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ITMA 2011 Affirms Position as Leading Global Stage for Textile & Garment Machinery

03 Oct '11

6 min read

The international textile and garment machinery industry converged for
the 16th edition of ITMA, the world's most established textile and garment machinery technology exhibition in Barcelona, Spain from 22 to 29 September 2011.

Trade visitorship of over 100,000 from 138 countries was registered for the eight-day event held at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via fairgrounds. Just over 90 per cent of the visitors came from outside of Spain. The international mix of visitors and buyers was very well received by exhibitors.

Mr Stephen Combes, President of CEMATEX said, “ITMA 2011 has surpassed our expectations. Considering that the world is still facing economic difficulties, the vast majority of our exhibitors are delighted with the quality and the number of visitors. According to our national associations, their members have reported significant enquiries and many have taken even more orders than they hoped for.

“The textile and garment industry must be commended for its resilience and willingness to invest and to innovate. The sales and serious enquiries generated from qualified international visitors are greatly appreciated by the exhibitors, and our participants have all given a very positive response to the show.”

A delighted exhibitor, Mr Attilio Camozzi, President of Marzoli, commented: "A lot of commercial negotiations have started and orders have been finalised for approximately 30 million euros with customers from Argentina, India, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan."

Italy fielded the largest contingent of 9 per cent of visitors, followed closely by host country Spain, then India. Germany and Turkey ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the visitorship tally. Making it to the top 10 list from outside of Europe are Brazil and Iran.

“The majority of the visitors are from the textile making hubs in Asia, and Central and South America. Thanks to our extensive promotions, we have been able to attract leading textile and garment makers from these vibrant areas. Being global companies, they need to invest in innovative, yet cost-effective solutions to stay ahead of the competition,” said Ms Sylvia Phua, CEO of MP International, organiser of ITMA 2011 and 2015.

“ITMA 2011 demonstrated the finest of global excellence in textile manufacturing technology. India is emerging as the preferred base for textile manufacturing and Indian buyers were able to evaluate various machines for procurement during ITMA 2011. As a policy planner and in order to usher in India's next leap into finer processing, finishing and a strong textile hub, it was particularly gratifying to be shown the finest technology in the world and a range of options at ITMA 2011,” said Ms Rita Menon, Textiles Secretary, Government of India, who led a high level delegation that included the Joint Secretary (Textiles) and the Textile Commissioner.

The Indian delegation was among the over 50 groups from 27 countries welcomed at the exhibition. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) delegation was headed by the Secretary of Textiles from Bangladesh. The Vietnamese Vice Minister of Trade and Industry also led a delegation. Association groups came from all over the world, ranging from Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Middle East.

On the show floor, ITMA 2011 attracted 1,350 exhibitors from 45 countries and economies who demonstrated their latest technological products and innovative solutions. Another major area of focus was sustainability. Many exhibitors displayed their latest green technology and products that are friendly to the environment.

The new fibre and yarn sector was particularly well-received by both exhibitors and visitors.

“The opening of a fibre and yarn sector this year was one of the greatest initiatives announced for ITMA's 60th anniversary edition. In our first participation at ITMA, we could meet both current and new customers from around the globe. ITMA was a perfect platform to communicate our marketing innovations and sustainability plan: 'Planet Agenda',” said Ms Denise Sakuma, Global Director of Brand & Communications at INVISTA Apparel Business.