ITMA 2011 will feature its first fibres and yarns section at its 60th anniversary show in Barcelona. The section will include natural, man-made, synthetic and technical fibres and yarns.
Following the inclusion of this sector, ITMA’s product index will expand to 18 separate sections. These include spinning, winding, nonwovens production, garment making and textile processing, embroidery and braiding, dyeing, printing and finishing.
Stephen Combes, president of the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX), stated: “With the business environment becoming more competitive and complex, buyers now prefer platforms that offer innovative, one-stop solutions for their total sourcing requirements.
“Over the last few months, we have received several requests from leading fibre manufacturers as well as from visitors to our shows asking us to include fibres and yarns in our product index.
In 2009, global fibre consumption rose by 4.2% to 70.5 million tonnes, according to the Oerlikon Textile Report. Demand also increased for man-made fibres, rising 4% to 44.1 million tonnes, whilst consumption of natural fibres was up by 4.5% to 26.4 million tonnes.
The Japan Chemical Fibres Association’s (JCFA) 2009 market survey suggests the world market demand for fibres will continue to increase, predicting chemical fibre consumption will reach 53.95 million tonnes by 2015. This represents a 24% increase in output from the 43.51 million tonnes registered in 2008.
To date 1,000 machinery manufacturers from 36 economies have applied to exhibit at the 2011 show, which will span 100,000sqm. The top five exhibiting countries are Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium, although large contingents of manufacturers from India, Japan, Turkey, Taiwan and China are expected. Finishing machinery will form the largest sector, constituting almost 30% of the exhibit space, followed by spinning, weaving and knitting.
Over 85 associations from 50 countries have confirmed their support for ITMA 2011. The latest include the Arab Federation for Textile Industries (AFTI), ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries (AFTEX), a coalition of textile and garment associations from ten Southeast Asian countries and the African Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF).
“ITMA is a recognised brand and we are delighted that the industry continues to support our showcase of innovative textile making technology,” said Mr Combes. “What is even more heartening is that over 15% of the exhibitors have applied for a bigger booth space compared with their 2007 participation. This is a really positive sign that industry players are optimistic about the future.”
ITMA 2011 will take place at Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía, Barcelona in Spain from September 22 -29.