Over 33,000 trade visitors from 100 countries
This year’s TechTextil event at Frankfurt recorded the highest-ever attendance with over 33,000 visitors from more than 100 countries attending the trade fair. This figure trumps the numbers recorded in the 2015 event by having a jump of nearly 20 per cent as exhibitors from a record 55 countries joined the event. The Textile Magazine was present at this prestigious event to witness and cover the leading innovations and cutting-edge technologies on display.
Techtextil is the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens showing the full range of potential uses of modern textile technologies. Making new contacts, connecting technologies and opening up tomorrow’s markets under the motto ‘Connecting the Future’, Techtextil represents the ideal starting point for innovations for any textile enthusiastic.
At this year’s show, international trade visitors jammed the exhibition halls looking for high-tech textiles for use in applications such as folding headlights, smart knee bandages, warming and cooling fashions, as well as garments with integrated LEDs, fire-resistant fibres, bicycle frames made of carbon and textile membranes for roofing solutions.
Techtextil is held parallel with Texprocess, the leading international trade fair for processing textile and flexible materials. From scanning body dimensions of tomorrow’s apparel customer, via IT-aided fashion design, automatic cutting, ever faster sewing and joining, as well as embroidering innumerable parts simultaneously, to delivering the garments, the degree of interaction at Texprocess between the man and machine reached a new level.
These leading European trade fairs were attended by numerous major buyers looking for new products, and in a standout global showcase for exhibitors looking to promote their goods and find new clients.
With 423 exhibitors from Germany and 1,054 from abroad, the level of internationality on the exhibitor side reached 71 per cent with Lebanon, Mexico and Vietnam being represented for the first time. A total of 14 countries were represented by national pavilions – Belgium, China, France, the UK, Italy, Canada, Croatia, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Turkey and the US. There was a significant increase in the number of European exhibitors, especially from Spain, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, as well as from China and India.
The number of Indian exhibitors for this year’s show stood at 40, not a big number but still a significant double-digit growth compared to the previous show. Big names such as Arvind, Birla, Bannari Amman, Khosla, Kusumgar, Loyal, Madhuram, Mafatlal, Shiva Texyarn and many more were among the Indian exhibitors showcasing their latest and advanced products to the global audience.
“This year, Techtextil in Frankfurt was the biggest show ever. Participation of exhibitors at the Indian pavilion alone grew by 40% as compared to the previous edition. India’s textiles sector is one of the largest, contributing almost 11 per cent to the country’s exports basket. For many of our clients, Techtextil is one of the strategic meeting points to expand their reach into these export markets. The contacts acquired here are unrivalled. To this end, feedback from the industry, both the exhibitors and visitors, was extremely encouraging,” said Mr. Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd.
Many Indian visitors at the show were pleased with their visit to the Frankfurt event and expressed their delight to visit the Indian show to be held in September to take things further. “We hope to get a better understanding of GST before we take the jump into nonwovens”, mentioned one of the visitors from South India.
Also, very well received were the numerous special exhibitors and event, which offered insights into the whole textile value chain and highlighted the synergistic effects between the two fairs.
Opened by ESA astronaut, Dr. Reinhold Ewald, the space travel-oriented exhibition, ‘Living in Space’ attracted a large number of visitors and was well applauded by many.