From the Sector

In a major step towards strengthening Tamil Nadu’s leadership in the global technical textiles value chain, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Textiles and Guidance Tamil Nadu, Government of Tamil Nadu on 25th November 2025 in Coimbatore to launch Techtextil India Summit scheduled from 26 – 27 November 2026 at CODISSIA, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. 

The MoU formalises the launch of the Tamil Nadu edition of Techtextil India Summit, which will be held in Coimbatore every alternate year beginning 2026. The shared objective is to create a knowledge hub for exchanging expert and technical knowledge in the segment, given its vast growth potential. 

Under this long-term partnership, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India will anchor the next phase of growth for India’s technical textiles sector by conceptualising, curating and delivering five editions of Techtextil India Summit in Tamil Nadu over the coming decades. As the country’s foremost B2B exhibition on technical textiles, nonwovens and composites – and part of the globally acclaimed Techtextil brand – the collaboration brings one of the world’s most influential platforms closer to India’s largest textile and apparel hub. 

The MoU was signed on 25th November 2025 with the Department of Textiles and Guidance Tamil Nadu, Government of Tamil Nadu in the august presence of Thiru. M K Stalin, Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and The TN Rising Investment Summit.

Expressing her thoughts at the ceremony, Smt R Lalitha, IAS, Director of Textiles, Department of Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu stated: “Tamil Nadu has a well-established textile base, and this collaboration with Messe Frankfurt India will further enable the State to assume a leading position in the technical textiles sector and broaden industry linkages. With appropriate support and knowledge exchange, entrepreneurs and manufacturers can engage with advanced technical textile innovations, adopt global best practices, and reinforce Tamil Nadu’s standing as a hub for high-value, cutting-edge functional textile solutions

Reflecting on the occasion, Mr Winston Pereira, Executive Director, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd remarked: “We are truly honoured that the Department of Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, has granted us the opportunity to contribute to the State’s technical textiles growth journey. It is equally encouraging to witness the State’s proactive efforts in building a strong foundation for technical textiles through supportive schemes and infrastructure development. We are confident that, with the right knowledge and global linkages, this dynamic State can evolve from its established strengths in spinning and knitwear into high-value technical textiles, thereby creating a robust pipeline for future investments. Introducing our globally recognised brand, Techtextil, in Coimbatore will position Tamil Nadu as a focal point for global industry dialogue. We are immensely proud of this milestone and look forward to working closely with the Department of Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, and Guidance Tamil Nadu to further drive industry participation.”

With the state’s policy-level support, the initiative is expected to strengthen industry-academia linkages, attract international stakeholders, unlock new opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and advance Tamil Nadu’s leadership in the high-growth technical textiles segment. The first two editions of the show will be hosted in a high-level confex format in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, setting the foundation for a full-scale trade fair from the third edition. 

The Coimbatore edition of Techtextil India Summit will not only provide a global platform for innovation and collaboration but also receive strong policy-level support from the Government of Tamil Nadu. The initiative aims to engage key textile stakeholders across the State including MSMEs, research institutions, universities and sectoral agencies such as SIDCO, TIDCO, TANSIDCO, SITRA, PSG Tech, and Anna University.

Techtextil India and Techtextil India Summit are a part of Messe Frankfurt’s Texpertise Network which covers the entire textile value chain, right from research, development, yarns, fabrics, clothing, fashion, contract manufacturing, home and household textiles to technical textiles, processing and cleaning technologies, while simultaneously connecting over 500,000 industry participants worldwide through trade fairs, networks and news formats. 

Numerous Italian textile machinery companies will be attending the upcoming Colombiatex, the premier trade fair for the Colombian textile supply chain, held in Medellin from January 27 to 29, 2026. This year’s edition further confirms the strong bond between local textile manufacturers and Italian technology providers.

Despite a contraction in demand from the Colombian textile sector during 2024, the South American country remains one of the region’s key markets for textile machinery manufacturers. The most recent data indicates a sharp trend reversal: in the first half of 2025, Italian sales in Colombia reached 6 million euros, marking a +48% growth compared to the same period of the previous year. Should this growth rate remain steady, the value of Italian exports could approach the record levels seen in 2022 (18 million euros).

“The Colombian textile and clothing industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, supported by a technological upgrading in which Italian machinery has often played a leading role,” comments Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT. “For many of our companies, Colombiatex remains an essential event on the international trade fair calendar to strengthen the partnership with Colombian textile firms.”

Following many past editions, ICE – Italian Trade Agency, in collaboration with ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), will once again organize a national Italian Pavilion in the Pabellon Amarillo for 2026. A total of 22 Italian companies will be present within the pavilion: Ugolini Srl, Lonati Spa, Plm Impianti Srl, 3G Dosing Automation Srl, Santoni Spa, Laip Srl, Salvadè Srl, Cubotex Srl, BTSR International Spa, Reggiani Macchine Spa, Monti-Mac Srl, Ratti Luino Srl, Tonello Srl, Itema Spa, Noseda Srl, Kairos Engineering Srl, MCS Officina Meccanica Spa, LGL Electronics Spa, Waternext Spa, Lafer Spa, Fadis Spa, FICIT Srl. The strength of Italian participation is reaffirmed by all the ACIMIT member companies that will exhibit in individual stands or through their local agents, including: Brazzoli Srl, Color Service Srl, Martex Srl, Monti Antonio Spa, Morgan Tecnica Spa.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology, announced that it has taken possession of its third silkworm rearing center, completing the core physical infrastructure upgrades, underpinning the Company's massive recombinant spider silk production scale-up planned for 2026.
 
This newest facility represents the final major component of the Company's multi-year production expansion strategy. With three fully operational rearing centers, Kraig Labs will be able to run three simultaneous production cycles, providing both production diversity and the capacity required to meet and exceed one metric ton of finished spider silk per month.
 
This production scale-upis the culmination of years of development and refinement. Each element of the Company's expansion, including facility design, staffing, geographic location, operational workflows, and training programs, has been optimized based on lessons learned from prior production campaigns.
 
The newly acquired facility is the largest single-site rearing center the Company has ever operated. This new facility is designed to support significantly higher throughput while maintaining the operational discipline and biological consistency required for large-scale spider silk manufacturing. This facility is expected to unlock the next level of production capacity as the Company rapidly accelerates spider silk output.
 
Importantly, this new rearing center has been strategically positioned to leverage the Company's recently acquired mulberry fields, which will supply the expanded feedstock necessary to support this substantial increase in silkworm and spider silk production. These mulberry resources form a critical foundation of the Company's vertically integrated production model and are expected to play a key role in enabling continuous, high-volume operations across all of its facilities.
 
The Company is now bringing this new rearing center online and expects to begin operations later this quarter.
 
"This milestone represents a critical step forward in our evolution as a world-leading supplier of spider silk," said Kim Thompson, Kraig Labs Founder and CEO. "With this final rearing center secured and supported by expanded mulberry cultivation, we now have the infrastructure and feedstock capacity in place to support continuous, scalable production at levels that position Kraig Labs to fulfill our vision of commercially scalable and cost-effective spider silk production."
 
The Company expects to provide additional updates as the facility is commissioned and fully integrated into its 2026 production campaign.