FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. — July 27, 2023 — Moss Inc., a provider of high-quality graphics and tension fabric structures, is pleased to announce the promotion of Joe Wilush to the position of director of Sales and Account Management. In his new role, Wilush will assume leadership of a dedicated team of account managers responsible for selling and overseeing projects that serve Moss’ exhibit and event client base. Wilush will also uphold the company’s customer service standards while driving revenue growth.
“We always love it when we can promote great people from within the organization,” said Jason Popp, president and CEO of Moss. “Joe’s comprehensive grasp of the transformative potential of branded environments and the lasting impact they have across various industries is exceptional. Joe is an empathetic leader, a clear communicator, and has a proven ability to make smart business decisions, optimize resources, and execute operational policies in a fast-paced environment.”
Drawing upon 14 years of experience in sales and account management within the tradeshow and live event industry, Joe brings a wealth of expertise to his new position. Wilush’s work experience, including time with Hilton Worldwide and onPeak, solidifies his reputation for unwavering reliability, dedication, and commitment to Moss’ clientele.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to expand upon Moss’ solid foundation as a leader in exhibit, event, and permanent environments,” Wilush said. “I hope to improve the way we serve our customers and drive visionary results. I’m thrilled to continue exploring innovative approaches to deliver exceptional exhibit and experiential solutions.”
Joe’s ability to cultivate strong internal teamwork and collaboration will continue to be a driver for Moss’ success in providing the highest quality services, products, and experiences for its clients. In his role, Wilush will continue developing relationships with new and existing clients with the overarching goal of meeting customer’s budgets, addressing challenging project lead times, and offering innovative solutions that push the boundaries for great exhibit and experiential design.
AUSTIN, Texas — July 31, 2023 — SparkCognition, a provider of B2B artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions, today announced a further expansion into Pakistan through its partnership with Core9 and its latest customer, CHT Pakistan Pvt. Ltd., a textile subsidiary of CHT Group. CHT Pakistan is deploying SparkCognition’s computer vision solution, Visual AI Advisor, to enhance worker safety, improve productivity, and help ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance. This announcement builds on SparkCognition’s existing relationships in Pakistan, including customers such as Punjab Beverages, a Pepsico Pakistan franchise bottling company, Kale Labs, a digital supply chain and salesforce automation technology company, and Kohinoor Maple Leaf Group (KMLG), a textiles and cement manufacturer.
Established in July 2005, CHT Pakistan produces high-quality products mainly for the textile industry and is an exclusively owned subsidiary of the CHT Group, a worldwide multinational company focused on specialty chemicals. Their products help improve the quality, functionality, and performance of textiles, binding materials, dyes, coats, and leather, as well as cleaning and care products for different fields of application.
“The textile industry is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and workforce, and CHT Pakistan has been committed to delivering innovative and sustainable products to textile companies across the country,” said Haroon Ali Khan, CEO and managing director of CHT Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. “By implementing SparkCognition Visual AI Advisor, we can proactively monitor and address workplace safety with real-time insights while improving PPE compliance and preventing serious injuries.”
SparkCognition Visual AI Advisor is a secure and proactive computer vision solution that leverages existing cameras to analyze situations in real time and provide actionable alerts. It scales to thousands of cameras using a low-code/no-code integration framework and deploys at the edge, ensuring privacy and enterprise security. Visual AI Advisor has been contracted on over 130,000 cameras, across 16 countries, and features 125+ pre-built use cases for safety, security, operational efficiency, quality control, and situational awareness.
“With AI rapidly expanding across Pakistan and the rest of the Middle East, SparkCognition is uniquely positioned to help businesses drive efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure safe operations with their breakthrough AI solutions,” Nabeel Ahmad Tahir, CEO of Core9. “SparkCognition’s growing presence in Pakistan, with customers like Punjab Beverages, Kale Labs, KMLG, and now, CHT Pakistan, demonstrates the trust and confidence placed in the company’s capabilities and solutions.”
“Workplace accidents take their toll with over 340 occupational incidents a year costing businesses in excess of $175 billion,” said Stephen Gold, CMO of SparkCognition. “Our patented AI solutions, like Visual AI Advisor, enable organizations to keep workers safe, streamline processes, and avoid unplanned downtime.”
