Posted July 19, 2017
CHICAGO – The 14th edition of Techtextil North America, which took place at McCormick Place – Lakeside Center here last month, resulted in a 40 percent increase in attendance over the 2015 edition in Houston, according to Dennis Smith, president and CEO of organizer Messe Frankfurt North America.
The event saw a 15 percent increase in total number of exhibitors over the 2015 edition, with 60 percent growth in space rented by overseas exhibitors.
This was the fifth edition of Techtextil North America hosted outside of Atlanta, held in the even years, and the first of its kind in Chicago. More than 3,000 attendees networked with producers, manufacturers and finishers from across the world over the course of the three-day event.
The two-in-one event, co-located with JEC Americas’ Future of Composites in Construction, resulted in the largest technical textiles, nonwovens, textile machinery and composites show in the United States this year – facilitating an active exchange of ideas and new partnerships across industries, according to organizers.
“We were very pleased with this year's show,” said Dominique Quintal, vice president of Sales & Marketing, Filspec, Quebec. “Due to fewer exhibitors, we were able to get more attention. We had visitors nonstop for three days – existing customers, new customers, customers bringing their contacts to our booth. We were also able to form relationships with other exhibitors, providing a lot of new project opportunities. We are really happy with the turnout.”
Added Pamela Ellsworth, associate professor and chairperson for the Global Fashion Management Program, Fashion Institute of Technology: ““FIT's Global Fashion Management students – who are also professionals in industry – were impressed with the diversity of specialties represented among the show’s attendees,” she said. “For such a short period of time, the show provided a great deal of value.”
Igor Leclere, business director for the Americas Industrial Adhesives Unit at Bostik, said Techtextil North America gives Bostik “the opportunity to showcase our technical solutions for an evolving textile market while meeting with industry professionals.”
Among attendees, Fred Langdon, senior engineer, Proctor & Gamble, said he was impressed with the diversity of suppliers at the show.
“I've met with companies from around the globe and am happy to see representation from countries such as Germany and China, as well as companies focusing on American-made products. We're looking for durable and disposable nonwovens and have been very pleased.”
The 2017 Techtextil North America show hosted 167 exhibitors from 16 countries. The co-located event with JEC Americas attracted 3,096 visitors from around the world representing Apple, Tesla, Reebok and more.
“Over the course of three days, the event garnered a dynamic audience – with visitors from geographies and verticals not represented at previous editions of the show,” Smith said. “This significant growth in attendance indicates the industry’s increasing demand for international networking opportunities, and we are proud to provide a forum that facilitates new business relationships and encourages global innovation for the textile industry.”
World-Class symposium
A regular feature to the Techtextil North America show schedule, the much anticipated symposium, this year boasted five sessions with 23 industry expert presentations that covered the topics of advancements in manufacturing and waste minimization, innovations in automotive design, smart textiles and wearables and overcoming talent sourcing challenges in the industry.
As an addition to the paid sessions, a complimentary joint session was held in collaboration with JEC Americas focusing on technical textiles and composites in building and construction applications.
“The symposium sessions were informative and interesting,” said Lisa Paige, technical lead engineer, ArjoHuntleigh, a global medical technology company. “It’s good to see where technology is going. I regularly attend this show in the U.S. and Frankfurt and always get a lot out of the sessions. I am looking forward to next year.”
Tech Talks
This year, Messe Frankfurt partnered with The Nonwovens Institute to bring a new feature to the show floor. Tech Talks were complimentary sessions with first-come, first-served seating powered by The Nonwovens Institute. In addition to sessions on filtration, safety and transportation presented by Dave Nelson, the Nonwovens Institute’s director of Industry Engagement, graduate student Poster Program participants had the opportunity to present their research on the show floor, giving attendees and exhibitors a glance at the ideas and talent coming from the top textile programs in the country.
Techtextil North America 2018
The 15th edition of Techtextil North America, the only trade show in the Americas dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens, will be co-located with Texprocess Americas, May 22-24, 2018 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas are set to attract upwards of 9,000 visitors, an estimated 500+ exhibitors and feature a symposium schedule with 120+ speakers from across the industry spectrum.
