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ITMA 2015 has achieved a new milestone, attracting the biggest number of exhibitors since the show's launch way back in 1951. The 17th edition of ITMA has 1,691 exhibitors from 46 countries showcasing their innovations at the event. The previous record was set by ITMA 2007 when 1,451 exhibitors from 38 countries took part in the exhibition.
ITMA, the world’s foremost trade fair dedicated to textile machinery is also once again marked by a significant presence of Italian companies, both in their numbers and in the quality of their technology.
Italian exhibitors occupy 30 per cent space
For eight days,visitors at ITMA , the world’s foremost textile machinery event will have an opportunity to appreciate the high level of technology being displayed by the 454 Italian machinery manufacturers exhibiting at the fair. The overall exhibition space occupied by Italian machinery manufacturers is nearly 32,000 sq. mt. (30 per cent of the total available surface area), confirming Italy’s leadership position among exhibiting countries.
“We’re just proud to have brought back to Milan the world’s major textile machinery fair after twenty years,” said Raffaella Carabelli, President of ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), adding, “These numbers not only rank Italy first among exhibiting countries, but are a true testament to the vitality of our sector, and confirm the good state of health of the Italian textile industry.”
ITMA 2015 also features a larger exhibition, with net exhibit space of over 108,000m2, occupying 11 halls of the Fiera Milano Rho fairgrounds. It is about 20 per cent larger than the 2011 exhibition. As in previous years, exhibitors from CEMATEX countries occupy the largest space. They booked 69 per cent of the total net exhibit space - an 18 per cent increase over the 2011 figure.
Followed by Italy, exhibitors from Germany, Switzerland, and Spain are present in large numbers. From non-CEMATEX countries, the four largest groups of participants are from Turkey, China, India, and Japan. The countries fielding the largest contingent of exhibitors at ITMA 2015 are Italy (453 exhibitors), Germany (238 exhibitors), China (184 exhibitors) and India (158 exhibitors).
Sustainability in focus
The Milan edition of ITMA is a litmus test for assessing the commitment of the global textile machinery sector to a truly sustainable textile and garments industry, as the event’s slogan states: ‘Master the Art of Sustainable Innovation’. For some time now, Italian machinery manufacturers have been focusing on the issue of sustainability for their products, in order to satisfy the demand for efficient technology solutions that effectively cut back on consumption, and consequently on production costs.
The World Textile Summit gave more than 150 textile industry leaders a range of expert insights into the business issues that feed into decisions on sustainability in the textile supply chain. Co-located with ITMA 2015, the Summit had a program designed to examine how investment in ‘clean’ manufacturing or the use of sustainably sourced materials can help add value to companies at all levels of the supply chain. The subject of sustainability aligned with the overarching theme of ITMA 2015, which continues at the Fiera Milano Rho, in Milan, Italy, until November 19, 2015.
Among the efforts is the launch of the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award, the rebranding of the ‘Research and Education’ pavilion to ‘Research and Innovation’ pavilion, and many knowledge-sharing platforms to drive home the sustainability message. CEMATEX continues to support research and educational institutes with a grant for the participation in the ‘Research and Innovation’ pavilion. The pavilion has 40 participating institutions. Taking centre-stage at the pavilion is the ‘Speakers Platform’ which will be held till November 17, 2015. A total of 43 papers on the theme of sustainable innovations, achievements in innovation and technical textiles applications, will be presented at the platform.
The ‘ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award’ is a new initiative by CEMATEX to honour those who have made pioneering efforts to promote industry sustainability. Three of the finalists were vying for the ‘ITMA Industry Excellence Award’ while another three for the ‘ITMA Research and Innovation (R&I) Excellence Award’, which were announced at the ITMA gala dinner. Tonello and Levi Strauss were declared winners of the first ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award for NoStone denim finishing technology.
Innovative machineries under 19 chapters
The event is featuring exhibits clustered into 19 chapters such as spinning, web formation, winding and texturing, weaving, knitting and hosiery, embroidery and braiding, finishing, dyestuffs and chemicals, software, logistics, plant operations, recycling and education to garment making and textile processing, printing, and fibre and yarn.
The top five sectors include dyeing and finishing occupying 23 per cent of the space, with 303 exhibitors, spinning, 14 per cent of the space with 290 exhibitors, weaving, 12 per cent of the space and 179 exhibitors, knitting and hosiery with 13 per cent of the space and 128 exhibitors and printing segment occupying 10 per cent of the space with 113 exhibitors.
www.acimit.it www.itma.com
The zero discharge production centre claims to revolutionise the textile industry because, for the first time ever, a denim treatment plant will achieve zero waste. Jeanologia has been able to achieve this with combination of three technologies i.e. the light of the laser, wet and dry Ozone G2, and the nano bubbles of the reactor eFlow, combination reduces water consumption by 90%, the use of chemicals by 90%, and energy consumption by 50%.
“Introduction of ZERØ represents a revolution in the textile industry, we have managed to transform the way that jeans are produced, by way of technologies that reduce the use of water, chemicals, and energy, and we are now taking this transformation a step further with our ZERØ technology, which recycles the water used and eliminates any waste." , says Enrique Silla, CEO Jeanologia. He further adds “The Denim industry currently uses around 350 million m3 of water; and going further with Jeanologia's intelligent treatment plant, we will achieve a water saving of 315 million m3. We believe that by 2020 80% of global production will be generated by zero discharge centers.
“Jeanologia is helping to improve transparency in the textile industry, which at times has been accused of archaic and pollutant production processes. We are living in a new industrial era, in which automation, sustainability, and the intelligent recycling of water will help to make the textile industry a model of transparency, innovation, and sustainable practices.
