From the Sector

The company announced that its three textile fairs in Shanghai will be postponed from March to a later date due to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. This includes Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring and Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition which were due to be held in Shanghai from 11 – 13 March at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.

This follows the recent announcement that the company’s other fairs to be held in China in the coming two months – Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, SPS – Industrial Automation Fair Guangzhou (SIAF) and Asiamold in Guangzhou, and Toy & Edu, Baby & Stroller and Licensing China in Shenzhen – have also been postponed until later in the year.

“Messe Frankfurt has been an active player in the China market for over 30 years now, so we stand fully behind the government’s efforts to control the outbreak,” Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd outlined. “This includes the recent suspension of large-scale trade and economic events in a number of cities, so with this and the wellbeing of all our stakeholders in mind, we have made the decision to reschedule our upcoming textile fairs in Shanghai to a later date. Our teams are making every effort to find suitable alternatives, but we will only make the decision to go ahead with these fairs when it is deemed safe to do so.”

The origins of both Industry 4.0 and an awareness of the need for more sustainable manufacturing methods can arguably be traced back to the year 1971.

It was in 1971 that the first microprocessor was introduced by Intel, and also that the first and perhaps now most well-known environmental campaigner, Greenpeace, was founded.

As such, a direct line can be charted from that year to today’s automated textile manufacturing machinery concepts, as well as the drive to develop more increasingly resource-efficient processes.

All of the recent innovations which have been introduced to the market by A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, for example, are being powered by the possibilities of Industry 4.0 and developed in response to the market demand for more sustainable production.

They include the new ‘digital twinning’ capability introduced in 2019 for all Monforts machines, with advanced sensor technologies which make it possible to access comprehensive technical machine data from any location using the company’s Smart Support and Smart Check apps. In addition, the digital twin system provides information on individual wear parts, such as, for example, converters or gears.

These latest developments have been very favourably received by Monforts customers, especially in Europe.

50th anniversary
The very first Heimtextil – the leading trade fair for the home textiles market – was also held in Frankfurt in January 1971 and Monforts customers Bierbaum Group and Konrad Hornschuch AG are amongst the German companies who were there from the very start and have attended every annual show since.

Bierbaum Group, based in Borken, is the company behind the well-known Irisette bedding brand and is celebrating its own 125th anniversary in 2020. It has also introduced products bearing the German government’s new Grüner Knopf textile seal of approval for sustainable production.

As a specialist in synthetic leathers for home surfaces, as well as vehicle interiors, Konrad Hornschuch AG, of Weissbach, has been a member of the €44 billion automotive giant Continental AG since 2016.

Representatives from both companies received memorial trophies at a special presentation held on January 7th during the 50th anniversary Heimtextil show.

The home textiles market remains very strong in Germany, with sales amounting to some €9.6 billion in 2019, according to analyst IFH Cologne.

Global growth
The first Heimtextil in 1971 was a significant success, attracting 679 exhibitors from 26 countries.

This year’s show, however, attracted a total of 2,952 exhibitors from 66 countries, reflecting not only the growth of the home textiles industry, but also the globalisation which has taken place over the last half century.

Monforts now has customers for its advanced finishing technologies around the world, with home textile customers from India and Pakistan being particularly well represented at Heimtextil 2020.

Among stand outs from Indian companies at this year’s show was the 2020 collection of Welspun India’s famous Christy England brand, inspired by botanical studies of the gardens of British stately homes. Welspun towels meanwhile benefit from the company’s HygroCotton hollow core yarn technology, produced by a proprietary spinning method which ensures they become softer, fluffier and more absorbent after every wash.

An equally ground-breaking new technology is being introduced by Trident Group, which is one of India’s largest vertically-integrated home textiles manufacturers and two years ago installed five complete Monforts finishing ranges for its new linen department.

Trident’s patented Air Rich yarns feature pores throughout their cross sections for high breathability and absorbency, as well as rapid drying.

Monforts home textile customers from Pakistan stressed the resource efficiency of their processes and products as a result of investments in advanced technology, and during the show the ‘Sustainable Pakistan’ initiative was announced.