Source: Messe Frankfurt
Techtextil N.A. shows continued growth
in odd-numbered year
Computerized knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its U.S. subsidiary Shima Seiki USA, Inc., Monroe Township, N.J., exhibited in a primo booth near the front door of the exhibition hall, and reported good traffic and a good show.
“Techtextil Chicago was a success,” said Matt Llewellyn, vice president of Shima Seiki North America. “We were very pleased to be part of the event and we look forward to Atlanta next year.”
The company saw more visitors from the sports apparel sector in Atlanta last year, but “that does not mean the show was not fruitful,” according to Senna Nakaya, president of Shima Seiki North America.
“There were a couple of sales leads, so we are happy,” Nakaya said.
A total of 62 companies visited the Shima Seiki booth – 49 identified as potential customers and 12 as existing, according to Nakaya. Those numbers were slightly down from the show’s Houston run two years ago, he added. Of those, 48 percent represented industrial materials; 8 percent automotive; 7 percent each for outdoor apparel, education/university and knitting; 5 percent medical; 5 percent furniture; and 13 percent “other,” he noted.
“I expected more people from the automotive industry,” Nakaya said.
Llewellyn said some trepidation existed when the show opened, as a larger early-bird crowd was expected. But he later learned that bad weather on the East Coast caused a number of attendees and exhibitors to be delayed, which “we found to be an advantage,” he said.
“Fewer attendees early gave us ample opportunity to spend more face-to-face time explaining our industry and products,” he said.
“Usually during an exhibition,” he added, “we expect the average visitor to spend a couple minutes browsing the exhibit and collecting literature. However, this wasn’t the case in Chicago, with many attendees staying much longer and seeking answers to much more in-depth questions. Our team found this to be very beneficial since it also allowed us as an exhibitor to learn much more about the attendees’ interests and needs allowed us learn more about other industries. It was nonstop from opening to closing.”
On display was the company’s latest technological contributions aimed at promoting knitted applications in the field of technical textiles, designed and produced on Shima Seiki’s lineup of advanced computer design systems and computerized flat-knitting machines. Foremost attention was given to WHOLEGARMENT® knitting, which maximizes the benefits of knitting in technical applications.
WHOLEGARMENT® knitting is capable of producing knitted items in their entirety on the machine, and allows complex 3D forms for fitting the human body or even car seats without the need for sewing.
Selective compression allows control over placement and amount of pressure for various compression wear in sports and medical applications. The seam-free nature of WHOLEGARMENT® also ensures continuity of yarn, allowing functional yarns such as conductive yarns to wrap around the entire body for applications in smart garments and wearable technology.
Demonstrating the latest in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology at Techtextil was the flagship MACH2XS machine that features the company's original SlideNeedle™ on 4 needle beds and patented spring-loaded full-time sinker system. Capable of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting in all-needles, MACH2XS offers great flexibility for knitting high-quality WHOLEGARMENT® products with a seemingly endless variety of knit patterns at very high speed and efficiency, all while minimizing dependence upon labor-intensive sewing and linking.
The latest version of Shima Seiki’s SDS-ONE APEX3 3D design system was also be available for demonstrations in design and simulation of various technical textiles. Of particular interest is its ultra-realistic simulation capability that realizes Virtual Sampling. When countless variations must be evaluated before arriving at a final design, virtual product samples can be used to streamline the decision-making process by minimizing the enormous amount of time and cost normally associated with producing actual samples for each variation.
At the show, Llewellyn also saw something he wasn’t necessarily expecting, he said.
“We observed a surprising number of attendees and fellow exhibitors networking and having discussions on our exhibit not relating to our product, but instead discussing how they can work together, considering the advantages each company can offer one another,” he said. “It’s becoming more frequent to see companies that once considered themselves competition are now considering partnering and collaborating to offer a larger range of product to their clients. I believe this helps promote the ‘made in USA’ growth by offering a wider range of product and gives value added to domestic production.”
Shima Seiki
Shima Seiki staffers (L-R) Senna Nakaya, Ashibe Shinsuke, Matt Llewellyn and Ken Lui.
Amy Isenhour of Meridian Specialty Yarns visits the Shima Seiki booth.
