From the Sector

• Visit Archroma at China Interdye 2018, Booth A100, April 11-13, 2018, at the ShanghaiWorld Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai, China

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, will present at China Interdye 2018 its latest technologies, under the motto: “Enhanced solutions for color and performance, it's our nature”.
With a heritage of more than 130 years, Archroma provides solutions that combine performance, safety and low impact on resources. The company can draw on its extensive formulation and technical know-how to offer a constant flow of eco-advanced and innovative new in dyestuff and pigments, as well as process and functional chemicals.
Solution packages for innovation

Visitors at Archroma’s Booth A100. will be able to ‘experience’ Archroma's innovative solutions, in particular:

• EarthColors, traceable from nature to fashion
  The EarthColors patented range of “biosynthetic” dyes for cotton and cellulose-based fabrics, which are made from waste left over by the agricultural and herbal industry after extraction, such as almond shells, saw palmetto, or rosemary leaves. The latest NFC technology used on the end-product hangtags enables transparency and traceability through the supply chain to consumers.
  The EarthColors have been adopted by brands such as Patagonia, Kathmandu and G-Star, and won an OutDoor Industry Award 2017.
   
• Color Atlas, a game-changing system for fashion design
  The Color Atlas by Archroma® is a groundbreaking platform specially devised to address the needs of designers, brands, retailers, and manufacturers, enhancing creative possibilities for the industry as well as manageability and time to market through key complementary tools: The six-volume ‘Color Atlas Library’ with 4,320 color swatches and cotton poplin samples, the ‘Color Atlas Compact’ in two volumes for increased portability, and the ‘Color Atlas Online’ allowing to capture an inspiring image using a smartphone and immediately identify the closest Color Atlas shade palette, with the possibility to purchase a color sample instantly.
   
• ‘Zero add-on’ formaldehyde finishing and coloring solutions
  Since January 1, 2016, formaldehyde is classified by ECHA5 as “may cause cancer” (Carc. 1B). Archroma offers a unique proposition combining: Fixapret® Resin WFF, a “zero add-on” formaldehyde anti-wrinkle finishing system and Helizarin® EcoSafe a “zero add-on”4 formaldehyde printing system. With Fixapret® Resin WFF, and Helizarin® EcoSafe, consumers can enjoy end-products that look good, whilst saving on precious resources and being gentler on the skin.
   
• Sanitized® Odoractiv 10, active odor control function for polyester textiles
  Visitors at the booth will be able to experience a new unique dimension of odor control function for functional polyester textiles. The newly developed wash-resistant Sanitized® Odoractiv 10 has a dual-action effect: on the one hand it prevents the bacteria from docking on the textile, and on the other, it adsorbs odors whilst the garment is being worn.

Spotlight on automotive solutions
Having acquired a 75% stake in the M. Dohmen group, a specialist in textile dyes and chemicals for automotive, carpet and apparel, Archroma is now in the position to extend its offer in expert products and services. M. Dohmen will be present at the show at Booth A118.

Solution packages for sustainability
Brand owners and retailers around the world are taking action to evaluate the environmental impact of textile treatment, dyeing and finishing processes in response to consumer concerns.
Archroma recently introduced the ONE WAY Process Simulator, the last update of a calculation tool that supports its ONE WAY Sustainability Service introduced back in 2012. The new, online software can be used to mimic and compare products and processes, and thus calculate the ecological and economical profile of the final end-product.

• JEC World 2018, closes its doors on March 8 with a record increase in attendance resuming 3 days of vibrant networking and knowledge sharing.

The event confirms its leading position of JEC Group as number one organization for the promotion and development of the composites industry. Indeed the show welcomed more than 1,300 exhibitors from every continents and counted 42,445 professional visits from 115 countries. “The ability of JEC Group to gather the whole composites Industry under one roof over 3 days lies in the fact that we always initiate new precursory programs to the service of composites professionals.” says Ms. Frédérique Mutel, JEC Group President & CEO. “This year we initiated new programs, for instance the Composite Challenge allowing 10 PhD students to pitch their thesis in front of the industry, thus facilitating connections between students and industrialists. In the same spirit, we increased in power our Start Up Booster and Innovation Award Programs to accelerate relations between young or innovative companies with investors or established enterprises. We also introduced one new planet called “Make it Real” along with the Aero, Auto and Construction planets. In this planet, we could discover astonishing futuristic products for example the Aeromobil, a flying car that would revolutionize urban transportation in the near future,“ she adds. “We launched our new Book on Natural Fibers: Flax and Hemp. We had strong communications on Composites Environmental Input and Recycling.”

