From the Sector

At the crosswinds of China’s 14^th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Marine Economy and its 14^th Five-Year Guidance for the Development of the Technical Textiles Industry lies the marine textile sub-sector. Following the government’s directive, the Marine Textile Zone will be unfurled at this year’s fair, taking place from 19 – 21 September 2023 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Multiple exhibitors from across China have confirmed their participation within the zone, which will be comprised of three main parts: green marine science and nautical rope netting innovation display area, the Technology Exchange Forum, and the awards ceremony of the Top 10 Suppliers in the China Rope Net Industry.
 
The global rope market is predicted to experience a CAGR of 5.6% and grow by over USD 4 billion between 2022 - 2027[1], and suppliers are eager for the chance to meet buyers face to face. In fact, many will use the new zone at Asia’s leading technical textiles and nonwovens fair to do so.

In the green marine and rope netting category, exhibitors will showcase the latest innovations along the marine textile industry chain, anchored by application areas such as marine engineering, marine economy, marine fencing, marine rescue, deep-sea fishing, deep-sea aquaculture, and many more.

Featured exhibitors include:

• Ropenet Group: covering 36 application areas, such as aerospace, marine fisheries, safety protection, and emergency rescue, the Shandong-based company has exported to over 110 countries and regions. Products include ropes, nets, threads, and belts, with new materials and high-performance synthetic fibre spinning ropes forming the core of its business.
• Hunan Xinhai: with its Hunan factory covering 200,000 sqm, its industry-leading rope net production scale ensures it can service multiple sectors such as fisheries, sports, military industry, marine engineering, life-saving protection, and many more. Its extensive network spans Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond.
• Zhejiang Four Brothers Rope: located in Zhejiang Toumen Port Economic Development Zone, the special chemical fibre rope manufacturer integrates R&D, manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service. After nearly 60 years of operation, the company now has a yearly production capacity of over 15,000 tons.

Other notable exhibitors in this zone include Xuzhou Henghui Braiding Machine; Shandong Jinguan Netting; Jiuli Rope; and Zhejiang Hailun Rope Net.

Meanwhile, the Technology Exchange Forum will focus on policies and regulations, strategic development opportunities, market analysis, product and process innovation, and the promotion and application of marine textiles. A range of well-known international and domestic experts have been invited to deliver comprehensive industry analysis, and unveil oceanic green textile initiatives onsite.

Designed to expand the influence of the rope net industry, the Top 10 Suppliers in the China Rope Net Industry awards will highlight enterprises currently making key contributions. Other fringe events related to this textile sub-sector include the Conference on Textile Applications for Marine Engineering and Fisheries, and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) Rope Net Branch Council Meeting.

Lastly, the Marine Textile Zone will also encompass a business negotiation area to facilitate negotiations between key players onsite, set against the backdrop of the innovation display area’s award-winning and patented rope net products. As a whole, the zone is expected to encourage independent innovation in marine science and technology, coordinate the protection and development of marine resources, and help build a modern maritime industrial system.

The fair’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

The fair is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).

ITM 2022 hosted textile technology leaders in Istanbul for 5 days, presenting the latest innovations in every field of textile from weaving, knitting, yarn, digital printing, finishing to denim. The ITM 2022 Exhibition, where a business volume of over 1.5 billion Euros was created in 5 days, accelerated the Turkish and world economy.

Organized by the partnership of Teknik Fairs Inc. and Tüyap Tüm Fuarcılık Yapım Inc., ITM 2022- International Textile Machinery Exhibition was held at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center between 14-18 June.  ITM 2022 Exhibition, attended by 1280 companies and company representatives from 65 countries, was visited by 64,500 people from 102 countries, consisting of 44% international and 56% domestic visitors.

Turkey became a Supply Center at the ITM 2022 Exhibition
The successful sales graph achieved at the ITM 2022 Exhibition proved that the difficulties experienced due to the pandemic for the last 3 years have been left behind. Turkey has become a supply center for European, Middle Eastern and African countries, especially with the disruption of the supply chain in Far East countries, including China. The profile of the professional visitors visiting the ITM 2022 Exhibition revealed that in the new world order that has shifted after the pandemic, the trade network has also changed hands and new players have appeared on the scene. The fact that manufacturers from all over the world such as Andorra, Angola, Honduras, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Egypt, Iran, and Oman purchased a large number of machinery and signed collaborations at the ITM 2022 Exhibition has proven this.