Shima Seiki's Matt Llewellyn (L) shows Apex software to BNG Knits' Julio Woo (M) and Luis Kim.
Shima Seiki staffers (L-R) Senna Nakaya, Ashibe Shinsuke, Matt Llewellyn and Ken Lui.
A representative of Klϋber Lubrication, a worldwide manufacturer of specialty lubricants, expressed mixed reviews about Techtextil North America in Chicago.
“I thought Chicago was a nice place, but the attendance was not as strong as I would have liked,” said Charles Poston, market manager, textile industry. “As for an alternate location to Atlanta, not bad though. And not many out-of-country visitors as Atlanta attended, it appeared. The number of exhibitors was also down.”
The company featured its high-performance specialty oils and greases for the textile industry.
“We had several inquiries about our Klubermatic single-point lubricators, along with general textile oils and greases,” Poston said.
The company also had information on Klüberfluid HT 1 US Series, a specially formulated heat transfer fluid for use in indirect closed heating units. Based on highly refined mineral base oils, Klüberfluid HT 1 offers excellent thermal stability that supports long service life without viscosity changes or formation of deposits.
It also highlighted Klübersynth KV Series, synthetic gear oils for weaving machines. These oils have an excellent viscosity-temperature behavior that enable a higher operational reliability, even at high machine temperatures, Poston said.
Additionally, this series works to reduce maintenance costs due to high scuffing load strength, long change out cycles, good anti-wear abilities and exceptional friction behavior to reduce power loss and improve efficiency. These products are exclusively recommended by Itema for their 9500 Series weaving machines.
“We had a nice assortment of existing customer and new potentials, mainly companies we were not familiar with, which may open up new opportunities,” Poston said.
Klϋber Lubrication
Klϋber Lubrication's (L-R) Barbara Poetzsch, Charles Poston and Astrid Mahomar-Larach
Klϋber Lubrication's Glenn Boyle
Klϋber Lubrication's Charles Poston meets with a visitor.
Klϋber Lubrication's (L-R) Barbara Poetzsch, Charles Poston and Astrid Mahomar-Larach
Trey Stavrum, account executive at PA Group USA, Chattanooga, Tenn., said Techtexil North America lived up to expectations in terms of traffic, and results were positive.
“As expected, foot traffic was down considerably from the Atlanta show, but overall our team was very pleased with the quality of conversations and interest that we were able to generate,” he said. “For an ‘off year’ outside of Atlanta, I think our team would all agree that the show was a huge success.”
The company, an enterprise software and services provider, is involved in several industries that use rolled goods and has made a strong push into textiles in recent years.
“We were able to have several quality conversations with personnel from the textile industry,” Stavrum said. “We also interacted with several current customers. Overall, from a quality of visitors and leads, I would have to say that we were very impressed. We were able to reanimate an old project and finalize an agreement at the show. Our exhibiting and travel expenses for the show have already been recuperated and we expect the ROI to far outweigh the expenses.”
This year, PA Group released a couple of different products. The first is its JUST Monitoring mobile application, which can be found in the app store under “just monitoring” and can be deployed on iPhone and Android tablets and smart phones. This app gives customers the ability to get full visibility of their shop floor directly from their phone or tablet.
“As Industry 4.0 grows and tech in manufacturing continues to pick up speed, look for PA Group to be on the cutting edge,” Stavrum said.
Also released was PA Group’s monitoring system on a heads-up display. This concept gives operators and maintenance crews the ability to know the status of their machines by simply looking up to the heads-up display, he said.
In addition, PA Group expanded its product line to offer a Tier 2 ERP solution in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, which will allow small to mid-size textile companies the ability to migrate from a dying legacy system at a competitive price.
“We expect NAV to be a huge complement to our Dynamics AX product and service offering, and the reception by small to mid-size companies at the show validated our decision to add NAV,” Stavrum said.
PA Group USA
Mandi Strickland of Willdfire Vanguard joins members of the PA Group team in their booth. (L-R) Gary Peace, Bob Buechel, Strickland, Bradley Hanon, Tom Wengler and Trey Stavrum.
