From the Sector

Following INDEX™23, an independent market research company conducted an online survey amongst all exhibitors and visitors who attended the event between 18 and 21 April 2023.

The goal was to identify motivations for attending INDEX™23 and gauge exhibitors' and visitors' levels of satisfaction with the event to obtain insightful feedback, ensuring that subsequent editions continue to meet the desires, requirements, and issues of the industry it serves.

In the report, the information provided by the research was complemented by registration data entered by visitors when registering for the on-site event.

See the full report of survey here.

From circular knitting machines and braiders via upgrades to digital solutions, Mayer & Cie. presented at ITMA 2023 a wide range of solutions that make circular knitting machines and braiding machines even more durable and thereby more valuable, for which the long-established firm received a positive visitor response.

From machinery manufacturer to solution provider
Three circular knitting machines – a Relanit 3.2 HS, an SF4-3.2 III and the OVJA 2.4 EM – and an MR-15/18C/Single Deck braiding machine took up about half the floor space of Mayer & Cie.’s ITMA stand. That reflected the weighting of the trade fair presentation. Along with high-tech circular knitting and braiding products the Mayer & Cie. focus at this year’s ITMA was on solutions that increase the value and durability of its machines. Including the digital platform knitlink, the new Control 5.0 machine control system, the camera-assisted error recognition system knithawk, almost a dozen upgrade kits for existing machines and the new oiler system Senso Blue RS.

Trade fair debut for Mayer & Cie. braiding machine
Mayer & Cie. also exhibited a braiding machine at ITMA for the first time. The company has integrated the braiding division at is Albstadt headquarters since 2019. “Braiding machines are a part of textile machinery,” said Mayer & Cie. Managing Partner Benjamin Maye, “but we nevertheless saw presenting the MR-15/18C/SD braider at ITMA as an experiment – and are satisfied with the result. The machine attracted a great deal of attention and we were able to make interesting contacts.”

A positive conclusion on ITMA 2023
Expectations of this year’s ITMA were moderate, Benjamin Mayer said. “War, high energy prices, inflation and recession are the signs of the times. Not even an ITMA is going to change that.” In addition, there had been serious problems with the issue of visas that had made it impossible for many potential visitors to attend the trade fair.

The Mayer & Cie. management therefore judged its success not by the general demand but by the positive visitor feedback. “For us that was an indicator of our future competitiveness,” said CEO Benjamin Mayer, “and we can definitely be sure of that with our developments.”

Following a strong start at the Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles early this year, global industry players have turned their sights to the next international event in August. As the first Autumn Edition to be held in the wake of China lifting many of its pandemic-related border restrictions, the three-day fair will gather around 1,000 international and domestic exhibitors. Traders looking to meet market demand will be able to source from an extensive range of trending and specialised home and contract textile products from 16 – 18 August 2023.

According to a recent market report, the global home textile market is expected to show a CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 – 2028 to reach USD 174.1 billion by the end of the forecast period. Asia-Pacific has dominated the global market in recent years, with China one of its most significant contributors.^[1]

As a manufacturing hub for home textiles, China is gradually recovering from social and business disruptions caused by the pandemic. Speaking at the recent Spring Edition, Ms Rosemary Li, Domestic Sales Manager of Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology Co Ltd, a long-time exhibitor specialised in bio-based and functional bedding products, said: “Since China relaxed its pandemic-related control and prevention measures, after Chinese New Year we have been flooded with orders. With both domestic and export orders increasing, it has been almost impossible for the production line to fulfil the order demand.”

While the spring show’s promising visitor flow was a positive start to the Chinese home textile industry’s post-pandemic era, a higher participation of overseas exhibitors and buyers is expected at the upcoming Autumn Edition

The return of special zones and international pavilions
Later this year in Shanghai, exhibitors will showcase their most up-to-date home and contract textile products, ranging from bedding & towelling, rugs, table & kitchen linen, upholstery & curtain fabrics, editors, home textile technologies and textile design. With a wealth of choices for buyers, several show highlights are listed below:

• Editor & Designer Zone: located in hall 5.1, the zone will feature international, high-end editor and designer brands brought by leading exhibitors J&C, Julai, Qianbaihui, Prestigious, Shanghai Lotus, SohoCut, Yada, and more.
• Country and region pavilions: premium suppliers from Belgium, Türkiye and Taiwan (China) will exhibit quality products in their designated pavilions in hall 6.1.
• Textile Designs: textile design studios from Japan, Portugal and Taiwan (China), namely Amilia Design Studio, Fine Art Inc and Tela's Design Lda, will also showcase their seasonal designs in hall 6.1.

