Swiss textile machinery to bolster Morocco’s expanding fashion sector through Casablanca symposium
The Swiss Textile Machinery Association is poised to host a significant industry symposium in Casablanca on December 4, 2025, designed to strengthen collaboration between Swiss technology leaders and Morocco's rapidly expanding textile and apparel sector. This event represents a strategic effort to bridge Swiss innovation with Morocco’s growing manufacturing hubs, including Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, and Meknes, all of which have become vital centres for textile production and export.
Scheduled to take place at the Casablanca Marriott Hotel, the one-day symposium aims to foster knowledge exchange, promote sustainable practices, and enhance competitiveness within the textile industry. Industry professionals will have the opportunity to engage in presentations, technology showcases, and targeted B2B networking sessions. Notably, these sessions will be interpreted into French to accommodate participants and facilitate effective communication. The event’s agenda starts with registration and lunch at 1 p.m., followed by symposium sessions until 5 p.m., after which attendees can participate in networking opportunities capped by an evening cocktail reception. Participation, including lunch and the evening reception, is offered free of charge, encouraging broad attendance from textile professionals, who are invited to register by mid-November.
The symposium reflects the Swiss Textile Machinery Association’s commitment to supporting innovation and sustainable growth within emerging textile markets, particularly across Africa. According to Davide Maccabruni, newly appointed President of the Association and CEO of Uster Technologies AG, the event aims to "build new relationships, strengthen existing partnerships, and create new business and export opportunities" with the Moroccan textile industry. Maccabruni’s leadership marks a new chapter for the association, which has a history spanning over eight decades and includes 42 member companies offering solutions across the textile value chain, from spinning and weaving to quality control.
This engagement with Morocco builds on recent Swiss initiatives to boost international visibility and foster innovation through global industry events. The Association has recently held symposia in countries such as Mexico and the United States, and is also involved in large-scale exhibitions like ITMA Asia + CITME 2026 in Shanghai and the upcoming ITMA 2027 in Hannover, Germany. These activities underscore the association’s proactive approach to facilitating market access and technological exchange for its members worldwide.
Moreover, the Casablanca event complements ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral industrial ties between Switzerland and Morocco. Earlier this year, the Moroccan Association of Textile and Clothing Industries (AMITH) and the Swiss Textile Federation signed a memorandum of understanding in Bern, aimed at deepening collaboration, addressing competitiveness challenges, and enhancing integration between their respective sectors. This memorandum highlights the broader context in which the upcoming symposium will operate, one of growing strategic partnerships and investment, fostering mutual growth in the textile industry.
In sum, the Swiss Textile Machinery Association’s symposium in Casablanca underscores a significant collaborative milestone. It offers Moroccan textile professionals an invaluable platform to explore cutting-edge Swiss technologies designed to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency, while opening doors to new partnerships and export pathways. This initiative is a clear example of Switzerland’s ongoing support for sustainable textile innovation and digital transformation within Africa’s dynamic apparel ecosystem.