Marshall & Williams (M&W), a business unit of Lexington, N.C.-based Navis TubeTex, offered information on its tenter frames and accessories, which are world renowned for their high productivity, energy efficiency and ability to process difficult fabrics and substrates for a wide variety of applications, according to Joe Okey, sales consultant for the unit.
Though expecting a smaller show compared to the Atlanta versions of Techtextil North America, Okey and his teammates were pleased with the results from Chicago, he said.
“Although we had more traffic in 2016 (in Atlanta), we had more quality visitors and they were more involved with the decision-making process,” Okey said. “We did have several meetings that were unscheduled that have led to additional meetings and quotations. In fact, we met with one person from the adjacent JEC Americas expo. Therefore, we are very much in favor of having more than one event with ours.”
Many of M&W’s existing and potential customers also were exhibitors in Chicago, which gave M&W the opportunity to meet with them, too, added, who was on show with Navis President Will Motchar and Stenter Business Unit Director David Russell.
“Obviously, as exhibitors, we want to see as many visitors as possible,” he said. “However, we tend to prefer quality visitors.”
M&W’s tenter frames are “very versatile and can be custom made for a variety of processes,” Okey said. “In the last few years we have increased our technical references substantially, as this equipment line is very adaptable for customization.”
Marshall & Williams
Marshall & Williams reps Joe Okey (L) and David Russell.
Techtextil North America in Chicago exceeded expectations for APJeT, Inc., Morrisville, N.C., a provider of patented atmospheric plasma technology.
“The show turned out to be better than I expected,” said Martha Miller, vice president of Business Development.” For the most part, our booth was very active. I have had several follow-up discussions and meetings from the visitors and all have been new contacts within the U.S.”
The company highlighted its C-6 and non-fluorinated hydrophobic treatments, as well as its flame-resistant, antimicrobial and hydrophilic treatments.
With its patented atmospheric plasma technology, APJeT creates and develops methods for applying high-performance physical property finishes to textiles and other substrates such as films. Its dry, atmospheric plasma process is continuous and does not require vacuum systems. APJeT's technology uses significantly less chemistry than conventional wet post-finishing and eliminates the need for water or heat.
APJeT’s technology was designed with the environment in mind. Annually, billions of gallons of water are used in traditional wet processing to apply finishes to fabrics that go into clothes, uniforms, outdoor and marine products, automobile fabrics and other commercial and consumer end use products. APJeT's dynamic method of application significantly reduces water usage since none is required for their post-finishing process. No harmful emissions or wastewater treatments are associated with APJeT's technology.
APJeT's dry plasma process provides durable treatments, such as water repellency, using C6 or fluorocarbon-free chemistries without changing the fabric's hand or causing any degradation. In addition, APJeT is developing other high-performance finishes such as flame retardant, ultraviolet, anti-odor and hydrophilic treatments for enhancing moisture wicking.
APJeT, Inc.
Wade Tyner and Martha Miller meet with a visitor in the APJeT booth.
Wade Tyner of APJeT speaks with visitors.
Wade Tyner and Martha Miller meet with a visitor in the APJeT booth.
Dominique Quintal, Ing., vice president of Sales and Marketing for Quebec-based FilSpec, a manufacturer of high-performance technical yarns, called the difference between the Techtexil North America show in Houston two years ago and this year’s version in Chicago “night and day.”
“Chicago was a great choice,” he said. “It gave us access to many visitors from many industrial Midwest companies and it also offered direct, same-day access to many single-day visitors. The quality and quantity of the visitors was excellent and it provided the perfect platform to showcase innovative solutions, of which FilSpec immensely benefited. It was a success from that perspective and FilSpec collected many new business opportunities.”
When eTC caught up with Quintal on the last day of the show, he already was singing the praises of this odd-year, not-in-Atlanta event.
“It’s been more than what we were expecting as far as the turnout,” he told eTC. “We were probably expecting about five to 10 good, quality meetings, which would have been a good return on our investment. But we’ve had about 25 good meetings with people we didn’t know. So we were really, really, really happy with the turnout, the amount of visitors and the quality of meetings. The fact that it’s less crowded (than Atlanta shows) gave us more time to have good, quality meetings. We spent two hours with a customer yesterday, which would have otherwise cost us tickets to go to Detroit and meet with them.”