Adding to buyers’ sourcing options, a multitude of domestic players from different categories will also showcase their respective products. Highlighted exhibitors include top curtain and curtain fabric suppliers Fu-Tex, Hangzhou Aico, Hexin and Xiaoxuanchuang; bedding suppliers Coolist, Huizhou Wah Shing and Yantai North Home; as well as Hightex, Huatex, Maya and Suzhou Roufang from the upholstery and sofa fabric sector.

Fairgoers can also learn more about the upcoming global trends and designs by visiting the ‘2023 – 2024 Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend’ area. In aid of this, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has joined forces with NellyRodi™, the renowned French forecasting agency, to present the design theme for 2023 – 2024: ‘ALIVE’. HUMAN CAPITAL, ROUSING COMMITMENT and UNREAL REALITIES are the theme’s three main trends.

^[1] Globe Newswire: Global Home Textile Market Report 2023-2028: Increase in Consumer Spending on Home Renovation and Decoration Bodes Well for the Sector. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/03/08/2622718/28124/en/Global-Home-Textile-Market-Report-2023-2028-Increase-in-Consumer-Spending-on-Home-Renovation-and-Decoration-Bodes-Well-for-the-Sector.html

Under the motto “People Matter” numerous exhibitors will be presenting innovative solutions and concepts revolving around safe and healthy work at A+A 2023. This year, the overarching theme of the leading international trade fair will be the two megatrends digitalisation and sustainability.    

Furthermore, A+A organisers have changed the hall concept and optimised routing at the exhibition centre: the halls have been clearly segmented according to theme, thereby placing similar products and services in close proximity with each other. This makes it easier for visitors to locate the companies exhibiting ranges of particular interest to them and to find their bearings at the fairgrounds.  

Also new: Halls 16 and 17 will present Corporate Wear and Hall 15 the complete spectrum of components and accessories for manufacturing up-to-date protective wear.      

In addition to a Corporate Fashion Show visitors are in for further exciting forums as well as an extensive congress programme with international appeal: including the 38th International Congress for Occupational Safety and Occupational Medicine as well as the WearRAcon Europe, to be held in Germany for the first time as part of A+A. Likewise, such topics as ergonomics and New Work will be given significantly more visibility owing to new cooperations and expert lectures.  

SHIMA SEIKI ITALIA S.p.A., Italian subsidiary of leading Japanese computerized knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD., will exhibit at the 93rd edition of the Pitti Immagine Filati exhibition in Florence, Italy. It will exhibit as part of the new CustomEasy section, which explores the various aspects of customization in the presence of textile machinery, including a multi-faceted lineup of SHIMA SEIKI WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines.

The WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine SWG-XR® features 4 needle beds for all-needle knitting of high quality WHOLEGARMENT® products using the company's original SlideNeedle™. SWG-XR® features a re-designed sinker system and a compact, light-weight carriage featuring 4 systems as well as auto yarn carriers. All contribute to increased productivity of more than 25% over the previous MACH2®XS machine, as well as increased product range using a wider variety of yarn for supporting knits for all seasons, and higher quality for knitting beautiful fabrics and silhouettes; even items that were impossible to knit with the MACH2® series, including punch-lace patterns, variable stitch knitting and intarsia knitting. Setting new standards for the next generation of waste-free, sustainable WHOLEGARMENT® knitting, SWG-XR® at Pitti Filati will be shown in 18L.

Affectionately referred to as “SWG®-Mini,” SHIMA SEIKI's compact line of WHOLEGARMENT® machines allows customers to take advantage of the same short lead times and versatile production as larger WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines, but with minimal investment. SWG®091N2 with its 36-inch (90cm) knitting width is especially suited to knitting a wide variety of items including accessory items as well as childrenswear and smaller size garments, all without the need for linking or sewing afterward. At Pitti Filati SWG®091N2 will be shown in 5 gauge.

