Textile Processing China 2006 in Shanghai, China Premiere from 19th to 21st October 2006.

Koelnmesse is stepping up its activities in China: Textile Processing China — powered by IMB Cologne — will be staged by Koelnmesse, together with its partner, Beijing Triuni Exhibition Co Ltd.

The new trade fair will be held biennially at Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC). This event is supported by the Munich-based VDMA German Garment and Leather Technology Association, the conceptual sponsor of the leading international fair IMB Cologne — World of Textile Processing in Cologne, Germany.

“China will remain the world’s largest manufacturer of clothing and home textiles in the coming years,” explains Wolfgang Kranz, Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse GmbH. “What’s more, it will become increasingly important in the manufacturing of many other products made of flexible textiles. These products serve a wide variety of purposes in automotive construction, the construction industry and many other booming sectors of the Chinese economy.

Through Textile Processing China, we’ll be able to join forces with our customers, the exhibitors of IMB in Cologne, in order to capitalize on the economic potential of this promising market.” According to Kranz, Triuni is an ideal local trade fair partner.

The company’s experience in organizing events on similar topics, and its excellent network, offers a solid foundation in order to utilize Koelnmesse’s international expertise within the field of technology for processing textiles and flexible materials, to the benefit of exhibitors as well as China’s textile processing industries.
 
“The Chinese market is ready for a top-class textile processing trade fair that focuses on attracting visitors from companies who are producing garments and processing technical textiles, instead of international traders,” says Elgar e 2 Straub, Executive Director of the VDMA German Garment and Leather Technology Association. “Textile Processing China targets all textile processors, including not only producers of sports items and upholstered furniture, but also — and in particular — manufacturers of car seats and airbags.

In recent years, suppliers for the automotive industry have established themselves in the vicinity of automobile manufacturers in China, in order to ensure a short supply chain.

Now that virtually all of the international car manufacturers run their own manufacturing plants in China, the quality standard here is also high — this includes for instance the ability to document the stitching process used for manufacturing airbags as well as complying to safety requirements in seat production.”

Straub adds that productivity, flexibility, high quality and state-ofthe- art technology are key competitive factors in every area of textile processing in China today. At Textile Processing China, exhibitors from all over the world will be demonstrating these to their Chinese customers.

The concept behind the new event is based on the product groupings at IMB — World of Textile Processing — in Cologne: technologies and services for cutting, folding, fusing and finishing products made of textiles and flexible materials, as well as logistics and IT services. 
 
In response to the specific industry requirements in China, technology suppliers and providers of services for the upstream areas of the value chain are also invited to the event.

Textile Processing China will thus showcase technologies, processes and services related to the production of textile materials.“China’s clothing industry has grown by around 60 percent since 1997,” states Michael Dreyer, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Pte Ltd in Singapore.

“And last year alone, textile exports rose by 20 percent to reach US$105 billion. This tremendous growth also reflects the strong interest of Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers, and textile processing companies, in highly specific technologies and services. For instance, imports of textile and sewing machinery increase at an average of 21 percent each year between 2000 and 2004.”

The main suppliers of high-tech equipment are Germany, Italy, Turkey, Japan and Korea. “Through Textile Processing China, we’re offering international manufacturers and service providers an ideal business platform that covers the entire spectrum of textile processing technologies in the world’s leading and fastest growing market,” Dreyer adds.

The aim of the new event is to provide effective support to IMB customers as they enter a market that poses its own challenges. In turn, this will underline the expertise associated with IMB in Cologne and its leading role at the international level.

The first Textile Processing China — powered by IMB Cologne will be held at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center from 19th to 21st October 2006. “Companies can now register to take part in the fair,” says Dreyer. “In total, we are expecting approximately 250 international exhibitors to attend Textile Processing China 2006.”