He called the diverse visitors to the FilSpec booth “well prepared and well informed.”
“They had strong, short-term funded programs they wanted to discuss,” Quintal said. “The visitors were of all ages, from garment designers and marketers to supply chain managers and operation directors. Many suppliers also visited to offer their new technology and were looking for partners such as FilSpec to bring their innovation solutions to market – and this is what FilSpec does.”
Visitors were particularly attracted to FilSpec’s FireFil™ yarn series, which it introduced during a press tour on the first day of the show. FireFil is built around a rigid glass filament core that is flame resistant, cut resistant and tear resistant, offering triple protection to firefighters and industrial workers exposed to various dangers.
An innovative spinning technology is used to insert highly flame-resistant fiberglass filament into the center of the yarn, and the outer layer is made from high-performance textile fiber. The fiberglass core yarn is then woven to create the FireFil fabric.
FilSpec also had on display two certified product applications: A welder suit with superb performance and a firefighter coat. Both were made of a FireFil Series yarn.
“Interest was great and beyond our expectations,” Quintal said.
Though headquartered in Canada, FilSpec is also a made-in-the-USA company, with a production facility in Ellerbe, N.C.
FilSpec
FilSpec's Dominique Quintal meets with Superior Glove reps. (L-R) Quintal, Tony Geng, Melinda Freake and Scott Curlew.
FilSpec's Sébastien Couture and Dominique Quintal show a welder suit during a press tour.
Dominque Quintal (R) shows a glove made with FilSpec yarn as Sébastien Couture looks on during a press tour.
FilSpec's Dominique Quintal meets with Superior Glove reps. (L-R) Quintal, Tony Geng, Melinda Freake and Scott Curlew.
Jason Mills
Jason Mills (L-R) Michael Lavroff, Bob Neuschaefer and Brenda Stamboulian during a press tour
Jason Mills' Michael Lavroff and Brenda Stamboulian meet with a visitor.
Jason Mills (L-R) Michael Lavroff, Bob Neuschaefer and Brenda Stamboulian during a press tour
Jason Mills, a Milltown, N.J.-based manufacturer textile converter of custom netting, polyester and nylon mesh fabrics, gets its personnel and products in front of customers and potential customers at every opportunity possible, according to Michael Lavroff, company president. And as such, it hardly misses a textile exhibition, including Techtextil North America.
“My glass is always half full at these shows,” he said. “The ‘face time,’ with possibly 30 to 40 new accounts, plus solidifying current customers, is invaluable and can never be duplicated in an office setting. It was definitely smaller than the ‘East Coast’ shows, but still filled with constant activity.”
Rating Techtextil North America in Chicago, Lavroff gave the visitors a 4.5 on a scale of 5.
“Very good,” he said. “Ask me in three months about the quality of the leads.”
Jason Mills’ multi-finish insect protection continues to generate a strong interest, as it did at the show, he said. The water-repellant attribute on a mesh is always an impressive display, he added.
“We also had a strong human interest element regarding our 10-year anniversary this year,” Lavroff said.
Incorporated originally in 1976, the current incarnation was purchased in 2007 by Lavroff, a longtime employee. The company has grown and changed in many ways since those early days of manufacturing fabrics for laundry bags, he said.
Combining product design and engineering along with finishes and inherent fibers are the key drivers for the company’s expansion into areas such as personal/occupational safety, automotive, aeronautical and healthcare textiles, he added.
Jason Mills’ objective is to continue to improve upon current processes and materials so that corporations with fabric needs – both now and in the future – will have a supplier-partner to turn to, Lavroff said.
Robert McCurdy, president of GTI Graphic Technology, Inc., Newburgh, N.Y., called Techtexil North America “very effective” for the company.
“The show was large enough to attract highly qualified visitors yet small enough to allow extended conversations about specific product applications,” he said. “The length of the show and the show hours were well suited for the overall attendance. There were very busy times each day as well as steady traffic at other times.”
He added that visitor quality was “generally quite good.”
“We connected with numerous target companies at the show from all over the map – both geographic and application-wise – and had many meaningful exchanges with highly qualified prospects,” he said.
