ITMA 2011 affirms position as leading global platform for textile and garment machinery industry

30 September 2011 – The international textile and garment machinery industry converged for the 16th edition of ITMA, the world’s most established textile and garment machinery technology exhibition in Barcelona, Spain from 22 to 29 September 2011.

Trade visitorship of over 100,000 from 138 countries was registered for the eight-day event held at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via fairgrounds. Just over ninety per cent of the visitors came from outside of Spain. The international mix of visitors and buyers was very well received by exhibitors.

Mr Stephen Combes, President of CEMATEX said, “ITMA 2011 has surpassed our expectations. Considering that the world is still facing economic difficulties, the vast majority of our exhibitors are delighted with the quality and the number of visitors. According to our national associations, their members have reported significant enquiries and many have taken even more orders than they hoped for.

“The textile and garment industry must be commended for its resilience and willingness to invest and to innovate. The sales and serious enquiries generated from qualified international visitors are greatly appreciated by the exhibitors, and our participants have all given a very positive response to the show.”

A delighted exhibitor, Mr Attilio Camozzi, President of Marzoli, commented: "A lot of commercial negotiations have started and orders have been finalised for approximately 30 million euros with customers from Argentina, India, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan."

Italy fielded the largest contingent of 9 per cent of visitors, followed closely by host country Spain, then India. Germany and Turkey ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the visitorship tally. Making it to the top 10 list from outside of Europe are Brazil and Iran.

“The majority of the visitors are from the textile making hubs in Asia, and Central and South America. Thanks to our extensive promotions, we have been able to attract leading textile and garment makers from these vibrant areas. Being global companies, they need to invest in innovative, yet cost-effective solutions to stay ahead of the competition,” said Ms Sylvia Phua, CEO of MP International, organiser of ITMA 2011 and 2015.

“ITMA 2011 demonstrated the finest of global excellence in textile manufacturing technology. India is emerging as the preferred base for textile manufacturing and Indian buyers were able to evaluate various machines for procurement during ITMA 2011. As a policy planner and in order to usher in India’s next leap into finer processing, finishing and a strong textile hub, it was particularly gratifying to be shown the finest technology in the world and a range of options at ITMA 2011,” said Ms Rita Menon, Textiles Secretary, Government of India, who led a high level delegation that included the Joint Secretary (Textiles) and the Textile Commissioner.

The Indian delegation was among the over 50 groups from 27 countries welcomed at the exhibition. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) delegation was headed by the Secretary of Textiles from Bangladesh. The Vietnamese Vice Minister of Trade and Industry also led a delegation. Association groups came from all over the world, ranging from Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Middle East.
 
On the show floor, ITMA 2011 attracted 1,350 exhibitors from 45 countries and economies who demonstrated their latest technological products and innovative solutions. Another major area of focus was sustainability. Many exhibitors displayed their latest green technology and products that are friendly to the environment.

The new fibre and yarn sector was particularly well-received by both exhibitors and visitors.
 
“The opening of a fibre and yarn sector this year was one of the greatest initiatives announced for ITMA’s 60th anniversary edition. In our first participation at ITMA, we could meet both current and new customers from around the globe. ITMA was a perfect platform to communicate our marketing innovations and sustainability plan: ‘Planet Agenda’,” said Ms Denise Sakuma, Global Director of Brand & Communications at INVISTA Apparel Business.

Mr Michael P. Viniconis, President of Argus Fire Control, whose company has been exhibiting for eight editions of ITMA enthused, “This has been the best ITMA ever! The exposure we have received has been fantastic and we have seen a large number of visitors from many different countries. We are happy with the business opportunities from this show and are ready to book space for ITMA 2015.”

Marking 60 years since its first show in 1951, ITMA 2011 featured exhibits from the entire textile and garment making value-chain spread over 200,000 square metres of gross exhibition space.

Show owner CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, along with organiser MP International, had also introduced several new and innovative offerings tailored to suit the changing needs of the global industry.

Innovation at its best
Miss Maria Avery, Secretary General of CEMATEX said, “The main focus of ITMA has always been about innovation, and it has never been more apparent than at the 2011 edition. We have received many commendations for the conferences we have introduced, along with the new chapters we have added to the exhibition profile. This evolution of ITMA has paved the way for greater success for future editions to promote innovation at its best.”

Some 700 industry professionals were present for ‘Conferences @ ITMA’, a series of collaborative events designed to cater to specific industries and sectors, which included the World Textile Summit, Sustainable Textile Leaders Roundtable, Textile Dyestuff and Chemical Leaders Forum, IFAI Advanced Textiles Europe 2011, and the Young Entrepreneurs of Textile International Meeting.

“The Forum has achieved its objectives. From speakers to attendees, the quality of discussion generated will definitely spark more innovative solutions for a sustainable future,” said Mr Andrew Filarowski, Technical Director of Society of Dyers and Colourists and Moderator for the Textile Dyestuff and Chemical Leaders Forum.

Apart from educational events, research and education was another focus for this 16th edition of ITMA. As part of the move by CEMATEX to focus on the sustainable development of the textile and garment industry, the Research & Education (R&E) Pavilion presented leading edge textile materials and technology research from 47 universities and institutes from 20 countries. Highlights included the European Textile Research and Education Pavilion led by AUTEX, EURATEX and TEXTRANET, and the Speakers’ Platform, where participants presented their latest research findings.

Making plans for 2015
With the success of ITMA 2011, preparations are already underway for the next edition of ITMA, which will be held in Milan, Italy.

Said Mr Sandro Salmoiraghi, President of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, “Italy is delighted to be chosen to host the 2015 edition of ITMA. We are already in talks with the Milan city officials and other relevant stakeholders to deliver a world-class event.”

MP International’s Ms Phua, said, “We look forward to working with CEMATEX again for the next edition of ITMA. Despite the challenging business environment, we are encouraged by the warm response. We will take in the suggestions of our participants and continue to build a platform that is relevant to the industry.”

ITMA 2015 will be held from 12 to 19 November 2015 at the Fiera Milano (Rho) in Milan, Italy. For more information, please visit www.itma.com.

About ITMA
Considered the ‘Olympics’ of textile machinery exhibitions, ITMA has a 60-year history of displaying the latest in machinery and software for every single work process of textile making. It is held every four years in Europe.

About CEMATEX
The European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX) comprises national textile machinery associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It is the owner of ITMA and ITMA ASIA.

About MP International
Established in Singapore in 1987, MP International Pte Ltd is a professional exhibition and conference organiser. It received the Enterprise 50 award for two consecutive years, in 2001 and 2002. To date, it has organised and managed some 300 major national, regional and international events. It is the organiser of ITMA ASIA 2001 and 2005, and co-organiser of ITMA ASIA+CITME 2008, 2010 and 2012.  

Issued by: CEMATEX and MP International Pte Ltd

For more information, please contact:

Miss Maria Avery
CEMATEX
Tel: +44 7967 477305
Email: info@cematex.com
Website:www.cematex.com

Ms Daphne Poon
MP International Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6393 0238 / +34 697 295 309
Email: daphnepoon@mpinetwork.com
Website:www.mpinetwork.com

Ms Jody Teo
MP International Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6393 0248 / +34 697 293 326
Email: jodyteo@mpinetwork.com

Posted: October 2011

Top of Page

Use the CEMATEX Hotline to contact us.