The event was the first event to promote and host the new “French Fab”, a French government initiative to internationally promote the French Industry and Manufacture. Also, JEC World welcomed the French Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Finance Ms. Delphine Gény-Stephann, visit that demonstrates the growing role of composites in the industry.

Inspiring Keynotes to foster composites disruption

Dirk Ahlborn,CEO of Hyperloop opened the Startup Booster ceremony by supporting the spirit of ingenuity in the Industry. Dayton Horvath, industry expert and consultant in additive manufacturing presented his vision of how to apply artificial intelligence to composite Materials and Manufacturing. Finally, Yves Rossy, the “jetman” using the latest carbon-fiber wings for flight introduced the JEC Innovation awards ceremony, motivating the audience to pursue their dreams and explaining how composites could made his dreams come true.

The "Public Choice” Awards Winners

A first at the show this year was the introduction of the public votes to elect their favorite projects among two JEC programs promoting innovation. “The goal to create the “public choice awards” was to involve and embark our community to make their innovation loud. Our vision at JEC is to demonstrate and to make understand towards a broader scope the vast range of possibilities that composite materials offer.”
comments Ms. Anne-Manuèle Hébert, Director for JEC World and European Events for JEC Group.

Public Choice Award for Startup  Booster: Inca-Fiber (Germany) with 62.36% of the 2,221 votes
Public Choice Award for JEC Innovation Awards: Infusion technology for an aircraft wing by AeroComposit JSC (Russia) gaining 20.96% of the 4,126 votes.

August’s Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles embraces the revitalised home textile market in China
As China’s economy is getting back on track with the GDP growth rate standing at 6.9% in 2017, the home textile market is also showing strong signs of recovery before Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles returns this August.

With 23 years’ history, the show is well regarded as the most influential home textile trade fair in Asia. Over 1,000 suppliers from around 30 countries and regions will showcase a wide variety of home textile products ranging from bedding, bath, table & kitchen, curtains & upholstery and textile designs & technology to editors, whole home, sun protection, wallcoverings and carpets & rugs. In turn, over 38,000 trade buyers are expected to source at the fair.

According to Askci Consulting, one of the leading Chinese industry research institutions, China’s home textile market has been growing steadily with an average rate of around 10% between 2010 and 2015. The overall size has increased from USD 18.4 billion in 2010 to USD 29.5 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach USD 38.3 billion in 2020. What’s more, the consumption of home textiles only accounts for about 29% of the total textile consumption of the country. Given the fact that the relevant ratio in developed countries such as the US and Japan is between 33 to 38%, there still lies huge room for the Chinese market to expand. Foreign analysts share this optimism, with Euromonitor expecting an annual increase of 5.3% and 5.9% for China’s entire home textile and bedding product markets respectively.

Thanks to the improving quality and competitive price, there is also growing demand for China’s home textile products from buyers around the world. Customs statistics show that the export value for home textile products increased 2.25% to USD 39.5 billion in 2017. Among all China’s export countries and regions, the US has the largest share, followed by the EU, ASEAN and Japan.
With all these favourable conditions in place, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, to be held from 27 – 30 August, serves as an ideal platform for industry players to capture these business opportunities. “The rapid urbanisation and the consumption upgrade is unleashing unprecedented purchasing power in China. Participants can expect to benefit from this huge potential at our show,” Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd added.

Contract business sees big potential in Chinese market
The constant growth of Chinese consumers’ disposable income not only results in increased spending on home textile products, but also stimulates the development of tourism. A report from the General Office of the State Council of China stated that the annual number of domestic trips has nearly doubled, from 2.1 billion in 2010 to 4.4 billion in 2016. It is expected that domestic travel-related consumption will reach USD 869 billion in 2020 and contribute to over 5% of GDP.

The hotel industry in particular has benefited from this development, with the number of limited service hotels increasing 30% in the past seven years. This also implies remarkable opportunities for the home textile industry players doing contract business since quality products including furnishing fabrics, bedding & towelling and more will be sought after by the hotels.
Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

To find out more about this fair, please visit: www.intertextilehome.com.
For more information about Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: http://texpertise-network.messefrankfurt.com.

STAMFORD, February 26, 2018 - at JEC World 2018, taking place in Paris March 6-8, Hexcel will display an array of product innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy and marine markets.
Hexcel’s banner at the exhibit hall entrance features the Airbus H160 helicopter and A350 XWB aircraft, both with carbon fiber livery to acknowledge the high Hexcel composites content in both programs. Hexcel’s reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives and honeycomb materials were selected for the H160’s composite fuselage structures and main rotor blades, contributing to the lightweight fuel-saving design and performance optimization. Airbus has loaned Hexcel an H160 BLUE EDGE blade to display on the booth.

