The collocated events delivered a positive vibe despite tariffs and other economic concerns.
TW Special Report
Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas 2025, held recently at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, showcased the best of the technical textiles and sewn products industry from almost 400 exhibitors from 28 countries. No visitor numbers were released by the show organizer Messe Frankfurt Inc., Atlanta, but it’s fair to say attendance was strong based on the number of people observed on the show floor and the general loud buzz in the halls.
“It’s inspiring to see such a diverse, dynamic community coming together under one roof,” said Sarah Hatcher, group show director for Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas. “This event is about more than what’s on display. It’s about the energy of discovery, the exchange of ideas and the relation-ships that drive this industry forward.
Techtextil North America is incorporated with ATME-I, and Texprocess Americas is coproduced by Raleigh, N.C.-based SPESA — the industry association for suppliers to the sewn products industry.
“We’re incredibly pleased with the success of Texprocess Americas and Techtextil North America!” said SPESA President Michael McDonald. “There were more new exhibitors and first-time attendees than we’ve seen in recent years, which exemplifies the importance of these collocated shows. It also serves as a reminder that the industry is resilient and eager to build production processes closer to home.
“It has always been our mission for Texprocess Americas and Techtextil North America to be an essential gathering place for people to better understand the vast soft goods manufacturing ecosystem that exists in the Americas. Whether it was through show floor networking, the Opening Night Reception, or the multitude of educational offerings, I’m confident that we achieved that goal.”
Unified Exhibit Floor, Plenty To Experience
The combined Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas exhibitors provided a comprehensive look at the textile supply chain from raw materials and machinery to finished goods and supporting services. The show floor featured a showcase of the latest technologies, live demonstrations and the educational Tech Talks sessions. This year’s Tech Talks sessions were organized by Casey Strauch, Hohenstein Institute America, Melissa Sharp, Zeis Textiles Extension, Xochil Herrera Scheer, The Chicago Pattern Maker, and Jasmine Cox-Wade, Gaston College, who, according to Messe Frankfurt, helped bring some fresh perspective to the talks.
The symposium sessions, held away from the show floor in a classroom setting and available for an extra fee, offered visitors a deeper dive into education with both Techtextil North America and Texprocess hosting industry experts speaking on a variety of hot-button topics of importance to the industry including policy.
“I really liked the Symposium… it [had] a wide variety of [people] and speakers and I think it was great [to have] options of what might be interesting, and also [to learn] more about what other parts of the industry are doing… there was a [session] about recycled materials that I thought was amazing,” said Under Armour’s Stephanie Minite.
Innovation Awards
The Innovation Awards, presented on the show floor, honored companies and technologies that are groundbreaking and intelligent, sustainable and creative.
“The Innovation Awards continue to be a highlight of the show,” said Alexis Sivcovich, show manager, Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas. “This year’s winners proved that the future of our industry is not only bright — it’s already here.”
Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., was awarded the Best New Technology prize by Techtextil North America. On the Texprocess Americas side, Terrebonne, Québec-based Automatex Inc. won the Best New Technology & Digitalization award for its automated fitted sheet sewing and folding line; Tokyo-based JUKI won the Best New Technology award for its JUKI DX-01 lockstitch sewing system; and Alpharetta, Ga.-based Aptean Inc. won the Best New Concept prize for its Aptean Shop Floor Control.
“Receiving this award means a lot to us having been in the industry for many years,” said Per Bringle, senior manager, Aptean. “Increasing the efficiencies in productivity is just more important than ever right now. We really appreciate the recognition for the tools that we have developed to help manufacturers automate, shrink costs, and become more efficient. Bringing these technologies to the table to keep the margins intact and create greater throughput is needed now more than ever.”
Well-Attended Reception
An opening-night reception co-hosted by Messe Frankfurt and SPESA, and promoted by the Alphabet Soup Collective of textile organizations was a sold-out affair. Many show participants who waited to buy a ticket were disappointed to learn they could not get in the day of the reception. The event offered good food, continued networking and live-band karaoke for those brave enough to get up and sing.
Participants’ Point-Of-View
The ever-changing tariff issues loomed large, but seemed to have little impact on the success of the show. In fact, most participants spoke highly of numerous business opportunities that were discussed during the three-day event.
“Techtextil North America in Atlanta was one of the best for Mehler Engineered Products,” said Jim Briggs, Mehler’s general manager for North America. “We had numerous meetings on new and existing business. We also met several engineers to discuss product designs for future developments. This is a testimony to the quality of the attendees at the event, as well as the work we put into setting up technical discussions in advance.” Briggs also noted that as a Germany-based company, Mehler books a booth in the Germany Pavilion, which offers the company additional resources during Techtextil North America.
Spartanburg, S.C.-based Symtech Inc.’s CEO Per Olofsson echoed Briggs’ comments. “We had lots of excellent discussions with both cur-rent and new customers from all over the country,” he reported.
Dominic Rawson, managing director, R&M International, Norristown, Pa., usually attends the show as a visitor. However, “We exhibited this year and found it to be very worthwhile,” Rawson said. “We generated some very good leads for some of the new business we are promoting in aramids and carbon fibers. We found a lot of interest in our recycling and sustain-ability programs as we are making felts using recycled carbon fibers for use in prepregs for lightweight structures.” Rawson also noted there was a strong presence from Europe at the show. “I believe there will be a lot more cooperation between the United States and European countries due to fears of relying solely on China as a supplier,” he said. “The general mood was positive from customers and suppliers who are confident that tariffs will get sorted out, but more importantly, new opportunities will come to the surface.”
The next Techtextil North America will take place next in Raleigh, N.C., August 4-6, 2026. The collocated Texprocess Americas and Techtextil North America will return to Atlanta May 11-13, 2027.
2025 Quarterly Issue II