Exhibitors of ITM 2022 enlarge their stands for ITM 2024
Many company officials, who stated that they have achieved a sales graphic far above their expectations starting from the very first day of the ITM 2022 Exhibition and that they have hosted visitors from all over the world, decided to enlarge their stands at the ITM 2024 Exhibition. During the exhibition, companies visited the registration application points and applied for ITM 2024 participation.

The next meeting of the ITM and HIGHTEX Exhibitions will be held in Istanbul between 4-8 June 2024.

Morocco has created an optimal basis for companies with the introduction of the duty-free zone. RINCO ULTRASONICS will take advantage of this opportunity and strengthen its own position in the Moroccan market by establishing RINCO Morocco. RINCO Morocco will act as a center for the African continent. The automotive industry as well as the textile industry are particularly well represented locally.

RINCO ULTRASONICS AG, headquartered in Romanshorn, Switzerland, has specialized in the development and manufacture of ultrasonic welding machines and ultrasonic cutting systems since its founding in 1976. RINCO products are used for reliable welding of plastic parts as well as for cutting food and synthetic textiles.

Kornit Digital, specialised in digital textile printing technology, announces Johannesburg, South Africa-based apparel decorator Vic Bay Apparel has implemented two Kornit Storm HD6 systems for sustainable, single-step production on demand. This installation answers increased demand for small orders and high-colour graphic designs, resulting from a dramatic growth in their e-commerce operation.

Vic Bay Apparel has been a manufacturer, supplier, and wholesaler of basic t-shirts and golf shirts for 25 years, supplying blank apparel to decorators and resellers of promotional clothing. They predominantly service resellers in the tourism, workwear, printing, embroidery, and advertising markets.

• World Cotton Day on 7 October Highlights the Importance of Cotton for Development Policy

Bremen - Stemming from a 2019 initiative of the African Cotton-4 countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, World Cotton Day will take place this year on 7 October. The event is organised by the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Cotton Secretariat (ICAC). The Bremen Cotton Exchange is also involved.

“Cotton is often underestimated because it is so natural. Behind it are millions of people, for example many farmers, field workers, employees in ginning factories, logistics providers and traders. We want to honour their achievements,” said the President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange, Stephanie Silber.

According to the WTO, the aim of World Cotton Day is to highlight the global economic importance of cotton and to raise awareness of the raw material by recognising the work of everyone involved in its cultivation, processing and trade. At the same time, within the framework of international cooperation, it is hoped that supporters and investors can be found to aid with technological and economic progress within the cotton value chain.

This time, the entire world cotton community will be involved in World Cotton Day on Wednesday, 7 October 2020. A wide variety of campaigns and events are taking place everywhere to draw attention to the importance of cotton and its possible uses.

Cotton is one of the most relevant agricultural raw materials in the world. Around 26 million tonnes of it are harvested annually. Approximately 150 million people in almost 80 countries around the world live from the cultivation of the natural fibre. A large number of these live in developing countries, where cotton cultivation is of particular importance as a cash crop.

Cotton is known as an agricultural product that is turned into a textile. The raw material is indispensable in fashion and clothing – and has been for thousands of years. But the use of cotton now goes far beyond textiles. For example, cosmetic products such as hand creams and hair shampoo are made from the oil of cotton seeds. The raw material is also used in the manufacture of banknotes, furniture and technical textiles, as well as in medical technology.

Against the background of the current discussion on sustainability and sustainable consumption, the role of natural fibres is becoming even more important. Cotton is biodegradable and a renewable resource. It can be grown again and again in agriculture through cultivation in crop rotation. This secures incomes and enables efficient value creation within the global production and processing chain.