Among the Aerospace promotions at Hexcel’s booth are carbon-reinforced 3D printed parts, made from Hexcel’s HexAM™ additive manufacturing technology that uses PEKK ultra-high performance polymers. Hexcel acquired this technology from Oxford Performance Materials in December 2017 to provide a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Aircraft engines benefit from a number of Hexcel technologies that will be promoted at JEC 2018, including HexShield™ honeycomb that provides high temperature resistance in aircraft engine nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential re-use of material after a fire event.
Another honeycomb innovation from Hexcel is Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core, or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs. An example of this technology will be on display at JEC 2018.

Rounding off the aircraft engine exhibits is a CTi fan blade for new generation lightweight turbofan engines from Rolls-Royce, manufactured from Hexcel’s HexPly® M91 high toughness and impact-resistant epoxy prepreg. Hexcel supplies HexPly® M91 as slit tape for the automated lay-up of the complex aerodynamic shape, with a constantly changing thickness across the blade length. The blade which is thinner and lighter than titanium fan blades is currently undergoing flight tests.
Hexcel’s HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements that were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms for resin-infused aerospace structures will be promoted at the show. Two demonstrator parts, one made with HiMax™ and one with HiTape®, were both infused with HexFlow® RTM6 resin to demonstrate the potential benefits of an integrated design for aircraft skins, spars and stiffeners that meets OEM requirements for production rate increases and cost effectiveness.

Hexcel is also introducing its new range of HiFlow™ advanced liquid resins for aerospace structures manufactured by liquid molding technologies. Based on novel proprietary chemistry, the new resin family will enhance the performance of composites and ease processing when combined with HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements. HiFlow™ HF610 is the first resin in the range.
Hexcel’s range of high performance adhesives has expanded considerably following the company’s acquisition of Structil last October. Hexcel is relaunching the acquired products under the new HexBond™ brand name at JEC World. This fast-growing range of pastes, liquid shim and film adhesives has a wide spectrum of operating temperatures and is in qualification with a large number of aerospace and industrial OEMs.
In the Planet Aerospace area at JEC, Daher and Hexcel will jointly display an aircraft spar manufactured from HexPly® M56 prepreg. Hexcel’s Neil Parker and Daher R&T Director Dominique Bailly will give a joint presentation focusing on the materials used and the benefits for the finished part. The aircraft spar was designed and manufactured by Daher using Hexcel’s HexPly® M56 prepreg, in slit tape format, that was developed for automated deposition and out-of-autoclave curing. The spar was manufactured using only the vacuum bag process and demonstrates very low porosity levels. It is currently undergoing testing and validation through CORAC funding.

Hexcel’s Automotive promotions at JEC World 2018 include a new prepreg for composite leaf springs, HexPly® M901. In contrast to steel leaf springs used for suspension on vans, trucks and SUVs, newer composite versions offer many advantages including weight savings of up to 70%, high corrosion resistance, optimized system integration and superior performance. Hexcel’s HexPly® M901 prepreg raises the bar further, reducing mold cure time below 15 minutes, a 50% reduction compared to standard industrial prepregs. HexPly® M901 provides 15% higher mechanical performance, with enhanced fatigue properties. It also operates at high temperatures, providing a Tg of up to 200°C following a post cure. Hexcel’s expertise in manufacturing heavy weight glass UD prepregs, with fiber areal weights of up to 1600gsm, allows the company to offer a highly cost-competitive solution for the rapid manufacture of these safety critical components.

Hexcel is constantly seeking ways to ensure that customers obtain the maximum benefit from composites and has recently acquired state-of-the-art simulation technology that accurately predicts how HiMax™ non-crimp fabrics will drape in a mold. Working in collaboration with Nottingham University Hexcel has created a car seat shell, for which the material selection was optimized using this new drape simulation technology. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand at JEC will see an on-screen demonstration that illustrates how the simulation tool operates, predicting process and performance and ensuring that the optimum fabric architecture is quickly identified, reducing the need for expensive trial programs.
Hexcel’s HexMC®-i 2000 carbon fiber/epoxy molding compound has been successfully used by Audi to manufacture a high-performance engine cross brace. HexMC®-i is a fast curing high-performance molding material, suitable for the series production of complex shaped parts and providing excellent mechanical properties. The Audi cross brace covers the engine, providing torsional stiffness for enhanced drive dynamics.

