TCF POST Report
AICHI, JAPAN — Japanese embroidery machinery maker Tajima Industries has entered into a strategic partnership with British sewing thread giant Coats Group, with the shared goal of advancing the global embroidery industry.
The partnership is aimed at strengthening technical collaboration to drive sustainable manufacturing and create new value through embroidery. The two companies have established this strategic partnership to leverage their respective expertise in embroidery threads and machinery. They will collaborate across joint development, technical knowledge exchange, talent development, and joint initiatives with brands and manufacturers, creating new value for the embroidery industry. Through this arrangement, Coats’ extensive expertise in threads will be combined with Tajima’s embroidery technology to create new value and support the sustainable growth of the embroidery industry.
Adrian Elliott, Group Commercial Officer of Coats Group plc, said, “By partnering with Tajima, we can deliver unique, value-adding solutions that support customers from design through to production.”
Coats Group plc is a world-leading Tier 2 manufacturer and trusted partner for the apparel and footwear industries. Headquartered in the UK, Coats is a FTSE 250 company that generated $1.5 billion in revenue and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.
Hidetoshi Kojima, President of Tajima Industries Ltd., said, “We are delighted to contribute to the further development of the embroidery industry through this partnership with Coats, combining the technologies and expertise of both companies. Going forward, we look forward to strengthening our collaboration to deliver new value to our customers together.”
Tajima Industries Ltd. is a Japanese embroidery machine manufacturer established in 1944. The company has also developed the industry’s first embroidery machine equipped with AI technology in its pursuit of finely detailed and beautiful embroidery.
Background and Market Trends
In recent years, the apparel and fashion industries have placed increasing importance on sustainability initiatives and supply chain transparency. At the same time, regulatory frameworks, such as the EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP), are accelerating the need for manufacturers to properly manage and disclose information relating to materials, raw components, and production processes. Against this backdrop, the adoption of recycled embroidery threads, high-performance materials, and a wider variety of specialty materials continues to expand.
As embroidery threads become increasingly diverse in composition and performance characteristics, the ability to achieve consistently high embroidery quality while maximizing the unique properties of each thread has become more critical than ever.
Technological Integration
Tajima’s flagship TMEZ Series features its proprietary i-TM (Intelligent Thread Management) and DCP (Digitally Controlled Presser Foot) technologies. Unlike conventional friction-based thread tension systems, i-TM automatically optimizes upper thread tension according to the characteristics of the thread and material, while DCP automatically controls presser foot movement based on fabric conditions. Together, these technologies deliver stable, high-quality embroidery across a wide range of materials and embroidery threads.
Concurrently, Coats is actively developing environmentally responsible products, including embroidery threads made from recycled materials. By combining Coats’ global expertise in embroidery threads with Tajima’s advanced embroidery technologies, the partnership aims to create high-quality embroidery solutions that meet the increasingly diverse needs of the market.
The strategic partnership agreement was officially signed on July 9, 2026, at Tajima Industries Ltd. by Hidetoshi Kojima, President of Tajima Industries Ltd., and Kunal Kapur of Coats Group plc.
