Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas 2018 suggest a bright future for the American technical textile, nonwovens and sewn products industries. Exhibitors and visitors alike impressed with level of traffic, quality of conversations
Cooling fabrics, smart light technology, recycled fibers, 3D body scanning, and cloud connected smart machines were just some of the highlights during the fifteenth edition of Techtextil North America, and fourth Texprocess Americas that took place May 22-24, 2018 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The co-located events brought together the latest innovators in technical textiles, nonwovens, textile machinery, sewn products, equipment, and technology.
The events brought 567 Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas exhibitors representing 32 countries; while total attendance grew to 8,292, roughly a 4% increase* over the 2016 events. Country pavilions included Italy, Texclubtec, Belgium, China, Taiwan, High-Tex from Germany, and SEAMS Made in USA. The co-located events once again returned strong numbers; and continue on their path of consistent growth in the quality and amount of visitors and exhibitors over the past editions.
“It was clear that everyone; both visitors and exhibitors, could feel the energy and excitement on the show floor,” stated Dennis Smith, President & CEO, Messe Frankfurt Inc.; “We are proud to serve as the platform; for furthering the growth and development of the North American technical textile and sewn products industries. There is an immense amount of talent and innovation coming from the US; and Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas have become the premier events; where professionals from all industries come to see the trends and technologies that are coming their way. We are truly grateful for the large network of exhibiting and visiting companies responsible for the growth of these two events; and we look forward to our continued success together, next in our 2019 edition of Techtextil North America in Raleigh, North Carolina and then back in Atlanta for the 2020 co-located events. ”
Educational Program 2018 for American Market
With 18 paid symposium sessions (including two bonus Lunch N‘ Learn sessions) being held throughout the first and second day and complimentary sessions taking place on the show floor; the co-located events were buzzing with visitors and speakers discussing new technology, game-changing research and cross-industry collaborations. Among the topics presented, smart textiles, wearables and the future of the technology that powers them proved to be top of mind for many attendees. In addition, how automation, robotics and connected machines are contributing to the industry‘s evolution made an evident impression on both visitors and exhibitors alike.
“This year’s symposium was definitely worth our company’s time and money. It has been really interesting to learn about the communication between the industries; and how they are working together to make sure there are no blind spots”; said Sharon Tedesco, symposium attendee from Abigail & Company in Cottonwood, California.
“The focus on Industry 4.0 – the communication between the fabrics, the machine, the human, the CAD, the entire system – has been really interesting and informative.”
Attendee Statements:
USA: Miguel Ferrer, President of the Kiko Sewing Machine Co., attends the show every year, usually with clients in-tow; “The show never ceases to amaze me. There is always something new to learn about and a new technology to see. I really like the Made in America movement this year; as we are seeing a lot of jeans factories opening up in Los Angeles again.”
Nicaragua: Francisco Diaz, visiting on behalf of Hansae International said; “We come to see the newest innovations that are coming out in the garment industry and learn how we can use them in our factories. This year’s show was definitely worth the trip.’
USA: Devin Steele, Publisher of eTextileCommunications, reflected on his experience as a journalist covering the industry; “I have been covering these textile shows for over 20 years, and this is probably the best one I’ve seen, let me rephrase that; this is THE best textile trade show I have attended in terms of serious conversations; the quality of visitors, the sheer attendance numbers and number of exhibitors in at least 15 years in the US. ”
Exhibitor Statements:
USA: Joel Elam, Sales Engineer, Card Clothing & Services, Inc., stated; “This show has been very solid. The first day we had many contacts come into the booth from all over the world. It has been a very positive show; a beautiful layout with lots of new equipment, products and a lot of interest from visitors in what’s next for the textile industry. For us, this has been a very positive experience.”
USA: Daniella Ambrogi, Vice President of Marketing, Lectra, stated; “This show is a great opportunity for us to showcase our new technology. This year has been a busy show and we’ve had a great turnout of visitors. We are happy to be here.”
Germany: Rene Gotolle, Training Manager, ZSK Technical Embroidery Systems said; “We started with the show many years ago exhibiting in Frankfurt. But Atlanta has become really important for us because; we make so many connections with different companies across industries, so we always make sure to be here.”
USA: Dave Gardner, Managing Director, SPESA and the co-Producer of Texprocess Americas said; “The 2018 edition of Texprocess Americas was phenomenal; a collaboration of suppliers and manufacturers who came together to showcase and experience the latest innovations and trends influencing today’s sewn products industry; SPESA expects Texprocess Americas 2020 to be even bigger and better as the industry continues to embrace the latest advances to increase production and speed.”