MEDINA, Ohio — July 31, 2023 — Fire-Dex, a fast-growing manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders, is growing again with the opening of a new production facility in Old Fort, N.C. As the company’s fourth major production center, the 25,000-square-foot Old Fort facility, located at 59 Commerce Street, will play a vital role in ensuring quality craftsmanship, fast shipping and attentive service to customers for years to come.
“While our footprint is rapidly expanding westward, we serve a large portion of the East Coast with many relationships that go back decades,” said John Karban, vice president of Operations for Fire-Dex. “Old Fort presents a unique opportunity to position critical resources closer to major customers and, at the same time, boost the local economy by keeping a number of jobs in Old Fort.”
Fire-Dex arrives in Old Fort following the purchase of a recently vacated apparel manufacturing building that had employed over 60 associates. Operating from the new space, Fire-Dex has prioritized the rehiring of these workers to create an exceptional sewing-ready facility with access to skilled craftspeople and leadership talent.
“It was late in June when we found out about these jobs and flew our executives to Old Fort the following week,” says Bill Burke, chairman and owner of Fire-Dex. “Within 10 days a lease was signed for the facility, and we started the process of bringing these former employees onboard.”
With all the critical pieces in place, including infrastructure, equipment and personnel, Fire-Dex is swiftly integrating its business into the community’s rich heritage.
“As of last week, we have begun shipping machines to the new location to prepare to set up a Fire-Dex facility and begin training,” says Jordan Shanahan, Old Fort plant manager. “We’ve hired 15 associates and plan to hire around 10 more by the quarter’s end, with many of these being former employees at this location. Personally, I am thrilled to be a part of a company that is committed to manufacturing excellence and has a vision to become a world leader.”
Karban explains that associates will first be trained in making suspenders and pockets before the facility ramps up to full PPE production over the next 18 months. As activities accelerate, Fire-Dex anticipates hiring up to 200 full-time sewers to support garment assembly needs.
“Our new facility in Old Fort will meet the same high standards that all Fire-Dex facilities strive for,” Karban adds. “This includes Pelham, Georgia, where back in 2018 we succeeded in keeping over 50 jobs in the region after making it our home, and have since expanded to employ over 100 team members. More recently, our fast growth has made the addition of a fourth production center essential, and we look forward to welcoming the new associates to our Fire-Dex Family.”
Protecting everyday heroes with top-quality gear while meeting manufacturing goals with greater agility has been the mission of Fire-Dex since 1983. Now celebrating 40 years in business, the company’s popularity and sales have soared dramatically as generations of firefighters and first responders have come to know and trust the Fire-Dex name and its reputation for safety.
LEEDS, England — July 31, 2023 — Continuing a year of exponential growth and investment, Leeds (UK)-based NIRI has relocated to new headquarters, with a £1.2 million investment that more than doubles the size of their facilities and includes seven new laboratories with increased R&D capability.
The new facilities at Innovation House have been designed in close collaboration with NIRI’s textile engineers and material scientists, a 40-strong team with combined experience of more than 400 years of textile science and industrial expertise. The facility boasts a range of cutting-edge equipment, much of which is bespoke to NIRI. This purpose-built environment is ideal for the creation of the next generation of nonwoven and fibres, ranging from lightweight fabrics to durable materials, tailor-made for specific client applications.
Chris Fowler, NIRI Group founder, highlights NIRI’s continuing expansion plans: “We’ve invested in more equipment, more people, bigger and better-equipped labs. This move will help enable us to deliver our three-year strategy for growth, with the expansion of our functional chemistry, formulation, and polymer engineering capability; recruitment of 20 additional technical textile scientists; acquisition of complimentary operations, and the expansion of our US and EU presence. Having successfully proven our model we will soon be seeking the right investment partner to accelerate our growth and deliver positive impact to more organizations across the globe”.
Over the last 17 years, and guided by the vision of its founders Chris Fowler and Professor Stephen Russell (Group Technical Director), NIRI has established itself as a global leader in sustainable innovation. NIRI has a proven track record of transforming raw materials into fully functional prototypes, ready to be scaled up and developed for commercial release across consumer and industrial sectors. The new facilities at Innovation House allow for continued expansion and for further ground-breaking scientific R&D, collaborating with businesses and utilising cutting-edge technologies to accelerate client growth.