A new proposal in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting will also be shown in the form of the N.SVR®183 WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine. SHIMA SEIKI's global standard in shaped knitting, the N.SVR® series now features a model for producing WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear using every other needle in fine gauge. N.SVR®183 is equipped with the R2CARRIAGE® system and a compact, lightweight carriage for even higher productivity. Shown in 21G at Pitti Filati 93, N.SVR®183 is the ideal machine for flexible, entry-level WHOLEGARMENT® production, with the versatility to respond to fluctuating market demand.

APEXFiz® subscription-based design software supports the creative side of fashion from planning and design to colorway evaluation, realistic fabric simulation and 3D virtual sampling. Virtual samples are a digitized version of sample making that are accurate enough to be used effectively as prototypes. By replacing physical samples, virtual samples reduce time, cost and material that otherwise go to waste. APEXFiz® thereby helps to realize sustainability and digitally transform the fashion supply chain.

Continuing from past editions of Pitti Filati are knit samples produced in collaboration with Italian designer Vittorio Branchizio, as well as samples from SHIMA SEIKI headquarters for assessing the potential of SHIMA SEIKI knitting machines.

On the side-lines of the three-day fair, Techtextil India’s 2023 edition scheduled from 12th –14th September, will be hosting SITRA’s Expo on Medical Textiles called MEDITEX^TM2023 - an exclusive pavilion that focuses on medical textiles with live demonstrations and high-growth application areas offering a global platform for business opportunities.

Medical textiles are fabrics that are used in the healthcare industry for a variety of purposes ranging from maintenance of hygiene, prevention/control of infection to saving the life of critically ill patients. In recent years, the demand for medical textiles has been growing in India due to rise in geriatric population, accidents and life style diseases. Besides, various initiatives of Governments, increased awareness about hygiene, medical tourism and advancements in textile technology are driving the growth of medical textile industry in India. According to a report published by Ministry of Textiles on the Indian Technical Textiles market, the market potential of medical textiles market at 5% is valued approximately at USD 1.125 billion in the year 2021-22.
 
SITRA is a Textile Research Association, sponsored by the industry and supported by the Ministry of Textiles (MoT), with the contribution to the textile industry for more than 65 years. Its Centre of Excellence for Medical Textiles, established by MoT in 2008, has been organising MEDITEX - an International Medical Textile Expo cum Conference in 2014 and 2018 respectively. This exclusive fair for medical textiles has been offering a global platform for business opportunities in the varied application of medical textiles which has witnessed a good participation from the industry. For 2023, the expo will be held as a part of Messe Frankfurt India’s Techtextil India 2023.

Target topics based seminars, supported by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India would also be held concurrently along with the exhibition wherein the speakers would be discussing about current and evolving technologies in medical textiles. Stakeholders and visitors to the conference as well as the exhibition would get to witness and benefit from world class, state-of-the-art medical textiles products/machineries and technologies.

With combined regional, global, and industry specific expertise, the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) will make its debut from 28 February – 1 March 2024. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in late March, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) announced the new international fair for the entire textile value chain. The three-day platform will be staged at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

Commenting on the new event, Ms Wendy Wen, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, said: “With Intertextile Apparel in Shanghai a prime example, our Texpertise Network provides the ideal global framework from which to launch this diverse, comprehensive platform for the integrated textile supply chain. VIATT itself will capture the essence of Texpertise in one platform – a diverse, one-stop sourcing event for buyers across all categories, from garments, fabrics, yarns and fibres, to textile machinery, technical textiles and nonwovens, and everything in between.”

Discussing the event’s potential, Mr Le Hoang Tai, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), said: “Vietnam is one of the world’s leading textile producers and exporters, and going from strength to strength as one of Southeast Asia’s manufacturing hubs. Our establishment has many years of experience organising trade fairs throughout Vietnam, and together with Messe Frankfurt we are excited to help international fairgoers unlock the potential of the country’s fast-growing textile market. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City’s accessibility, and Vietnam’s proximity to other leading textile-producing nations such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China and India, make it the logical venue to host an event of this nature.”

