Posted November 19, 2015

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

MILAN, Italy – ITMA 2015 has drawn to a close and, based on conversations with exhibitors and visitors, along with early statistics from organizers, the quadrennial show exceeded expectations.

 

The tradeshow achieved a new milestone, attracting the largest number of exhibitors since the show's launch in 1951. Held at the Fiera Milano Rho fairgrounds, the 17th edition of ITMA featured 1,691 exhibitors from 46 countries and economies. The previous record was set by ITMA 2007 when 1,451 exhibitors from 38 countries took part in the exhibition in Munich.

 

"ITMA has a very strong reputation as the world's most established textile and garment technology exhibition,” said Charles Beauduin, president of the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX), which owns the ITMA series. “We are grateful to our exhibitors and industry partners who have put their faith in the ITMA brand. The key to ITMA's success is its ability to reinvent itself and remain relevant to the industry that it serves.”

 

ITMA 2015 also features a larger exhibition, with net exhibit space of more than 108,000 square meters, occupying 11 halls. It is about 20 percent larger than the 2011 exhibition in Barcelona.

 

A number of representatives from U.S. textile producers visited ITMA. One exhibitor, who asked not to be identified, said an executive from one of those companies told him, “We have money to invest now.”

 

Another told eTC his company took so many orders for machinery accessories that his company will need to ramp up production to meet customers’ needs in the coming months.

 

All halls bustled with activity throughout most of the eight-day show, notwithstanding the weaving hall that featured expansive stands showing the latest high-speed looms in action.

 

“It’s been a great show for us, Johan Verstraete, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service at Belgium-based weaving machine maker Picanol, said Tuesday. “We are positively surprised by the number of people here and the hot projects going on around the world. We’ve seen a number of Americans here. We’ve noticed that companies are sending bigger delegations, which shows they are in a buying mood. This is the sixth day of the show and it’s still very busy, which is unusual.”

 

The CEO of Italy-based weaving machine maker Itema expressed similar sentiments.

 

“We are very happy to see that our booth has been very busy for several days now,” said Carlo Rogoro. “In the U.S., the textile industry is coming back quite well. They are investing again.”

 

The show “topped expectations” for weaving machine manufacturer Dornier of Germany, according to Peter Brust, executive vice president and COO of American Dornier, Charlotte, N.C. “We are quite satisfied with the number of Americans here. There have been good, quality visitors from there and around the world.”

 

Some highlights

 

eTC will provide in-depth coverage of the show in the coming weeks.

 

Meanwhile, here are a few general highlights and announcements during the show:

 

• ITG-Cone Denim of Greensboro, N.C., agreed to purchase 12 new ITEMA P7300HP projectile weaving machines for its Parras Cone Denim Plant in Mexico.

 

• Savio, with U.S. agent ITEMA America, announced the sale of five Savio Polar I link winders to ITG-Cone Denim’s Parras Cone facility.

 

• Levi Strauss & Co. of U.S. captured the first ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award. It clinched the ITMA Industry Excellence Award category from two other finalists: Berto Industria Tessile of Italy and Gebrüder Otto of Germany. Using the NoStone® garment washing technology from Tonello, an ITMA 2015 exhibitor, Levi Strauss & Co. has started preliminary development work in its Plock facility in Poland. Tonello's technology provides Levi Strauss an important first step to solving an industry challenge in denim finishing – the use of pumice stones, which have environmental, economic and mechanical disadvantages.

 

• Tonello received the top prize of Launch of the Year at the ITMA Future Materials Awards event for its Water Brush process, which uses a chemical-free approach to achieve a vintage look on jeans.

 

• The one-day World Textile Summit gave more than 150 textile industry leaders a range of expert insights into the business issues that feed into decisions on sustainability in the textile supply chain. Co-located with ITMA, the summit had a program designed to examine how investment in “clean” manufacturing or the use of sustainably sourced materials can help add value to companies at all levels of the supply chain.

 

• Switzerland-based Santex Rimar Group announced during the show that it will acquire SMIT Textile, a manufacturer of weaving machines.