Dr. Matthew Tipper, NIRI’s CEO, comments on the rationale for investment and on the expertise underpinning the company’s growth, “In today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing world, unprecedented levels of innovation are required to develop the next generation of textile products and processes. Our team of world-class scientists, engineers, and analysts apply technical excellence with commercial understanding to unlock ideas and translate them into commercially viable products.
Our unrivaled strategic and development services have delivered business growth and competitive advantage to our clients through highly volatile market environments. Having completed over 950 projects for over 400 clients across the whole of the textile supply chain, our growth is mirrored by the value and success that we provide.
Improved sustainability is at the forefront of our work, and we are excited to be delivering positive impact for our clients, ensuring a more sustainable future.”
At the opening of Innovation House, the demand for sustainable product development was a headline topic. Unveiling a plaque to commemorate the event, the Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, highlighted the value nonwoven innovation has for society as a whole, “You are helping to design the future… Creating products that are genuinely biodegradable, will not add to the problems of the planet, that will help us to solve climate change – you couldn’t be doing a more important job.”
Fowler reiterates this, as a key driver for NIRI: “The vast majority of our work is addressing sustainability. NIRI helps companies reduce reliance on plastics and meet new regulatory standards. We help reduce the environmental impact of numerous products for clients across a host of sectors, with R&D and commercial solutions to improve biodegradability, compostability, dispersibility, end of life disassembly, working towards a truly circular economy.
Our investment and the opening of Innovation House represents a major milestone in NIRI’s history and is testament to the work we carry out every day — work that delivers a truly positive impact for our clients, for society, and for the planet. We are now able to help even more companies to develop better and more sustainable products, worldwide.”
As NIRI embarks on this new chapter at Innovation House, the company looks forward to welcoming clients, partners, and industry stakeholders to visit the state-of-the-art facility and witness first-hand the breakthrough advancements being made in nonwoven and fiber research.
Posted: August 1, 2023
Source: The Nonwovens Innovation And Research Institute (NIRI)
Manufacturers, brands and retailers are getting the message. Consumers are interested and want to know more about the products in their life. From the food they eat to the clothes they wear, consumers want to know more than ever where products come from, how wholesome the ingredients are and what impact they have on the environment — both as they are produced and after they are consumed.
One doesn’t have to look back too far to see how dramatic this transformation has been. Who knew the tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, granola eaters of the late-1960s were ahead of their time?
The mainstreaming of environmental awareness demands manufacturers, brands and retailers get on board or be lost, awash in the green tide.
It wasn’t that long ago the concept of sustainability was something new and it established a need for transparency throughout supply chains.
Early pioneers — like Ray Anderson, the founder and chairman of modular carpet manufacturer Interface Inc. — put the impact of industry on the environment at the center of his company’s culture. Sustainable production and consumption were essential to Anderson, who passed away in 2011.The Ray C. Anderson Foundation was established in his memory to perpetuate Anderson’s notion of “ … businesses doing well by doing good,”and continue his legacy. The foundation notes, “It’s these noble qualities of advancing knowledge and innovation around environmental stewardship and sustainability that recognized Ray as a pioneer in industrial ecology.”
Along the way, the industry learned that cost saving initiatives that reduced water, power and chemical consumption were not only good for business and the environment, but also curried favor with brands and retailers. At the time, who knew brands were even interested?
Today, communicating the environmental impact of products has become an integral part of marketing, branding and personal relations.
Industry response to downstream industry demands couldn’t be more clearly demonstrated than in the “PFAS In The News” feature in this issue of Textile World. Executive Editor Rachael Davis explores the multifaceted debate of the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), particularly in textiles. But PFAS chemistry is everywhere and used in countless consumer and industrial applications.
Known for conferring performance properties as a repellent finish and more, chemistry based on the powerful chemical bond between fluorine and carbon molecules was a magical discovery that led to the development of thousands of chemical compounds.
Now, government regulation, industry and the consumer are driving innovation and change in the world of PFAS chemistry. An informed debate is essential here because not all PFAS are the same. And it can be argued that in some applications PFAS chemistry is necessary to achieve the performance required for some very highly technical products.