Many international textile manufacturers have been expanding operations into Vietnam, augmenting an already strong domestic industry. According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), the country’s textile and garment industry achieved staggering annual growth of 20 – 26% from 2018 – 2022. Participation in international trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)[2], bodes well for future growth.

As one of the world’s biggest importers of textile machinery, and a consistent importer of fabrics, yarns and fibres, garment production is the cornerstone of Vietnam’s industry. The country utilises cotton and functional materials to produce casualwear, childrenswear, swimwear, workwear, and much more, with sportswear an especially fast-growing category, and high-utility garments expected to achieve high exports.

By linking textile players from across Asia, Europe and beyond with this market, VIATT 2024 is willing to play an important part in shaping the future of Vietnam’s industry. Next year’s fair will host an extensive mix of international and domestic exhibitors covering multiple textile sub-sectors, including garments, apparel fabrics and accessories, yarns and fibres, digital printing, home textiles, technical textiles and nonwovens, textile processing, textile machinery, and more.

Exhibitors and buyers can utilise the fair’s global business matchmaking service, where connections are made based on the specific needs of each party. In addition to the fair’s main function as an international trading platform, its fringe programme will facilitate participants’ networking with industry leaders and offer diverse market insights via various seminars, forums, and panel discussions.

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE). Covering the entire textile industry value chain, the inaugural edition will be held from 28 February – 1 March 2024 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

Kornit Digital LTD., a leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashionx and textile production technologies, announced the Company is taking the power of digital fashion to new heights with enhancements to the Kornit Presto MAX system for digital fabric decoration on demand.

Designed with the fashion and home décor industry in mind, the enhanced solution presents innovative capabilities for transforming virtual concepts into custom fabrics, supplementing digital efficiency and quality with white printing on colored fabrics. The new NeoPigmentTM Vivido ink achieves darker, deeper blacks and colors and establish new fashion standards with a pigment-based process. Kornit’s patented solution offers a streamlined and completely dry process for the a sustainable fabric decoration.

At ITMA 2023, Kornit will also be displaying an end-to-end partner ecosystem – underscoring how integrated solutions ensure a smooth transition towards a digital infrastructure and enable long-term business growth. Highlighting the power of partnership alongside Kornit is Greentex.co, a supplier of textiles and apparel leveraging digitally enabled, eco-friendly waterless printing. The company will be showing Presto MAX with fabrics highlighting the depth of black inks. Working alongside Kornit, Zünd will demonstrate how its modular cutting systems is the foundation for an end-to-end “eco factory,” completing fashion decorated by Presto MAX with their digital cutting solutions. Pentek Textile Machinery joins to display the possibilities for inline, sustainable softening of fabrics for unique and demanding applications.

Following their entry into the fibres and textiles sector, as announced at K 2022, recycling machine manufacturer EREMA launches the INTAREMA® FibrePro:IV - which has been specially developed for PET fibre-to-fibre recycling - at ITMA in Milan from June 8 to 14. Thanks to its especially gentle material preparation and efficient removal of spinning oils, the rPET produced can be reused in proportions of up to 100 percent for the production of very fine fibres.

PET is regarded as a key material for the production of synthetic fibres. Around two thirds of the total volume of PET goes into the production of PET fibres for the textile industry. This highlights the importance of high-quality recycling solutions for the circular economy. By combining proven INTAREMA® technology with a new IV optimiser, EREMA succeeds in processing shredded PET fibre materials heavily contaminated by spinning oils in such a way that the finest fibres can be produced again from the recycled pellets. The system, which now joins EREMA's machine portfolio as the INTAREMA® FibrePro:IV, is characterised by a longer residence time of the PET melt. This is an essential factor for achieving high quality recycled pellets, as it allows the spinning oils and other additives used to improve the handling of the fibres during manufacturing to be removed more efficiently than in conventional PET recycling processes. Following extrusion, by polycondensation the intrinsic viscosity (IV) of the PET melt is increased in the new IV optimiser and under high vacuum to the precise level that is needed for fibre production. "Including filtration the output quality that we achieve with this recycling process is so high that ultra-fine fibres of up to 2 dtex can be produced using these rPET pellets, with an rPET content of 100 percent," says Markus Huber-Lindinger, Managing Director at EREMA. Waste PET fibre from production processes can therefore be further processed into rPET filament fibre, carpet yarn and staple fibre.