The Bremen Cotton Exchange will actively support World Cotton Day with cross-media coverage. In addition, in time for World Cotton Day, three thematically different, emotionally appealing short films about cotton will be launched. They are aimed at consumers as customers of the textile and clothing trade and provide information about the benefits and properties of cotton and answer questions about its sustainability. In keeping with the times, they will be published via virtual media.

The Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment will be presenting itself at the Egy Stitch & Tex 2020 between March 5 and 8, 2020 in Cairo – with a clear focus on the needs of the African market. In Hall 1, Stand B2 The Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag experts will also be showcasing the comprehensive product and service portfolio of the world market leader for manmade fiber systems at the stand of Oerlikon’s representative ATAG Export & Import.

The spotlight of the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment’s trade fair attendance will be on two core technologies: the new generation of Oerlikon Barmag eAFK Evo texturing machines is to be unveiled within the African market for the very first time. It promises higher speeds and productivity with consistently high product quality, along with lower energy consumption and simpler operation vis-à-vis comparable market solutions. In particular, the numerous value-added features include two that convince with cutting-edge technology: the optimized, innovative EvoHeater and the EvoCooler, a completely newly-developed active cooling unit.

The second technology focus offers new opportunities for the Egyptian market and the Middle Eastern markets in particular: with Oerlikon Neumag’s BCF S8 monocolor and tricolor system, the segment will be unveiling its new carpet yarn production flagship. Superlative spinning speeds, up to 700 individual filaments, finer titers of up to 2.5 dpf – the performance data and technological finesse of the new system have already made a huge impression at numerous trade fairs and roadshows over the past year. The tricolor’s core component is the new, patent-pending Color Pop Compacting unit (CPC-T) for even more flexible and more even color separation. With the CPC-T, individually-controllable air pressures for each color provide pre-tangling, which accentuates the colors and hence makes more than 200,000 different shades possible. Whereas it has been very difficult to manufacture strongly color-separated or color-accentuated BCF yarns from polyamide 6 to date, this will in future be possible thanks to the CPC-T system. As a result of the new design, the CPC-T is now also suitable for processes with low yarn tensions.
 
Expanded product offering for manufacturing carpet yarns
Know-how covering all relevant technologies deployed in manmade fiber spinning plants enables Oerlikon – as the world’s only manufacturer – to expand its range of products and services for making carpet yarns. The POY- and texturing-based system concept is designed for a carpet and home textiles segment that demands particularly soft and bulky polyester yarns with BCF-like properties. Here, the aim is to produce yarns with titers of max. 1300dtex and typically more than 1,000 filaments, with typical products including, for example, 1300dtex f1152, 660dtex f1152 and 990dtex f768. The machine concept comprises the well-known WINGS HD POY winder, along with the eAFK Big-V texturing machine.

Exhibitors from over 30 countries participating at Kenya's Biggest Int'l. Multi-Sector Trade Exhibition

The largest international trade exhibition in Africa for multi-sector products, equipment and machinery will take place at KICC, Nairobi, Kenya from 04 - 06 September with record breaking numbers. Exhibitors and trade visitors are said to increase by 27% and 24% respectively at the 21st edition of the Kenya International Trade Exhibition (KITE). The exhibition has grown in stature from its inception 22 years ago, as the key networking and sourcing platform for the industries. As the largest event of its kind, it ensures direct access to over 150 exhibitors from 30 countries and more than 12,000 trade visitors.

With an amazing array of products and services from all over the world, it gives visitors the opportunity to source cutting edge products and services as well as learn about and discuss the latest market trends. There is no other related trade exhibition in East Africa that delivers the same quality, quantity and variety of buyers and distributors.

Concentrating on some of the largest growth categories within the multi sector industry, Kenya International Trade Exhibition (KITE) 2018 has five distinct sub categories, namely: FOODAGRO, MEDEXPO, PPPEXPO & INDUSMACH which will cover the food, hotel & agricultural sectors, medical & pharmaceuticals, plastic, printing & packaging sector, the industrial and finally the consumer sector. Being centrally located, Kenya emerges as one of the largest importers in Africa. Kenya also has the largest economy in east Africa and is a regional financial and transportation hub.