RI machine demand rises

RI machine demand rises

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): In a sign that Indonesia's economy may be picking up, Indonesian demand for textile weaving machines started to recover in the second half of this year, according to a senior executive at Sulzer Technology Corp., a Swiss industrial group whose range of products include weaving machines, pumps and compressors.

Hans Jager, vice president and regional manager for Asia- Pacific at Sulzer International Ltd., the unit of Sulzer that focuses on emerging and developing markets, told Dow Jones Newswires that demand for weaving machines from the Indonesian textile industry started to pick up in June and July this year.

Jager said that before the Asian financial crisis began in 1997, Indonesia typically imported "an average of about 1,000 to 1,500" textile weaving machines a year. Sulzer was one of the main suppliers, with about 20 percent market share, he said.