Picanol Targets Basic Fabrics Segment With New AirOne Airjet Loom

Picanol will launch its new AirOne airjet weaving machine at ITMA Asia + CITME 2026 in Shanghai, running November 20–24. The launch extends the Belgian machinery maker's portfolio into basic woven fabrics, a segment it has not previously served with a dedicated platform.

The AirOne loom features a newly designed crank shedding motion. Picanol positions the machine as combining high productivity with low energy consumption, advanced digital capabilities and ease of operation — a specification aimed squarely at mills whose cost structures depend on volume output and power costs per metre.

How does AirOne fit the existing portfolio?

AirOne will sit alongside the established OmniPlus-i Connect rather than replace it. The company says the new machine gives mills producing basic fabrics an alternative engineered around their specific production requirements, moving Picanol beyond its historical base in higher-specification weaving.

Picanol frames the launch as the result of extensive market research, R&D and field testing. The machine incorporates a range of the company's existing innovations and patented technologies, with emphasis on operational efficiency, sustainability and simplified machine control. Those are vendor claims; independent performance data has not yet been published, and buyers will likely scrutinise energy consumption figures against competing airjet platforms at the Shanghai show.

Johan Verstraete, vice president of weaving machines at Picanol, said: "AirOne represents a special launch for Picanol. This new machine platform brings together all the strengths that define Picanol today, from high performance and low energy consumption to digital capabilities and ease of operation. At the same time, it empowers us to enter a new market segment."

He added that the company's sales and service teams aim to make Picanol technology accessible to a broader range of weaving mills — a signal the company expects the machine's price positioning to widen its customer base among volume producers.

What will Picanol show in Shanghai?

The company will demonstrate three machines on stand F01 in Hall 3:

• AirOne, weaving poplin fabric — the new platform's public debut
• OmniPlus-i Connect, producing ladieswear fabrics
• Supermax, a rapier machine weaving denim

A further five Supermax machines will run on partner stands across the exhibition, showing the platform in sari, footwear and label fabric applications.

Picanol will also present new developments within PicConnect, its centralised digital platform for weaving operations. These include AI-powered applications designed to help mills optimise machine performance, improve efficiency and support production decisions — a move that ties hardware sales to data services, a model rivals including Itema and Toyota Industries have also pursued.

Why does the segment entry matter?

Basic fabrics represent high-volume, price-sensitive production where machinery choice hinges on energy cost per metre, uptime and service coverage. Picanol's entry intensifies competition in a segment where Asian manufacturers hold significant share, and the Shanghai platform gives the company direct exposure to that buyer base.

Full technical specifications and commercial availability details should emerge at the November 20–24 show.