While the focus of the fibre and textiles application is currently still on PET fibre recycling, EREMA is committed to driving forward the recycling of mixed fibre materials from classic textile recycling collection in a next project phase. In order to accelerate development work, the EREMA Group opened its own fibre test centre, where a cross-company team is working on recycling solutions for fibre-to-fibre applications. The centre also operates a fully equipped and variable industrial-scale recycling plant. It includes the peripheral technology required and is available to customers for trials.

Trevira CS is exhibiting for the first time at CSI Miami (Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Americas). Taking place on 6 – 7 June, 2023 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, CSI will bring together buyers and suppliers involved in cruise ship interiors, including interior designers, architects, outfitters, shipyards and suppliers.
 
On the Trevira CS stand, visitors can get an idea of the wide range of flame retardant fabrics suitable for use on board cruise ships. 53 fabrics from 20 Trevira CS customers will be on display that either have IMO certification and/or have been tested to the fire safety standards (FTP Code) required in the marine sector. Trevira CS fabrics are inherently flame retardant, meaning that their flame retardant properties cannot be washed out or lost through aging or use. This is due to the chemical structure of the polyester fiber: the flame retardant properties are firmly anchored in the fiber and cannot be altered by external influences. A surface-applied flame retardant finish is therefore not necessary.

In the marine sector, the demands placed on textiles are not only high in terms of fire protection, but also with regards to light resistance and durability. This is particularly true for textiles used in outdoor applications. These must be extremely robust, as they are exposed to moisture and sunlight. To meet these requirements, Trevira CS has launched a range of 30 new spun-dyed, UV-stable filament yarns. Besides color depth and durability, spun-dyed yarns offer another advantage: They are more sustainable because the fabrics made from them can be produced in a more environmentally friendly way than textiles that are dyed in one piece or consist of brightly colored yarns. In fabric production, a large share of resource consumption goes to the dyeing and finishing of fabrics as well as the use of chemicals and water. However, with spun-dyed yarns, these processing steps are unnecessary – the yarn immediately comes out of the spinneret in the desired color, reducing the products’ environmental impact.

The topic of sustainability is also taken up in other Trevira CS products. For example, Trevira CS fabrics are available in recycled versions. They consist of fiber and filament yarns obtained in different recycling processes. Filament yarns are produced using recycled PET bottles, they contain 50% post-consumer recycled material. Recycled fibers are obtained using an agglomeration plant and in further processing steps from residual pre-consumer waste from production. They consist of 100% recycled material (pre-consumer recycling). All flame retardant recycled Trevira® products are GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified.
Fabrics made from these yarns are marked with the Trevira CS eco trademark. The prerequisite for this is a recycled content of at least 50%. Among the fabrics presented at the Trevira CS trade fair stand are 8 fabrics bearing the Trevira CS eco brand.

The long-term goal in developing sustainable products is undoubtedly to enter a circular economy. For this new path, an innovative Trevira CS product development was launched, producing flame retardant fibers and filament yarns from chemically recycled raw material. In this case, the basic raw material for the chemical recycling was PET bottles, but essentially it could be most any other PET recyclables, such as packaging material or even textiles. Chemical recycling involves depolymerization, a sequence of chemical reactions in which the polymer chains are broken down again into their original components, i. e. the monomers. In a further processing step, impurities are removed. Before the polymerization process is initiated, a small amount of MEG (mono ethylene glycol) is added.

The same technology used to produce the original (virgin) raw material for Trevira CS is also used here. The flame retardant modification is added during polymerization. In this way, the flame retardant properties are indelibly anchored in the polymer.

By recycling valuable materials such as packaging material, waste can be avoided. The raw material obtained from the recycling process is comparable to the original material can be used again in high-quality products.