Supported by GIZ, the German Society for International Cooperation, the initiative aims to reshape global perceptions of Pakistan’s manufacturers and their innovations. So far, twenty producers have been carefully chosen to be presented on this global platform and will help rebrand Pakistan’s textile industry at the Heimtextil exhibitions going forward.

Heimtextil’s organiser Messe Frankfurt also announced its own new alliance with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, in order to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Constancy
Many things have changed since 1971 and home interiors are certainly no longer predominantly orange and brown – and perhaps unlikely to ever become so again.

It’s clear, however, that there has been a constancy in the push to consistently improve textile technologies, processes and products that may have originated in Europe, but have subsequently spread around the world.

And the significance of both microprocessors and sustainability in 2020 could only have been guessed at back in 1971.

Die 50. Ausgabe der Heimtextil lieferte mit einem contentgetriebenen Programm starke Impulse für den Start der neuen Einrichtungssaison. Nachhaltigkeit avancierte dabei zum alles überstrahlenden Top-Thema. 63.000 Besucher informierten sich bei den 2.952 Austellern auf der weltweit führenden Fachmesse für Wohn- und Objekttextilien über die großen Themen der internationalen Branche. Wie erwartet sorgte insbesondere der einmalig frühe Termin für eine Delle bei den Besucherzahlen.

„Die Branche steht momentan vor immensen Herausforderungen. Das bekamen einige Beteiligte auf der Heimtextil zu spüren. Dennoch: Die Ausstellerzufriedenheit ist auf dem gleichen, guten Niveau wie im Vorjahr. Und die Zufriedenheit der Besucher ist sogar gestiegen – von 93 auf 95 Prozent. Neben des frühen Termins liegen die Gründe für den Dämpfer bei den Besucherzahlen vor allem bei der starken Konsolidierung der Fachgeschäfte beziehungsweise bei der Entwicklung vom stationären Handel in Richtung E-Commerce. Auch konjunkturell ist der Trend abgeschwächt“, erklärt Detlef Braun, Geschäftsführer der Messe Frankfurt. „Dazu passt, dass ganze 34 Prozent unserer Aussteller die aktuelle Branchenkonjunktur als schlecht bewerten, im Vergleich zu gerade mal 18 Prozent im Jahr zuvor.“

hessnatur ist exklusiver Partner der kommenden Neonyt und präsentiert sich umfangreich am ehemaligen Flughafen Tempelhof und auf der Neonyt Fashion Show im Rahmen der MBFW.

Zur A/W-Ausgabe 2020/21 arbeitet die Neonyt eng mit hessnatur, Europas führendem Anbieter für nachhaltige Textilien, als exklusivem Partner zusammen.

„Wir freuen uns, dass wir mit hessnatur einen der Vorreiter für nachhaltige Mode als exklusiven Partner an Bord haben. hessnatur verbindet jahrzehntelange Expertise im Bereich Sustainable Fashion mit modischem Anspruch und Innovationskraft und passt damit perfekt zum Konzept der Neonyt“, sagt Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies bei der Messe Frankfurt.

„In der Neonyt sehen wir eine starke Plattform, unsere Überzeugung auszudrücken. Im Mittelpunkt steht in dieser Saison neben Einblicken in unsere neue Markenkampagne vor allem unser Anspruch als Unternehmen, den Wandel in der Modeindustrie aktiv voranzutreiben. Auf der Neonyt finden wir eine Community, die genau diesen Anspruch vertritt und gemeinsam mit uns Neues möglich macht. Das schätzen wir sehr“, so Andrea Sibylle Ebinger, Geschäftsführerin hessnatur.

Auf der Neonyt setzt sich hessnatur unter anderem mit einer Videoaktion für die Kampagne #fairbylaw und die Einführung eines Lieferkettengesetzes ein. In einem Video-Booth im Forum haben Besucher, Aussteller und Partner der Neonyt die Möglichkeit, Statements abzugeben und eine Petition zur Verabschiedung eines Lieferkettengesetzes zu unterzeichnen. Influencer können im Prepeek-Areal Kollektionsteile von hessnatur anprobieren und stylen. Zudem ist hessnatur einer der Partner der Neonyt Fashion Show im Rahmen der MBFW am 14. Januar ab 18 Uhr im Kraftwerk Berlin.