Real change is happening in products that are less performance oriented or those that can achieve the necessary performance attributes with alternative chemistries.
A rush to judgment and government regulation is concerning, but pivoting to less concerning chemistries when possible may not be such a bad outcome.
Acting Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for Textiles Dr. Laurie-Ann Agama recently wrapped up a three-day visit to state-of-the-art U.S. textile manufacturing facilities in North and South Carolina. Dr. Agama was joined by USTR textile trade officials as she toured Glen Raven, Barnet, Standard Textile, Parkdale Mills, Beverly Knits, Gildan and Unifi. The tour ended with an industry roundtable discussion with key textile executives that was hosted by Unifi in Greensboro, N.C. Executives spoke about critical policies such as the importance of maintaining the yarn forward rule of origin in the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement and upholding the Buy American and Berry Amendment government procurement policies, among other topics.
“We deeply appreciate Assistant USTR Agama’s visit to the heart of the U.S. textile industry in North and South Carolina this week to meet with U.S. textile executives and experience first-hand the breadth of the industry’s innovation, advanced sustainability practices, capital investments and critical contributions to local economies and the U.S. economy as a whole,” said Kim Glas, president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations.“We look forward to working closely with Dr. Agama, the USTR textile team and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai to advance policies that provide incentives for onshoring and nearshoring production and bolstering the industry’s competitiveness, while enforcing policies that address illegal trade practices that undermine this industry,” Glas added.
“The U.S. textile industry has always been resilient, innovative, and a driving force of our nation’s competitiveness,” said Dr. Agama.“For USTR, this local engagement and conversations underscore our need to create trade policies that put workers first and promote inclusive economic growth.”
Glen Raven, Burlington, N.C., reports it has reached an agreement to sell its Strata geosynthetics products and related construction business to India-based Hella Infra Market Pvt. Ltd. “This move enables us to focus on expanding our leadership in Glen Raven’s core markets and extending our brand into new spaces,” said Glen Raven CEO Leib Oehmig.
Glen Raven acquired Strata in 2007 as part of a larger acquisition and worked to expand its global presence with partner Strata Geosystems India Pvt. Ltd. The sale is not expected to impact any jobs at Strata and the company’s global operations should continue without interruption. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are proud of the tremendous success of Strata as part of Glen Raven and the work of the outstanding team that supports the business,”said Oehmig. “Aligning the business with a construction-centric organization positions Strata and its associates for continued growth and success.”
Domestic polyester staple fiber producer Fiber Industries, Darlington, S.C., has rebranded as Darling Fibers.The company also has established Darlington Green, a sustainability hub for textiles and packaging manufacturing and related research, development, and innovation.
“We are aligning our brand and purpose with our potential,” said Don Bockoven, CEO of Darling Fibers.“Our goal is to build on our rich heritage as an organization by fostering innovation and spurring productivity while preserving and enhancing the environment. We envision accelerating the growth and resilience of America’s textiles and packaging industries through collaboration and partnership.”
“Darlington Green is in active discussions with partners to co-locate manufacturing and pilot new products and emerging recycling technologies, harness our collective expertise and revitalize the U.S. polyester and plastic industry,” said George Bandy Jr., chief sustainability officer, Darling Fibers.
Darling Fibers envisions its 765-acre campus as a hub for sustainable innovation.The company is forming an advisory board comprised of community and industry stakeholders to establish a formal mission and vision for Darlington Green with the goal of bringing together manufacturers, state and local governments, academic institutions, entrepreneurs and other interested parties to invigorate and advance sustainability efforts.
“More than 380 million tons of plastic waste was generated in the world last year and only 10 percent of that plastic was recycled, with the rest incinerated, landfilled or dumped in our oceans,” Bandy added.
“We see Darling Fibers and Darlington Green as being at the forefront of finding solutions and capitalizing on opportunities presented by these profound challenges.”
IFAI Expo formally adopts new Advanced Textiles Expo name for 2023 edition of the show, and will collocate with the Sun Shading Expo North America.