Hexcel’s product offering for customers in the Marine industry has expanded following the acquisition of Formax in 2016 and Structil in 2017. At JEC World, Hexcel will promote its enhanced portfolio of carbon fibers, prepregs, woven reinforcements and multiaxial fabrics for builders of racing catamarans and luxury yachts.
Marine customers have supplied a number of parts for display to illustrate their expertise in manufacturing composite structures from Hexcel materials. These include part of a Diam 24 yacht mast made by ADH Inotec from Hexcel’s HexPly® M79 fast curing, low temperature cure prepreg. ADH Inotec purchased the prepreg from Composites Distribution, a Hexcel Official Distributor that also supplied HexPly® M9.6 prepreg to Lorima for the Outremer 5X catamaran mast section on display. Part of Lorima’s 42m wing mast for a multihull racing boat made with HexPly® prepreg from Vert-Le-Petit (formerly Structil) will complete the marine display.

Hexcel’s innovations for Wind Energy include Polyspeed® pultruded laminates for load-carrying elements in wind blades. These continuous cross-section profiles, made from a polyurethane matrix reinforced with unidirectional carbon fiber, provide consistently high mechanical properties, including high stiffness, fracture toughness and shear strength, combined with low weight and durability. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand will see a 2m diameter coil of pultruded carbon laminate that contains 255m of material in a single roll. This technology offers an economical way of reinforcing large-scale composite structures such as wind turbine blades. Hexcel will also launch its surface finishing prepreg for wind turbine blades and components. This provides a tough, durable and ready-to-paint blade surface without the use of gel coat and results in faster blade manufacture, saving time in production and reducing material costs. The benefits of the new surfacing prepreg will be demonstrated via a wind blade exhibit that has been given four different treatments across the blade surface. These include a section with gel coat, a section of standard prepreg without gel coat, and a section where a fleece has been added to improve surface quality but still requires preparation before painting due to pin holes. The final section made with new HexPly® XF2P surfacing prepreg has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, without any requirement for gel coat, fleece or finishing operations.

The market for the production of carpet yarn is increasingly evolving towards more demanding processes. However, beyond commodity products, standard plants can no longer fully exploit their advantages. From 20th to 22nd March 2018, Oerlikon Neumag will be presenting an economical alternative in Shanghai in hall W3, booth F03 at the Domotex asia/Chinafloor, the leading floor covering trade fair in the Asia-Pacific region: the BCF plant Sytec One with single-end technology.

If the requirements for the production of BCF yarns increase, for example, from recycled polyester or fine filaments, then this can also lead to higher breakage rates. Highly standardised production plants must then often strike compromises with regard to throughput, quality or cost-efficiency. In such cases, the Sytec One offers a good solution instead of the mostly three-end technology plants for standard processes.

Single-end technology with 98% productivity

This BCF plant works with only one yarn (end) per position, making it ideal for demanding production processes. The reason: when a yarn break occurs only one yarn tears, all other yarns continue to run. This not only simplifies troubleshooting, it also reduces the re-threading time. In addition, less waste is produced. As a result, the productivity of the Sytec One is still over 98% for ten breakages a day, while a plant with three-end technology only reaches around 92%.

Faster processes due to a straight yarn path

In addition, the absolutely straight yarn path of the Sytec One enables significantly higher process speeds of up to 15% in spinning and texturing processes compared to multi-end technologies. Higher total titers of up to 6,000 dtex can also be produced without any problems. The gentle yarn guidance also ensures minimum friction on the individual filaments. This means less yarn breaks and a more stable process.

Optimised key component: spinning pack

Last but not least, the engineers at Oerlikon Neumag have developed a new design for the spinning pack. This central component of every BCF machine significantly influences the yarn quality. The corresponding solution for the Sytec One optimises the polymer flow in the spin pack, thus reducing the polymer dwell time. This leads to shorter product and colour change times and increases the plant efficiency. In addition, the spinning packs were widened so that yarns with up to 500 filaments can now be produced.

The product mix is decisive

In view of these advantages, the single-end Sytec One is recommended for processes with high breakage rates, fine filaments, frequent colour changes or in general when demanding processes take up an increasing share in the business. "The product mix is decisive for the choice of technology," sums up Alfred Czaplinski, Sales Manager BCF at Oerlikon Neumag. "We are happy to advise on the optimal solution and offer both single-end and three-end plant technologies." 

