Following the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt in May, and November’s ITMA 2015 textile machinery event in Milan, 2016 appears to be a relatively quiet year in the trade show, conference and exhibition calendar.
However, for companies and organizations involved in the manmade fiber, nonwovens and technical textiles sectors there is still a myriad of global events focused on these sectors where delegates and visitors – and exhibitors – can top up their air miles.
First up is Techtextil Russia, the International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles, Nonwovens and Protective Clothing, which will be held concurrently with Inlegmash, the International Exhibition for Textiles Manufacturing and Processing, from February 24-26, 2016 in Moscow, Russia.
Together, these two events will present the entire spectrum of equipment, raw materials, component parts, and integrated products and services for the light industry and for technical textiles in particular.
Meanwhile, the annual Techtextil North America event will again be co-located this year with Texprocess Americas and JEC Americas from May 3-5, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Now in its 13th edition, Techtextil North America will feature all aspects of the technical textile industry, from research and development to raw materials, production processes and conversion, as well as further treatment and recycling.
The 2014 “three-in-one” event hosted 759 exhibitors from 29 countries attracting more than 9,000 visitors.
Several new country pavilions are expected to be on the show floor this year, such as Turkey, Pakistan, Taiwan and Belgium. Visitors can also expect to see returning pavilions from Italy, Portugal, China, Germany and Supply Chain USA. And over the three days more than 100 speakers will make presentations at the Techtextil North America Symposium.
Later in the year the IFAI Specialty Fabrics Expo and Advanced Textiles Expo will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, from October 18–21, 2016. This is billed as an event for the specialty fabrics, advanced textiles, and shade and weather protection sectors.
TCL 2016 International Conference on Textile Coating and Laminating will take place from March 16-17, 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.
The event will include presentations covering key economic and technology trends, including the state of the industry, techniques and materials, technology for growth and new opportunities.
The keynote speaker this year will be Michael Kamm, chief executive officer of Sympatex Technologies, Germany.
Fibers
Organized by market research consultancy PCI Nylon, the 10th European Nylon Symposium will be held from March 1-2, 2016 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, while the 9th American Nylon Symposium will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from April 14-15, 2016.
The PCI Group, a consortium of five specialist companies that offer integrated data and subscriptions research in the chemicals, fibers, films and plastics sectors, was recently acquired by Verisk Analytics. PCI has now become part of Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk Analytics business that provides commercial intelligence for the global natural resources sector.
With a change to a Tuesday-to-Thursday format, the 55th Dornbirn Man-Made Fibers Congress will take place from September 20-22, 2016.
The main themes are: fiber developments (sustainability); fibers and textiles in the automotive industry; finishing and functional additives (smart textiles, sensors, monitoring); fibers for nonwovens; and fibers for medical and protective applications.
Last year’s event attracted more than 700 participants from 32 countries with some 70% of delegates from Europe.
The congress organizers are promoting the concept of an “innovation community,” which will see the use of modern communication instruments and social networks.
For this year’s conference, EDANA, the international association for the nonwovens and related industries, will act as a sponsor for nonwovens and automotive applications.
Nonwovens
EDANA will also host the next edition of Outlook Asia – the nonwovens personal care and hygiene products conference for the Asia Pacific region – from March 2-3, 2016 in Singapore.
According to EDANA General Manager Pierre Wiertz, the event, now in its third edition, will cover current and future product trends, consumption and purchasing trends, economic outlooks, market data, information about material and product technology developments, regulatory affairs and sustainability issues.
The IDEA 2016 International Engineered Fabrics Conference & Expo will take place from May 2-5, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Organized by INDA, the show will feature products including raw materials, roll goods, chemicals, adhesives, machinery, converting and finishing services.
Boston was selected for its accessibility, size and “exhibitor-friendly benefits” when an alternative venue was needed for the triennial event owing to major renovations scheduled for the Miami Beach Convention Center. INDA says it plans to return to Miami for future shows.
Meanwhile, the Hightex International Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Trade Fair, which was to have taken place in Istanbul, Turkey, in September 2015, was postponed owing to political developments in nearby countries affecting Turkey.
This event will now be held from June 1-4, 2016 and will run concurrently with the ITM 2016 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, which is said to the world’s third largest textile machinery show.
With India emerging as a significant player in the nonwovens industry, the third edition of Non Woven Tech Asia will take place in Mumbai from June 2-4, 2016.
The exhibition will feature nonwoven fabric manufacturers, traders, distributors, machinery suppliers, converters, raw material suppliers, buyers, research institutes, trade associations and government bodies.
Further east, the Cinte Techtextil China trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens will return to Shanghai, China, from October 12-14, 2016. The biennial event, which is set to include 460 exhibitors from 22 countries, offers a promotional platform for manufacturers and exporters looking at expanding into the growing Chinese market.
The 2014 edition recorded 12,496 visits over the three days of the fair, a 63% increase compared with 2012. Visitors came from 61 countries, with the top five countries outside China being South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India and Hong Kong. A total of 459 exhibitors from 22 countries took part in the last trade fair, a rise of 4%.
Machinery
The major textile machinery event of the year will be the 5th ITMA Asia + CITME, scheduled for October 21-25, 2016 in Shanghai, China.
Held every two years, the event is supported by all nine CEMATEX European textile machinery associations, the China Textile Machinery Association and the Japan Textile Machinery Association.
CEMATEX President Charles Beauduin said: “Asia is the world’s largest textile machinery market and China accounts for more than half of the total textile and garment machinery installed during the last 10 years. Hence, we expect that the response to the 2016 combined show will be extremely strong.”
Around 100,000 trade visitors from all sectors of the global textile industry are expected to see more than 1,600 exhibitors on an area of 180,000 m2.
Composites
With the dynamic growth of the composites industries worldwide, several shows have now been established in this sector, driven in particular by European associations.
JEC World Composites Show & Conferences (formerly JEC Europe) will be held from March 8-10, 2016 in Paris and this year moving to the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
With more than 100 countries represented, and an annual 6% growth in visitor numbers, the event has become the largest international show for the composites industry, according to organizer JEC Group.
Meanwhile, a new fiber composite and lightweight construction trade fair, called Experience Composites, will take place in Augsburg, Germany, from September 21-23, 2016.
Jointly organized by Messe Augsburg, the JEC Group and Carbon Composites, the event is planned to showcase composites producers and applications in two halls with around 10,000 m2 of exhibition space.
There will also be two parallel congresses, visits to companies and scientific establishments, and a training program, as well as networking meetings at cultural highlights in and around Augsburg.
Finally, Composites Europe, the 11th European Trade Fair & Forum for Composites, Technology and Applications, will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from November 29 to December 1, 2016.
Last year’s event held in Stuttgart, Germany, saw a record 10,087 visitors and 470 exhibitors from 29 countries.