Die zweite Ausgabe profitiert von positiver Resonanz und einem optimierten Rahmenprogramm

Nach einer erfolgreichen Premiere findet die zweite DOMOTEX USA vom 5. bis 7. Februar 2020 im World Congress Center von Atlanta statt. Es ist die einzige nordamerikanische Messe- und Konferenzveranstaltung, die sich ausschließlich auf Teppiche und Bodenbeläge konzentriert. Organisiert wird sie von Hannover Fairs USA, einer Tochtergesellschaft der Deutschen Messe. DOMOTEX USA versteht sich als Plattform für die amerikanische Bodenbelagsbranche und das Business mit Groß- und Einzelhändlern, Generalunternehmen der nationalen Bauindustrie, Bodenverlegern sowie Einkaufsgruppen. Schwerpunkte sind Laminate, Parkett und elastische Böden. Darüber hinaus wird auch die Vielfalt der handgefertigten Teppiche, maschinell gefertigte Teppiche und Teppichböden, Textile und elastische Bodenbeläge, Outdoorböden sowie Bodenbelagstechnik gezeigt.

A successful autumn season for Sappi at a collection of trade fairs, with exceptional interest shown in innovative packaging papers

Sappi Europe has presented its solutions for sustainable, future-oriented packaging at three trade fairs in the past few weeks. The globally operating paper specialist’s extensive product range has been serving as a benchmark in the industry for years and now includes the functional barrier papers from the Sappi Guard family, the sealable packaging paper Sappi Seal and the folding boxboard Atelier. The showcasing of innovations in sustainable packaging papers will continue at interpack in Düsseldorf in May 2020.

“Environmentally friendly packaging” was the first leading theme of FachPack, which, according to Messe Nürnberg, really had its finger on the pulse. This theme also was given top priority by visitors that were attracted to the Sappi stand, by its wide range of innovative and sustainable application solutions.

Huge demand for specific projects
Almost fifty per cent more branded goods manufacturers, converters, established customers and interested parties visited the FachPack stand in Nuremberg compared to the previous year – with specific projects in mind. For those planning to replace composite packaging with a paper-based solution with integrated functionality, Sappi presented its Sappi Guard barrierpapers and highlighted some related best practice references. This included the packaging solution for a new nut-fruit bar, recently introduced to the market, from a well-known brand manufacturer. The Sappi Guard range includes Sappi Guard M and Sappi Guard MS with a mineral oil barrier (MOB) and a grease barrier of Kit 11 or Kit 7. All Guard papers guarantee very high product safety and can be completely recycled. The integrated heat sealability was the focus of the development of Sappi Seal. René Köhler, Head of Business Development Packaging and Speciality Papers at Sappi, says: “Reducing the consumption of fossil resources in packaging is a major concern for Sappi. On this account, we developed Sappi Seal, a functional paper with integrated heat sealing functionality which is integrated in the form of a dispersion coating on the reverse side of the paper and can replace papers with a PE coating.” Sappi presented a wide range of successfully completed projects in order to demonstrate the specific application of this paper to the trade fair visitors.

Die Neonyt (14. bis 16. Januar 2020) ist bei Ausstellern so gefragt, dass die Organisatoren derzeit Zusatzflächen am Flughafen Tempelhof prüfen. Viele Aussteller sind zum ersten Mal auf der Neonyt dabei, darunter Branchengrößen wie Armedangels, Blutsgeschwister, KnowledgeCotton Apparel, Kuyichi, Melvin & Hamilton oder Wolfskin Tech Lab.