Good business at the Domotex Hanover, Germany

In the run-up to the trade fair, the Domotex Hanover in mid-January was already proving to be a promising harbinger. With four lively trade fair days and contract conclusions in the lower double-digit million euro range, mainly from the European and Asian markets, the order intake for Oerlikon Neumag was very good.

Première Vision has once again been chosen by Archroma to present its developments combining creativity, technology, and sustainable approach. Color Atlas - Archroma's innovative color system dedicated to designers, brands, retailers, and the whole industry - confirms itself as the ideal tool to bring fashion inspiration to life, enhancing functionality in all stages of the process

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, will showcase the latest in its advanced color-management solutions at Première Vision Paris, Hall 6 Booth 6U2. The Color Atlas system will also be featured in MintModa’s SS19 seasonal inspirations, presented on February 14, 2018 at Hall 5, Room 504, at 3pm and 4pm.

Color Atlas: a game-changing system for fashion design

How many shades can creativity have? The Color Atlas by Archroma®, through no less than 4,320 hues and color swatches, truly gives shape to any imagination. This is Archroma Color Management’s groundbreaking platform specially devised to address the needs of designers, brands, retailers, and manufacturers, enhancing creative possibilities for the industry as well as manageability and time to market through key complementary tools:

• The Color Atlas Library is the six-volume physical reference to the 4,320 color swatches and cotton poplin samples, secured yet easily removable and absolutely intuitive to be browsed thanks to the accordion-fold design of the catalogues. A compact edition of the Color Atlas is also available, including the very same color variety while being slimmed down from six to two volumes for increased portability.
• Color Atlas Online is the mobile-friendly designer’s companion to find the perfect color matching while on-the-go or in the office. Through this feature, it’s possible to capture an inspiring image using a smartphone and immediately identify the closest Color Atlas shade palette, with the possibility to purchase a color sample instantly. A new patent-pending technology powered by NFC, exclusively introduced by Archroma, also adds swatch-specific information to each Engineered Color Standard, giving retailers, brands, and mills instant access to dye recipes and more color information than ever. The online system also allows to create personal special collections of colors or products that can also be shared, both internally and with suppliers.

The colors of SS19 trends by MintModa, in collaboration with Archroma

During Première Vision, SS19 seasonal inspirations by MintModa will also highlight the main trends for the new collections, with color ranges referenced using Color Atlas by Archroma®.
On February 14, both at 3pm and 4pm at Hall 5, Room 504, Sharon Graubard (Founder/Creative Director of MintModa) will introduce a highly visual and emotive presentation that captures the zeitgeist with four compelling SS19 color and style narratives. Each design story is told with evocative, style-centric imagery from global runway and street, consumer profiles, beauty and wellness, art, architecture, and other culturally impactful touchpoints. This presentation identifies emerging influences relevant to all design industries.
A limited-edition MintModa x Archroma SS19 color card will be distributed to all attendees.

Cost-efficient BCF yarn production for demanding processes with Sytec One from Oerlikon Neumag

Cost-efficient production of carpet yarns beyond commodity products can constitute a challenge. Highly standardized production systems must strike compromises with regard to throughput, quality or cost-efficiency. At the Domotex 2018, the world's largest trade fair for floor coverings, Oerlikon Neumag will present the Sytec One solution for demanding BCF processes.

The Sytec One is a BCF plant with only one end per position. Due to this single-end characteristic, it is particularly well suited for demanding production processes, such as recycled polyester or fine filaments. The reason: In the event of a yarn break, only one end breaks. All the other positions are not affected and continue to run. As a result, this plant has a higher efficiency compared with a multi-end technology plant. For example, with ten breaks a day, the efficiency of the Sytec One is still over 98%, while a threeend technology achieves only 92% efficiency.

Higher productivity due to the straight yarn path

The machine concept of the Sytec One with its absolutely straight yarn path in spinning and texturing also enables significantly higher process speeds compared to multi-end technologies. This results in a speed increase of up to 15%. In addition to standard processes, more demanding processes with higher break rates play an increasingly important role. "The product mix is critical to the choice of technology," said Martin Rademacher, vice president of sales Oerlikon Neumag. "We are in the comfortable position of being able to offer our customers both a single-end and a three-end technology."