GTI, a leading supplier of tight tolerance lighting systems and services for critical color viewing, color communication, and color matching assessment, highlighted several visual color assessment tools, in particular its SCV Simultaneous Color Viewer. The SCV is a unique lighting product that allows a color technician – or a client – to view a color sample under four light sources at the same time.
The device is helpful in determining the color constancy of a color or material, i.e. how stable the color is as it moves from one illumination environment to another. The design of the SCV allows thicker materials, or material pairings, to be observed and help designers and color formulators test color harmony of different samples.
“This was our first Techtextil show in North America and it exceeded our expectations,” McCurdy said.
GTI Graphic Technology Inc.
GTI Graphic Technology Inc.'s Nick Lena (facing) speaks with visitors from R.J. Hamlin. GTI President Robert McCurdy is in the booth.
GTI Graphic Technology Inc.
GTI Graphic Technology Inc.
GTI Graphic Technology Inc.'s Nick Lena (facing) speaks with visitors from R.J. Hamlin. GTI President Robert McCurdy is in the booth.
EMS-CHEMIE N.A.
For EMS-CHEMIE North America, Inc., a business unit of EMS-GRILTECH, Sumter, S.C., Techtextil North America in Chicago turned out about as expected for this event outside of Atlanta, according to Doug Stowers, sales engineer, Americas.
“The volume of both visitors and exhibitors was low,” he said. “I am not sure if they were expecting to draw more automotive traffic in Chicago, but it seemed to be very slow.”
However, he added, the company’s booth did draw several new potential customers.
“Most were just looking for something new but a few had specific needs that might turn into a project or business,” Stowers said. “Most of these were on our adhesive side. For the fibers, the benefit was seeing existing customers.”
In addition, this show in Texas two years ago was better than this version, he said.
“We had a lot of quality leads in Houston,” Stowers said. “There have been several projects and new customers developed from that show. I believe the volume and quality of visitors at that show was much better than in Chicago.”
EMS-CHEMIE North America is a producer of high-performance polymers and specialty chemicals.
EMS-CHEMIE North America reps (L-R) Doug Stowers, Lee Horeyseck and Michael Abadi speak with representatives of BSN Medical.
Bill Christmann, vice president of Sales for Gehring Tricot Corp., Dolgeville, N.Y., sees Techtextil North Americaas more than just a sales platform. He also sees it as a learning opportunity.
“This show is always a great forum to learn – for those with wherewithal to actually seek out this knowledge as opposed to sitting in a chair hoping it walks right up to you,” he said. “(All of these shows) are all good for Gehring Tricot Corp. It’s not what presents itself to us – it’s what we are trained and experienced to extract from these convergences of knowledge and experience. And in this regard, no show fails us and we make many attendees glad they made the trip.”
He called the atmosphere at the McCormick Place “comfortable and spacious” for discussions, adding that attendance was “not heavy but qualified.”
“As has always been the case, the show provided excellent opportunity to have intelligent exchanges with all levels of technical sales – suppliers of raw materials to us as a very diverse vertical domestic mill … peers of industry… and existing and potential new partners across a nice breath of markets,” Christmann said. “The quality of new leads or new business with existing partners was exceptional.”
Gehring Tricot Corp offers the widest range of vertically produced domestic textiles, with hundreds of developments made annually, he added.
“We provide a smorgasbord of interesting offerings done for markets as diverse as intimate apparel to composites to military and personal protection and countless others,” Christmann said. “The pollination of these fabrics from one industry to another creates very productive benchmarks for further innovation.
“Our main message at this show was to share that in the era of a diminishing landscape of domestic mills, at Gehring, quite the opposite story of growth exists,” he added. “The ongoing plans and progress for continued expansion – not only of buildings and locations as well as a very diverse range of knitting, weaving and finishing equipment additions –will allow for an even wider offering of vertical innovation based here in the USA through Gehring Tricot Corp. What is now arguably the most diverse mill will be even more so.”
Gehring Tricot Corp.
Gehring Tricot Corp./Tweave staffers included (L-R) Bill Christmann, George Kelnhofer, Pat Mack and Mary Reardon.
