ITMA Europe 2011, ITMA Asia + CITME in 2012, ITME India 2012, many other country specific fairs in-between like ShanghaiTex and then again ITMA Asia in 2014, not to forget the recently concluded ITMA Asia + CITME 2010… technology fairs in plenty. Do these fairs rightly serve the purpose for which they are designed to show innovation and facilitate buying and selling of technology or have they lost the way in a maze of events….?
Going by the past records, ITMA Asia+CITME fair always offers something new. This year too it did not disappoint and received good number of visitors from not only China but also from other Asian countries.
A total of 1,171 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions took part in the exhibition and the biggest contingent at the fair was China with 639 exhibitors
Indeed, many industry informed are questioning the relevance of such fairs when they have become so commonplace. However, from the response of exhibitors at the ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 it seems that all of them were happy to have participated and according to a survey most of them welcomed many visitors not only from China, but also from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and countries of the Middle East as well as from Brazil. The visitors’ frequency as well as the quality of the visitors was considered to be good by most participants.
After the disastrous years of 2008 and 2009, suppliers did their homework by reducing capacities and, if necessary, staff. But since February/March 2010, the markets have been booming, especially in Asia, and some manufacturers already have a very long delivery schedules. “Today, the Asian market is extremely important for the machinery manufacturers,” were the collective voice of every technology provider. China proved to be the top country for technology absorption at ITMA, Asia, followed by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Officials at the press conference specially attributed the response to the growing domestic market in China by 23 per cent. A total of 1,171 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions took part in the exhibition and the biggest contingent at the fair was China with 639 exhibitors followed by Germany, Italy Japan and Switzerland.
“The second ITMA ASIA + CITME has established the reputation of the combined show as the most significant platform for the Asian textile manufacturing community. We are extremely pleased with the outcome and will continue to work towards providing textile machinery manufacturers with a leading-edge showcase,” said Edward Roberts, CEMATEX President, the organisers of the fair.
For Asia, the successful staging of the 2010 show has set the stage for the third combined show, which will be held at the SNIEC in Shanghai from 12 to 16 June 2012. It will be organized by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co. Ltd. and co-organized by MP International Pte. Ltd., said CEMATEX.
In the meanwhile, the ITMA Europe in Barcelona have positioned itself as thought leaders and most of the important European exhibitors declared their intention to participate in Barcelona in 2011 as Europe is still the brain of technology. The European fair always offers something new and ITMA 2011 in Barcelona will provide the opportunity.
The current issue of StitchWorld discusses the finishing technologies displayed and the September issue will be a ‘knitting special’ which will review the innovations in the knitting technology presented at ITMA.