Overseas exhibitors found the fair an effective platform to open up the Asian market
Buyers benefited from wide range of quality exhibitors

The 23rd edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is over, with both exhibitors and buyers satisfied with the business outcomes resulting from the fair’s four days. The largest home textiles trading event in Asia was held from 23 – 26 August, attracting 1,106 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions. Given the strengthening market conditions in China the fair maintained its popularity, with the number of trade buyers increasing to 38,964 from 99 countries and regions (2016: 37,779 from 98 countries and regions). The show also attracted more international buyers this edition, with a 16% increase in those coming from abroad. “Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has once again proven its leading position in Asia as a business and order platform for the industry. There was a noticeable positivity from both exhibitors and buyers this edition regarding the current and future situation of the domestic market, so we are optimistic about the industry for the next year,” Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said.

Overseas exhibitors found the fair an effective platform to open up the Asian market

As the leading event of its kind in the region, the fair successfully attracts a number of Chinese and Asian buyers every year, ensuring suppliers can develop their business further in the region. This year, seven country and region pavilions including Belgium, India, Korea, Morocco, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey were formed, with exhibitors from all of satisfied they could meet their target buyers.

While being in the minority at the fair, European brands still managed to catch the attention of visitors due to strong interest in their products from Asia. The Italian upholstery supplier Enzo Degli Angiuoni Spa was satisfied with the number of Asian buyers, particularly Chinese, that they met at the fair. Mr Stefano Laurenzano, Export Area Manager expressed: “A lot of visitors that saw us here last year have come back again and are serious about cooperating with us. Here you can get a lot of new contacts and discover the Asian market. We’ve had mainly Chinese buyers, but have had more Asian buyers from South Korea, India, Malaysia and elsewhere to visit us this year. We are seeing more business here in recent years.”

Being a newcomer to the fair, Iceland Duvet ehf felt the potential in China. “We’ve had enough buyers including retailers and manufacturers visiting our booth to make our participation worthwhile. The interest from the buyers has been genuine. Being a European brand helps more than at fairs in Europe as we can stand out more here,” Mr Ragnar Ludvik Runarsson, representative said.

Indian exhibitor, Paramount Textile Mills Ltd has been joining the fair for three years. “Apart from meeting our existing customers, we’ve had enquiries from potential new customers from China as well as overseas including the US and South America,” Mr Ram. M., Director of Marketing & Finance said.

Also with three years’ participation, Mr Samir Tazi, General Manager of PIF Textile Emotions from Morocco affirmed the show’s effectiveness in meeting important buyers and decision makers. “It’s easier for us to meet them here compared with some smaller European fairs. Thanks to Intertextile Shanghai, we have also met the major players in China.” Talking about this year’s result, he continued: “We were very busy. We met with more people than any other fairs. There are a lot of new buyers and also returning buyers checking out our new products.”

Participating in the Korea Pavilion, Sangwon Textile Co Ltd found the fair helpful in attracting distributors and wholesalers from Southeast Asia. Mr Jeon Hyeon Tae, Sales Manager said: “We have found about five potential and quality distributors from Taiwan, India, Philippines and Singapore on the first day. We also got to meet a number of wholesalers who prefer to buy from us directly at the fair.” He added that Intertextile Shanghai is also an ideal platform to launch new products for their existing clients.

As the largest pavilion this year, the Turkey Pavilion was in the limelight of the show, with both new and veteran exhibitors finding it useful to exhibit in Intertextile Shanghai. Bezmez Ev Tekstil did not intend to receive any orders in their first show, but was surprised to obtain three in just one day. These concrete results reassured their likelihood of coming back next year. “We definitely see the potential for Turkish products here in China as Chinese companies prefer quality products nowadays,” Mr Ayhan Bezmez, representative, further commented. Mr Fahri Goksin, Vice President of Gokhan Tekstil agreed with Mr Bezmez that Chinese buyers are in favour of new things like imported goods and Western brands. His company has been in the Shanghai fair for six years and continued to get satisfactory results. “We’re looking for retailers, wholesalers and online buyers. We’ve had all of these visiting our booth already.”

Domestic exhibitors satisfied with the number of potential customers and orders received

Recently, there is strong signs suggesting that the home textiles market in China is recovering with both imports and exports rising gradually. The positive outcome that Chinese exhibitors achieved at the August’s fair have resonated with the market condition. It is no surprise to see a number of domestic booths packed with visitors throughout the days. SohoCUT is a case in point. To them, Intertextile Shanghai is the place for actual business. “Compared with other fairs we’ve been to, this is the exhibition where a huge number of international buyers gather. We met buyers from China, Mexico, Russia, the US, India and Southeast Asia. We even got large orders for the first two days.” Mr Wheatley Weng, Managing Director said.