TW Special Report
The Roseville, Minn.-based Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) is gearing up to host its first Advanced Textiles Expo — the new name for IFAI Expo that reflects the organization’s 2022 rebranding. The 2023 edition of the expo will take place in Orlando, Fla., at the Orange County Convention Center. Education sessions begin October 31 and the show floor is open November 1-3, 2023.
“We are delighted to be back in Orlando, Florida, for the launch of our newly rebranded Advanced Textiles Expo,” emphasized Steve Schiffman, ATA president and CEO. “Along with a new name we are also adding new programming to enhance engagement and value for attendees and exhibitors. This programming includes a ‘Next Generation’ networking event on the show floor, reimagined Demo area with more hands-on demonstrations, demonstrations in exhibitor booths and two deep dive workshops on Emotional Intelligence and Mastering Leader-ship for the Modern Sales Team.”
What To Expect
The show will again collocate with Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America to bring a whole new dimension of attendee and exhibitor value to Advanced Textiles Expo, according to Schiffman. The collocation of the events for these two complementary industries offers value in terms of connecting with customers, suppliers, end-product manufacturers, and industry counterparts, as well as providing growth opportunities. Attendees have access to both events including the combined show floor, show floor education, keynote speakers and networking receptions. The only exceptions are Advanced Textile Expo’s classroom education, which is only open to Advanced Textile Expo registrants; and Sun Shading Expo classroom education, which is only open to Sun Shading Expo registrants. The show floor will feature the ATA Hub, which is a great place to learn more about ATA or join a member division open meeting. Also on the show floor, ATA announced the return of the Adopt-a-Puppy Fundraising booth, as well as the Demo booth — a hands-on educational space for makers and materials suppliers.
Advanced Textile Expo’s Annual Fun Run/Walk will take place Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. Participants will be led by experienced locals on a walk or run through Orlando. Runners can choose a pace group and distance and then enjoy the views.
Nighttime Fun
At the end of the first day, Advanced Textile Expo will host an official opening reception from 5-6 p.m. ATA invites all participants to mix and mingle while enjoying some refreshments and conversation to wrap up the first day of the show. The reception is included with all registration types.
Those who opt to purchase a separate ticket when registering can move from the opening reception to Industry Night, which this year will be held at the Blake Shelton’s Ole Red starting at 7 p.m. As always, live music will be provided by ATA member band Hangin’ by a Thread.
Education
Those who register for the basic show floor pass will have access to more than 10 hours of campfire education sessions that will be hosted on the show floor. The campfire sessions are broken into three categories —Emerging Technologies, Shade and Weather Protection, and Specialty Fabrics — and will be held in separate areas of the show floor.
The Expo Plus registration option covers the show floor with campfire sessions, as well as more than 15 hours of classroom sessions covering advanced textiles, specialty fabrics, shade/weather, marine fabricators and general business topics. Attendees who register for the All Access pass gain access to the Emerging Technologies Conference that starts one day before the show floor opens, in addition to the Expo plus classroom education and campfire sessions. The Emerging Technologies Conference begins with a luncheon and plenary session on October 31; followed by 50-minute-long sessions on topics such as e-textiles, advanced manufacturing and applications. The conference continues on November 1 and 2 with sessions held in the morning. A complete list of conference sessions will be available on the event website closer to the show date.
ATA also is offering Deep Dive Workshops, brought back by popular demand. There are two options in 2023 that will be held on Tuesday, October 31 from 1-4 p.m. Option one, Mastering Leadership for the Modern Sales Team, will be hosted by Toby Payne, a partner, sales trainer and consultant with Sandler Training. The session will cover understanding your sales people and unlocking their potential; streamlining the onboarding process; creating a culture of accountability to empower salespeople; and sustaining motivation.
Deep Dive Workshop option two on Emotional Intelligence Training will be hosted by Dr. Melissa Fur-man, owner/consultant with Career Potential LLC. The workshop is designed to provide participants with tools and strategies to enhance their own emotional intelligence to impact decision-making, teamwork, productivity, stress management and problem solving in a positive way; as well as tools to manage and develop emotional intelligence in others. The session includes an emotional intelligence assessment that needs to be completed prior to the session.
Keynote Speaker
ATA has selected Jeff Butler as this year’s keynote speaker. This workplace expert’s keynote, titled “Building and Effective Multigenera-tional Workforce,” will focus on work with and managing various generations.
