ITMA ASIA + CITME – Strong attendance affirms combined show’s industry-leading position

Of the overseas participants, Indian visitors top the list, reflecting the strong growth of its textile industry. Following closely were trade visitors from Japan, China Taiwan, Korea and Bangladesh. Fritz P Mayer, President of CEMATEX said, “Each ITMA ASIA + CITME edition features an interesting presentation of the latest technologies by European exhibitors. On show this year was a wide range of solutions for automation and sustainable production, as well as those for the production of technical textiles and nonwoven materials.” “Response to the combined show has been very strong. There was a larger pool of qualified buyers and most of our exhibitors were able to achieve their business objectives. We are delighted with the positive outcome from our latest event,” he added.

Wang Shutian, President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) added, “The combined show provides industry members with a useful platform to conduct business, and learn about exciting new trends. Hence, we are very pleased to have the participation of both large and emerging players as they are important for meaningful industry collaboration, dialogue and networking.”

“The strong turnout of visitors to the combined show reinforces the reputation of ITMA ASIA + CITME as the most effective business platform in China for the industry. We shall continue to do our best to present the best technologies from both East and West to Chinese and Asian buyers,” added Shutian.

The total exhibition area at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 grossed 180,000 sq mtr and spanned seven halls. A total of 1,733 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions demonstrated their latest technological products that focus on automation and sustainable production. Following the tradition of ITMA and ITMA ASIA exhibitions, only manufacturers of textile machinery and accessories are qualified to take part in the combined show, and exhibitors must display original equipment on their stand, creating added interest for visitors.

China fields the biggest number of participants, occupying over 68,000 sq mtr of net exhibit space. In terms of Asian participation, Japan is the next biggest group, taking up over 3,500 sq mtr of net space. China Taiwan occupies nearly 2,500 sq mtr net.

In terms of European participation, Germany takes the largest space at nearly 6,400 sq mtr. This is followed closely by Italy with more than 5,200 sq mtr, and Switzerland with over 2,600 sq mtr. By product categories, spinning was the largest sector, occupying 22 per cent of the total exhibit space. Finishing machinery formed the next biggest group at 20 per cent, followed by knitting (19 per cent) and weaving (17 per cent). Following the successful staging of the 2018 edition, the next ITMA ASIA + CITME will be held in October 2020 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai.

Other major highlights from the show

During the event various press conferences were organised by leading associations from the industry. The Textile Machinery Associations ACIMIT, the Italian Textile Machinery Association ACIMIT and Italian Trade Agency, and its member companies spoke about what it is showcasing at the exhibition. It’s noteworthy, that this year around 130 Italian companies exhibited at the show. On the other side, UCTMF the French Textile Machinery Association provided an outstanding opportunity for the Asian and particularly the Chinese textile industry to meet the French textile machinery manufacturers. They are the sixth textile machinery exporters worldwide with state-of-the-art, world leaders in such fields as long fibre spinning, yarn twisting and control, space-dyeing, heat setting for carpet yarns, carpet systems, dyeing and finishing, felts and belts for finishing processes, nonwovens, air conditioning of textile plants and recycling processes of textile materials. Also, VDMA, the German Textile Machinery Association representatives presented highlights of their technology portfolio on topics including automation, performance improvement, quality, sustainable solutions, industry 4.0, digital AR/VR services, platforms, software. Besides, 15 members companies of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association also presented their latest technologies and solutions.

Some glimpses of show…