket front-panel presses to trouser leg-opening systems, from shirt-ironing robots to knitwear solutions, our broad product range responds directly to the needs of modern production facilities.

For high-volume manufacturers, time management has become one of the most important parts of competitive advantage. Malkan automation systems make production processes faster, more controlled and more sustainable — and at the ITM 2026 exhibition, visitors will be able to examine the live performance of these systems on-site.

In conclusion, the textile and garment industry is going through a major, irreversible transformation. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, automation and energy efficiency have become fundamental dynamics of the sector, and making the right technology investments at the right time is critical to staying competitive through this shift.

At Malkan Machinery, we are building the production technology of the future today — through our 55 years of engineering experience, our Indupress strategic partnership, our ThermoSteam energy solutions, our AI-supported systems, our Smart Manufacturing and Industry 5.0–ready infrastructure, our strong service network and our continuously evolving R&D culture.

Don't forget to visit the Malkan stand at the ITM 2026 exhibition, held at the Istanbul Tüyap Fair and Congress Center from June 9–13, 2026, and bring your own production lines into the future with us. Our engineering team will be on hand throughout the exhibition for live technology demonstrations and detailed technical consultations.