Auf der kommenden Neonyt vom 14. bis 16. Januar 2020 im Hangar 4 des ehemaligen Flughafens Tempelhof wird der Platz bereits knapp. Der globale Hub für Mode, Nachhaltigkeit und Innovation zur Berlin Fashion Week ist mit der Neonyt Trade Show flächenmäßig ausgebucht und führt eine Warteliste mit nationalen und internationalen Labels. Um zusätzlichen Brands die Teilnahme an der kommenden Ausgabe zu ermöglichen, prüft die Messe Frankfurt als Veranstalter derzeit Möglichkeiten, die Fläche temporär zu erweitern. Anmeldungen für Aussteller sind weiterhin möglich.

„Der Tempelhof ist eine großartige Location, das war uns von Anfang an klar. Und ganz offensichtlich sind auch die Brands von der neuen Location und dem Konzept der Neonyt begeistert. Das freut uns sehr. Dass der Platz gerade knapp wird, liegt auch daran, dass einige unserer langjährigen Aussteller ihre Fläche deutlich vergrößert haben. Zum anderen möchten sich zahlreiche neue Brands auf der Neonyt präsentieren und auch das Interesse aus dem Ausland wächst weiter“, so Thimo Schwenzfeier, Show Director der Neonyt bei der Messe Frankfurt.

At EuroShop 2020 from 16 to 20 February, ECOpark will focus on energy storage solutions, cost reduction and climate protection
In future, the ENERGY STORAGE EUROPE (ESE) trade fair will cooperate with EuroShop, the world’s leading trade fair for retail investment requirements. As part of this cooperation, commercial enterprises will receive information on how they can use storage systems to implement energy saving measures, which in turn help them secure competitive advantages and commit to climate protection. ESE is expanding the user initiative that was started last year and which also comprises the cooperation with ProWein, the world’s leading trade fair for wines and spirits, as well as GNTM, the world’s leading trade fairs for metallurgy and foundry technology. The next ENERGY STORAGE EUROPE will take place in Düsseldorf from 10 to 12 March 2020.

“Our analyses show that many commercial users in retail, the metal industry and viticulture currently don't see storage as an integrated part of their energy systems and thus do not tap potentials for energy efficiency and climate protection,” says Andreas Moerke, Director ESE. “By cooperating with the leading trade fairs in these industries, we can show thousands of companies how energy storage can contribute to climate protection. In the coming months, we will approach the numerous customers of these trade fairs and connect them to energy storage system providers at ESE.”

The decision by Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of the annual Heimtextil exhibition for home textiles, to significantly expand its focus on textile technologies in 2020, has received an extremely enthusiastic response from members of TMAS, the Swedish textile machinery manufacturers association.

“Heimtextil is already a huge show, having attracted well over three thousand visitors to Frankfurt in January this year, filling all twelve halls of the Messe Frankfurt fair grounds,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “The expansion of textile technologies at next January’s Heimtextil can only help further boost this international community of manufacturers and suppliers for the home textiles market at all levels, and naturally we want to be a part of it.”

• ACG Kinna Automatic
  At Heimtextil 2019, TMAS member ACG Kinna Automatic generated a significant buzz with live demonstrations of its new robotic pillow filling system and will provide details of how it has been further developed over 2019, with several commercial systems now in place.
• Automatex
  Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2020, Automatex ES, the specialist in automated cutting, sewing and folding equipment, is planning to launch another innovation in advanced manufacturing for the bedding industry.
• IRO AB
  IRO AB has consistently introduced new milestones in the field of yarn feeding technology for weaving machines and at Heimtextil 2020 will be providing information on new introductions to its product range.
• Eltex
  Eltex is achieving considerable success with its yarn fault detection and tension monitoring systems across a range of sectors, including the tufting of carpets and the creeling of woven materials, but at Heimtextil 2020 the focus will be on its advanced systems for the sewn products sector, including the UPG-Stitch thread break sensor, which is based on the piezoelectric principle and is suitable for all types of yarns while being insensitive to dust, dirt and humidity variations.
• Svegea of Sweden
  Svegea of Sweden now has over 60 years of experience in exclusively designing, manufacturing and installing bespoke bias cutting, roll slitting and rewinding and inspection machines.
  The company’s complete Bias System includes a tube sewing unit a bias cutter/winder for opening up previously-formed tube material – spirally on a bias – and strip cutter.