The fabrics of Wujiang Linwang Weaving Mill is also sought after at the fair. Being a company that do both exports and domestic trade, they are happy to connect with local and overseas customers during the show. “We’ve collected around 100 leads on the first day, of which 70% are domestic and the remaining being international. The overseas visitors are from Italy, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Chile and Korea that our products precisely meet their requirement. We see high chances of cooperation after the fair.” Mr Kenny, Sales Manager said.

Given the prevailing smart home concept in China, Somfy China Co Ltd which specialised in advanced sun-protection system has become one of the highlights at the fair. Ms Nancy Nan, Chief Executive Officer mentioned: “The visitor flow has been really high that our booth is swarmed by buyers. Amongst those visitors, there is no lack of medium to high-end customers who placed orders immediately.”

Editors assembled to promote high-end products

To cater to the ascending standards of Chinese customers, Intertextile Shanghai once again brought editors together in hall 5.1 to maximise their exposure to their target buyers. As foreign brands with subsidiaries in China, JAB and Prestigious see the growing interest in their premium products in China. “We pay attention to the changing buying habits of Chinese consumers and, as such, have started promoting a series of products under a unified lifestyle trend. It’s obvious that we are gaining more awareness from buyers at the fair,” Mr William Lin, Vice President of JAB ANSTOETZ Interior (Shanghai) Co Ltd said. He also appreciated the specific display area for imported fabrics and the organisers’ attempt to attract more designers, which helped them meet more potential customers. Apart from getting onsite orders, Prestigious Textiles (Shanghai) Ltd also considers the show a promotion platform. “There is great demand for our products in China. Though we achieved similar sales compared with last year, through this fair our brand has been well introduced to the market,” Mr Lewis Liu, Sales Director expressed.

Originating from China, Euroart Co Ltd was another editor that successfully showcased their latest collection at the fair. “It is a good time to join the most influential home textiles exhibition in Asia as we have just launched new products in May. We are satisfied as some of our existing clients plus new visitors came to our booth,” Ms Guo Jianhua, Director Assistant said.

Industry players benefit from the expanded Digital Printing Zone

The demand for digital printing solutions has been growing in recent years, especially as the industry has put more emphasis on green production. As such, the Digital Printing Zone expanded in size this edition, incorporating a Seminar Area and more exhibitors.

As an Italian company, MS Printing Solutions Srl experienced the potential of the sector in China. “The fair has been busy, and we’ve had steady flow of buyers coming through. The potential in digital printing here is just beginning. The Chinese government is pushing companies to reduce their pollution, so it has a big advantage in this regard over traditional textile printing,” Mr Walter Oggioni, Regional Sales Manager stated, adding that the company has been growing very fast globally, especially in China, Turkey, India and Pakistan.

This potential holds for domestic machine manufacturers as well. Specialising in the production of digital printing machines, Guangzhou Xu Cheng Electronic Technology Co Ltd was at the fair to meet fabrics suppliers. Mr Jesse Luo, Overseas Manager explained: “Compared with exhibitions for textile machinery, Intertextile Shanghai attracts more fabrics suppliers, which are our target clients. It helps even more as we are located in this special zone. We’ve been talking to a lot customers, including overseas buyers who are also interested in our machines.”

A series of seminars also provided opportunities for the industry to share their insights on this emerging sector. As a speaker, Foshan Sanshui Yingjie Precision Machinery believed the session was mutually beneficial for them and the audience. “Attendees are from the whole sector including manufacturers and end users, so we can discuss different perspectives. It will facilitate our improvement,” Mr Peng Jichang, General Manager said. Mr Scott Bai, representative of Huntsman Textile Effects (China) Co Ltd also benefited from visiting the zone and the seminar. “Together with seminar, the Digital Printing Zone can professionally present the current situation for the industry. When suppliers and users come together, we can discover the way to enhance this technology.”

Buyers benefited from wide range of quality exhibitors

Intertextile Shanghai is the largest trading platform in Asia with the whole spectrum of home textiles and accessories on offer. Hence, visitors, be they Chinese or overseas, can access a wide range of quality suppliers that meet their sourcing needs. Australian buyer, Mr Glenn Whitchurch from Trabeth Textiles, was impressed with his sourcing journey. “The polyester quality of domestic exhibitors has been unbelievable. What’s more, we’ve found the Chinese suppliers to be very flexible in meeting our needs, they’re clearly keen to accommodate overseas buyers.” Mr Whitchurch also commented favourably on the product range at Intertextile Shanghai compared to European fairs.