For more information about Advanced Textiles Expo and to register, please visit advancedtextilesexpo.com.
“Excellent,” “outstanding,” “more than positive” and “extremely successful” were just some of the words used by participants to describe ITMA 2023.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Apparently nothing — not even a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and global banking crisis, among other issues — could keep the textile industry from showing up at ITMA 2023, the industry’s quadrennial trade show owned by the European Committee of Textile
Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX).
Exhibitor numbers — 1,709 from 47 countries — came close to 2019’s record-breaking number of exhibitors. Despite the slightly lower number of exhibitors compared to 2019, the net exhibition space increased by 3 percent to 118,300 square meters.
A total of 867 exhibitors, or 63 percent of the net exhibit space was occupied by companies from CEMATEX countries — Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, France and Germany. Italian exhibitors formed the largest contingent with 422 companies, and also occupied the largest amount of space at 30 percent. Germany followed with 198 exhibiting companies in 15 percent of the net exhibit space. The third largest group of exhibitors was from Turkey with 191 companies occupying 12 percent of the show floor space.
“Interestingly, we also welcomed new exhibitors from Tunisia, Estonia, Ireland, Norway, Ukraine, and as far as Panama, Peru and Honduras,” said Ernesto Maurer, CEMATEX president. “Due to high demand, about 150 applicants were unable to be accommodated as some sectors were sold out after the space application deadline,” Maurer added.
In terms of participation by sector, the top five sectors were: finishing with 329 exhibitors and 27 percent of exhibit space; spinning with 257 exhibitors and 13 percent of exhibit space; weaving with 161 exhibitors and 10 percent of exhibit space; printing with 146 exhibitors and 12 percent of exhibit space; and knitting with 128 exhibitors and 10 percent of exhibit space.
ITMA 2023’s sustainability focus was wholeheartedly embraced by seemingly all the exhibitors. Innovations mostly seemed to focus on savings in energy, water and materials, as well as recycling and circular production. While not one of the top exhibitor sectors, exhibitors in the recycling sector increased to 31 total exhibitors and doubled exhibit space from 2019. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 also was a prevalent theme and the number of exhibitors showcasing software for the industry increased significantly compared to past editions.
“Digitalization and sustainability are twin drivers to build a better future for the industry,” said Charles Beauduin, chairman, ITMA Services. “Research and development in these areas have resulted in many ground-breaking technologies. Hence, these sectors have gained greater traction and there is a healthy growth in the number of exhibitors.”
Attendance
Some 111,000 visitors from 143 countries exceeded the number of attendees in 2019. Twenty-nine percent of the visitors came from Italy, followed by visitors from Turkey, India and Germany tied at 6 percent of the total, 4 percent traveled from France, and 3 percent of visitors were from Brazil.
“This edition has been a great success with the visitorship higher than the previous exhibition in 2019,” said Ernesto Maurer, CEMATEX president. “At this ITMA, the transformation journey toward digitalization and sustainability has taken a huge leap for-ward. It has been a mega gathering with the presence of stakeholders of the entire textile and garment making ecosystem. CEMATEX associations and their member companies, as well as all other exhibitors, are delighted with the results as the exhibition has surpassed all our expectations.”
“The results of Milan edition con-firmed ITMA as the most important showcase for world textile machinery,” added Federico Pellegata, director of the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT). “It was a great success, judging from the quality of visitors in attendance, and many Italian exhibitors have secured contracts and sold their machines.”
Quality As Well As Quantity
Speaking of the quality and number of attendees, Pellegata’s observation was confirmed by most of the exhibitors at the show.
“We had good traffic at our booth in Barcelona, but visitors seemed like more tire kickers and fewer decision makers,” said Roland Zimmer, vice president, North American Sales, Zimmer Austria Inc., Spartanburg, S.C. “But here in Milan, our booth has been very busy the first few days and we have seen lots of decision makers.”
“We have had an amazing turnout,” said Rolf Erik Schoeler, global head of sales and marketing for Switzerland-based Benninger Group. “We compared the number of visitors to our booth with Barcelona and they are 30 percent higher. People also seem optimistic despite the increase in power costs. Optimism is definitely there, and we have honestly been overwhelmed.”
