A Sold Out ITMA 2019 Gearing Up for a Vibrant Showcase

The world’s leading textile and garment technology exhibition, ITMA 2019 is gearing up for another vibrant showcase of the latest trends, technologies and materials. Exhibition space was fully booked by the application deadline and the organising team has been busy allocating space to successful applicants.  Commented Mr Fritz P. Mayer, president of CEMATEX, “The response for ITMA 2019 is so overwhelming that we have not been able to meet the demand for space despite adding two more exhibition halls. ITMA is a show for the industry, by the industry. Hence, we are of the opinion that ITMA should feature a wide spectrum of cutting-edge solutions from as many solutions providers as possible, whether established or new-to-market.” Mr Charles Beauduin, chairman of ITMA Services, which organises ITMA 2019, elaborated: “As an international platform, our priority is to accommodate as many eligible applicants as possible to participate in the exhibition. It is heartening that the CEMATEX associations are supportive of this approach. Currently, we were only able to accommodate some 1,660 exhibitors from 47 countries on the show floor.  We have to put many applicants on the waiting list.” Mr Federico Pellegata, director of ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), commented, “We understand the space constraints and appreciate that the organising team’s priority is to try to maximise the admission of companies so that ITMA 2019 can be a more vibrant and trendsetting platform that will benefit the entire industry." One of the top sectors in terms of space applied is spinning. An established name in the sector at every ITMA edition is Murata Machinery. It will be highlighting its latest range of spinning machinery. Its president & CEO, Mr Daisuke Murata, said: “ITMA has been a very important international exhibition for us, especially as a platform to launch our brand new machines with unique technologies. A bigger showcase with more exhibitors, including new companies at ITMA, will attract higher interest and appeal to a wider audience. There will also be greater opportunities for collaborations within the industry.” An exciting sector at ITMA 2019 is printing. Previously part of the finishing sector, printing as a standalone chapter has garnered very strong interest as the industry embraces digital transformation. The number of exhibitors in the printing and inks sector has jumped some 30 per cent from ITMA 2015. Mr Dick Joustra, CEO, SPGPrints Group said: “Digitalisation is having a tremendous impact in the textile and garment industry, and the true extent of its influence can be seen not only in textile printing companies, but throughout the value chain. Brand owners and designers are able to use opportunities, like ITMA 2019, to see how the versatility of digital printing can transform their operations. As a total supplier in conventional and digital textile printing, we see ITMA as an important marketplace to show our latest technologies.” Besides printing, another sector that is undergoing vast transformation and rapid development is the garment making sector. Previously labour-intensive, the garment industry now sees a gamut of solutions utilising artificial intelligence, robotics, vision systems and other advanced automation. As the textile and garment industry trends towards an integrated manufacturing value chain, many new-to-ITMA solutions providers have been attracted to take part in ITMA 2019; some of them have chosen to co-locate their booths with their industry partners to offer integrated solutions to buyers. Among the new applicants are Borsoi, Bullmer, Card Clothing & Services, Han's Yueming Laser, Juki, Serkon Tekstil and SoftWear Automation. Successful ITMA 2019 applicants will be receiving their certificate of admission and details of their booth space this month. To be held from 20 to 26 June 2019, the show will now occupy all nine exhibition halls at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via venue.  As a result of the expansion, changes have been made to the sector allocation plan. The new plan can be viewed at www.itma.com.