One ongoing trend at the fair over recent years is the increasing quality of domestic suppliers, which attracts buyers to come back and source. Mezanin V SRL from Moldova is a long-term supporter of the show, and place orders every year. Its Vice Director, Mr Mihail Tornea remarked: “It is an important event for us to meet new suppliers from China. We are selective with the suppliers we work with, but the Chinese companies here meet our requirements. As a sourcing event, Intertextile Shanghai is the best place to be.”

The fair’s VIP buyer programme also assists buyers in meeting worldwide exhibitors at ease. Mr Bibo Lan is the co-founder of Loft Curtains in the US and he is excited to meet lots of potential suppliers here. “The arrangement for VIPs is satisfying and it helps a lot to have my target exhibitor information in advance. The largest benefit of our visit is that we met Libeco from Belgium, while we also confirmed to work with a blackout supplier at the fair,” he said.

Chinese buyers agreed that Intertextile Shanghai is the most effective sourcing platform in Asia. “Overseas suppliers like Turkey exhibitors are our main interest. So far, we have connected with four to five exhibitors in hall 4 and will place orders with them soon. In terms of exhibitor number and the product range, I feel that the fair has improved a lot. It is my favourite show with a lot of overseas products to discover,” Mr Huang Shenghua, General Manager of Ziranfeng Home Textile Co Ltd said.

Concurrent events inspired the industry

Apart from facilitating business between exhibitors and visitors, the fair also incorporated various design elements via a series of concurrent events. These included display area like Trend Area, International Fiber Art Exhibition and Home Furnishing Crossover Exhibition where participants could find innovative designs and ideas.

This was also the first time the Andrew Martin International Interior Design Summit and the fair took place concurrently. Experts from the interior design, architecture and art sectors were invited to share and discuss their views on the transformation of design in the new information era. Mr Kot Ge, founder of a domestic interior design studio, LSDCASA was delighted to join, and shared: “This show always attracts many top interior designers and it’s my pleasure to meet them here. Interior design and home textiles are closely related and new concepts can bring along improvement.”

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition was organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA). The next Autumn Edition will take place in August 2018, while the Spring Edition runs from 14 – 16 March 2018.
To find out more about this fair, please visit: www.intertextilehome.com.
For more information about Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: http://texpertise-network.messefrankfurt.com.

Schoeller Textil AG announces strategic cooperation at this year’s Outdoor in Friedrichshafen. At fair stand A4-402, visitors will experience the debut of Taurex® technology on Tuesday, 20 June, 2017. Tuesday, 20 June, 2017: Taurex® - a development from Red Bull and Schoeller Textil AG Red Bull and Schoeller are proud to unveil the jointly-developed Taurex®-finishing technology at Outdoor in Friedrichshafen. The Taurex® garment material and fabrics feature different types of fibers that encapsulate the essence of Red Bull into clothing – living up to claims of increased performance. The innovative Taurex® fabrics increase physical and mental performance capacity. Taurex® reflects the body’s energy back to the garment’s wearer. As a result, it provides improved wellbeing, greater concentration, reduced fatigue and speedy regeneration.
For some time now, Taurex® has been featured in the Red Bull clothing brand, AlphaTauri, but can now also be applied to other clothing brands, providing certain criteria are met. On 20 June, 2017, together with Red Bull staff, the Schoeller Competence Team provides detailed information on the Taurex® technology at the Schoeller fair stand A4-402.

Hexcel is exhibiting at the SAMPE 2017 technical conference May 23-24, in booth G11, in Seattle, Washington, U.S. to promote its latest materials for aerospace and industrial applications. Specialists from Hexcel’s carbon fibers, reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb and engineered core groups will be there to speak with attendees about Hexcel’s wide variety of products and offerings.

This year at SAMPE Seattle Hexcel will be promoting its HiTape® dry carbon fiber reinforcements with a C spar panel and co-infused stringer. This display shows the high forming capability of HiTape® reinforcements and how the technology can be used to co-infuse stringers and C spar panels. It is also representative of an aircraft wing construction. HiTape® dry carbon fiber reinforcements are designed for the automated manufacture of preforms at very high deposition rates. The dry preforms are infused with Hexcel’s HexFlow® RTM6 resin for a cost-efficient out-of-autoclave manufacturing process for next generation aircraft structures. Parts produced with HiTape® reinforcements and Hexcel’s HexFlow® infusion resins can be up to 30mm thick with a 58 to 60% fiber volume content, resulting in mechanical properties that are as high as those achieved with primary structure prepregs.