“I have been attending ITMA trade shows since 1991,” said Rick Stanford, vice president, Global Business Development, Textile, St. Louis-based Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. “This ITMA has been crazy busy and blows all the others away. The first two days, our booth was so busy the only way to fit more people in was if they stood on each other’s heads. It was impossible to fit any more people in the booth!”
“We are pleased to share that ITMA 2023 was an excellent event for Dornier,” reported Oliver Meier, executive vice president, American Dornier Machinery Corp., Charlotte, N.C. “The introduction of the A2 air-jet weaving machine at the show sparked interesting conversations, new ideas and initiatives that will have a positive impact on Dornier’s future business developments.”
Brandon Reese, marketing, Measured Solutions, Greenville, S.C., said he noticed strong attendance from U.S. visitors. “The Textechno booth was much more active in Milan than four years ago in Barcelona,” Reese said. “Visitors were interested in the topic of recycling and testing the fiber strength and length of recycled fibers. We also met with a number of customers who were talking about plant-based fibers.”
(Left to right): Celestino Panzeri, Limonta; Will Motchar, Navis TubeTex; Ernesto Maurer; Alberto Candiani, Candiani S.p.A.; Sergio Gori, FK Group; Vincenzo Di Ascenzio, Denim Moda S.r.l.; and Stefano Tessarolo, Jeanologia.
Awards
ITMA 2023 again conferred its Sustainable Innovation Award and 2023 Research & Innovation Award to finalists who were selected by a panel of industry experts assembled by show organizers. Finalists for the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award were Italy-based Candiani S.p.A. nominated by FKgroup for its Candiani Custom microfactory project; Denim Moda S.r.l. nominated by Jeanologia for its Denim Moda Urban Factory; and Italy-based Limonta nominated by Navis TubeTex for the Bio-FREED dyeing system. Candiani was named the winner, which marked the second recognition for the company after also taking the top honor in 2019.
“Winning this award represents true recognition of the importance of research and development, as well as the investments and efforts required to make a positive change through better processes and products,” said company President Alberto Candiani. “Candiani won the award in 2019, and this additional recognition has become a sign of consistency towards our commitment to continuous, tangible improvements.”
“CEMATEX launched the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award in 2015 to encourage and recognize the collaborative efforts of our exhibitors and their customers for the industry excellence category,” CEMATEX President Maurer noted. “Today, we are pleased to see another outstanding collaboration, and I would like to congratulate both Candiani and FKgroup for their innovative partnership. As the textile and fashion industry trends toward sustainability and circularity, we hope the Award will inspire more innovative efforts that result in business success, as well as benefit both planet and people.”
(Left to right): CEMATEX President Ernesto Maurer with winners of the 2023 Research & Innovation Award — Kumar Jois, accepting the award on behalf of first runner up Eva Wingerath; winner Philipp Benjamin Weigel; second runner up Maryam Sodagar and advisor Professor Thomas Gries, ITA Institut für Textiltechnik der RWTH Aachen University
The Research & Innovation Excellence Award was implemented “to encourage academic institutions to embark on research work that contributes to the future of the textile industry. Philipp Benjamin Weigel was named the winner for his Master’s thesis “Numerical Simulation of the Structural and Pull-out Behaviour of Parametrically Generated Profiled Carbon Polymer Yarns.” He was nominated by the Germany-based TU Dresden, Institute of Textile Machinery and High-Performance Material Technology.
Eva Wingerath was named first runner up for her thesis titled “Life Cycle Assessment and Evaluation of Composite Pressure Vessel End-Of-Life Recycling.” Maryam Sodagar was the second runner up for her thesis “Banana Fibre as a Sustainable and Renewable Resource for Reinforcement of Polylactic Acid.” Both students were nominated by the Germany-based ITA Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University.
Clockwise from top: Visitors had the chance to participate in several collocated conferences and events including partner event Planet Textiles, organized by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition; the ITMA Innovator Xchange show floor education; partner event ZDHC Impact Day 2023 organized by the ZDHC Foundation; the ITMA Nonwovens Forum; and the ITMA Textile Colourants and Chemicals Forum.
ITMAconnect
The event’s new digital listing of textile and garment technology manufacturers, ITMAconnect, was launched to complement ITMA. Available to ITMA participants prior to the show, the platform now is available to those who were unable to attend the event in person. People interested in accessing the platform to source and network with the inter-national companies who took part in the Milan exhibition may register at itma.com/dashboard/visitor/login.
Optimism For The Future?
Some U.S. textile manufacturers had reported a downturn in business conditions in the first half of 2023 and general rumblings appeared to lean negative about the overall future outlook for the U.S. industry. Let’s hope the positive energy and momentum from ITMA, along with the news that machinery exports to the United States increased in 2022 (see sidebar), point to a better second half of 2023 for the U.S. textile industry.
For a quick look on just some of the interesting technologies seen at the 2023 edition of ITMA, see “ITMA 2023 Edition — Just A Few Of The “Cool” Things On Display” in this issue of Textile World. TW will begin its traditional sector-by-sector technical coverage of ITMA innovations in its September/October 2023 issue. Also look for an Executive Forum style feature with exhibitor impressions in a future issue of TW.
Machinery Exports: Near- & Reshoring Effect?
Several machinery associations held press conferences during ITMA and shared data on machinery exports by country. The Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) noted that the United States was the fourth ranked destination for Italian textile machinery exports in 2022. The total value of the exports represented an increase of 31 percent over the previous year. ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi said it was too early to know if this is because of near- and reshoring efforts, but perhaps reshoring is a factor in the year-on-year increase.
The German textile machinery association, the VDMA Textile Machinery, also reported an increase in German textile machinery exports to the United States, moving to 266 million euros in 2022 from 231 million euros in 2021. The United States was the fifth largest market for German machinery exports.
Amazingly, the United States is the number one market for textile machinery exports from Spain. The Spanish Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association (amec amtex) reported a total value of exports to the United States in 2022 of $23 million.
As ACIMIT’s Zucchi noted, perhaps these figures are a result of near- and reshoring efforts in the Americas, but only time will tell.
ITMA 2027 Location, ITMA Asia + CITME Changes Announced
During a press conference on the first day of the show, it was announced that Hanover, Germany, has been selected as the host city for ITMA 2027. It is the first time since 2007 that the show will be held in Germany and 36 years since the event was last held in Hanover. The event will take place at the Hannover Exhibition Center September 16-22, 2027. “The Milan exhibition has set the benchmark for ITMA 2027 in Hanover,” said Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of Germany-based VDMA Textile Machinery. “We are eager and confident to continue ITMA’s success story 36 years after it has been hosted there.”
The owners of ITMA Asia + CITME — CEMATEX and its Chinese partners China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPIT-Tex)— also announced a new 2025 edition of the event to be held in Singapore. This is a change for the show, which has been held every two years in Shanghai since 2008.
Organized by ITMA Services and co-organized by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co., ITMA Asia+ CITME 2025 will take place October 28-31, 2025, at the Singapore Expo.
“We have successfully held seveneditions of ITMA ASIA + CITME in Shanghai,” said Ernesto Maurer, CEMATEX president. “As part of our strategy to support the aspirations of local manufacturers in South Asia, South East and the Middle East to modernize their operations, we are augmenting the series with a second location in Asia to better reach out to the
textile hubs in these regions.”
“Asia is the world’s biggest textile manufacturer and exporter,” said Gu Ping, CTMA president. “We are delighted to extend our cooperation with CEMATEX to bring ITMA ASIA and CITME to other parts of Asia to support our members’ marketing efforts.”
“Singapore is an attractive MICE destination and well connected to the growing textile hubs in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as the Middle East,” added Charles Beauduin, chairman, ITMA Services. “Its extensive airlinks and visa-friendly policies make it an accessible destination for these visitors. The exhibition also requires robust infrastructural and technical facilities to support live machinery demonstrations, which Singapore’s exhibition venue can provide.”
The next edition of ITMA Asia + CITME takes place in Shanghai November 19-23, 2023. So far, more than 1,400 exhibitors have committed to participate in the show, which was rescheduled from 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, the show will continue to be held in Shanghai on a biennial schedule with the next combined edition to take place October 14-18, 2024.