“Technologically, we have a new optical concept with that we can have new Light PP spray system implemented on all our machines, which helps in reducing dyeing, reducing damage to environment, saving water and improvement in garment”, says Carmen Silla, Marketing Manager, Jeanologia, “ We are happy to respond to the need of the hour that goes to take care of people as well as environment”, she summarises.
The Spanishcompany, Jeanologia, istheworld'sleadingplayer in sustainableandefficienttechnologiesforthe textile finishingindustry.
Since 1993, Jeanologiahaspioneeredandrevolutionizedthe textile industry, offeringendlesspossibilities in garmentfinishinganddesign, while at the same time savingwater, energy, andchemicals, andeliminatingharmfulwasteandemissions. The companycovers 5 continents, 45 countries, includingthe USA, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, India, China, Russia, Japan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Vietnam. Leadingbrands, such asLevi’s, Polo Jeans, Abercrombie & Fitch, Edwin Japan, Pepe Jeans, Diesel, Hilfiger Denim, Salsa jeans, Jack & Jones, and Replay, aswellasthebigretailers, including GAP, Uniqlo, and H&M, areusingthetechnologyithasdeveloped.
www.jeanologia.com
Archroma that has 60 per cent of its business coming from textiles is committed for better solutions to offer to industry and brands. Talking about sustainability, BeatePluckhan, Head of Sales Europe/Africa “ Honestly speaking, I don’t think the awareness or quest for sustainability is any region specific, we have equal business spread all across the world in Asia, Americas and EMEA region( European, Middle East and Africa) and we feel that in all the regions sustainability and performance solutions are the need of the hour and future of textiles is more into functional and technical innovations”.
For colour enhancement, It is highlightinghere on two new ground-breaking solutionsat ITMA 2015,EarthColors and Inkpresso. EarthColors is a new range of dyes created from agricultural waste like almond shells, saw palmetto, rosemary leaves, etc. They can be used to provide rich red, brown and green colors to denim and casualwear, whereas Inkpresso, together with a Swiss technology provider,Archromahas introduced for the very first time a pioneering system that will mark a turnaround in the textile digital printing market. Inkpresso claims to change the way inks are supplied to digital printers.
For performance enhancement, Archroma is offering a constant flow of eco-advanced and innovative new process and functional chemicals, aiming at providing solutions that combine performance, safety and low impact on resources,Archroma regularly partners with innovation-driven players such as Schoeller, Sanitized and Cotton Incorporated, to offer textile producers, brands and retailers the latest and best available technologies.
Sustainability enhancement another significant area where brand owners and retailers around the world are taking action to evaluate the environmental impact of textile treatment, dyeing and finishing processes in response to consumer concerns. It is no longer sufficient merely to comply with relevant regulations, Archroma engages itself in favor of a more sustainable textile industry.
SmartRepel Hydro and Zero add on are the other two solutions towards achieving the same goals.
Archroma, brings these solutions on the back of its decades of experience in formulation and technical know-how in dyestuff and pigments. With the recent acquisition of BASF chemicals textile business and 49% of M. Dohmen, Archroma is gaining further strength in particular in the area of printing and automotive.
www.archroma.com
World Textile Summit, co-located with ITMA 2015, saw participation of more than 150 textile industry leaders, sharing a range of expert insights into the business issues concerning decisions on sustainability in the textile supply chain.The summit had a programme designed to examine how investment in ‘clean’ manufacturing or the use of sustainably sourced materials can help add value to companies at all levels of the supply chain.
The summit opened with a Peschka, Director, keynote address by Mary PorterAdvisory Services, at the International Finance Corporation (IF), a division of the World Bank. Porter Peschka explained how the IFC, which operates as the Bank’s commercial arm, assists Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s) in developing economies, often providing investment finance where other sources are either unavailable or too expensive. It also provides consultancy to industry and governments on measure to improve sustainability.
The subject of sustainability aligned with the overarching theme of ITMA 2015, which continues in Milan, Italy, until November 19, and the event was structured to assist senior textile decision-makers in formulating strategy. Its elements include the role of sustainability indifferentiating brands and companies, business profitability and security, investment decisions, the circular supply chain, customer acquisition and retention as well as product development
Paula Oliveira, Director, Interbrand, explained how sustainability can deliver a marketing edge by differentiating brands and companies. VivekTandon, co-founder of French private-equity investor Aloe Group, which specialises in sustainable investments and has interests in the fibre sector, gave an investor’s perspective.
There then followed a session in which three textile industry leaders gave their first-hand accounts of the advantages of investment in ‘clean’ manufacturing. Maurizio Ribotti, of CanepaSpA (Italy), Roger Yeh, of Everest Textile Co Ltd (Taiwan), andAjay Sardana, of Aditya Birla Group (India), each briefly described their company’s experience and joined an open discussion on the investment case for ‘green’ technology.
Christian Dietrich, Director, Systain Consulting, described the response of suppliers to an initiative by a grouping of major retailers to mitigate the CO2 burden of their businesses. Helga Vanthournout, Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Co – an expert on the ‘circular economy’ as it relates to textiles – considered how recycling and reuse of end-of-life products can deliver economic and business value. And developing the theme of materials, Linda Keppinger, Global Materials Director, Nike Inc, reviewed sustainable trends in product development.
BurakTun, Director Sales, Menderes Tekstil (Turkey) and Alan Garosi, Global Marketing Manager, Fulgar (Italy) both presented short case study, focusing on their own company’s application of environmentally friendly materials, and were joined on the platform by Peter Waeber, of bluesign technologies, for an open discussion on the strategic choices to be made in material selection.
www.worldtextilesummit.com
Levi Strauss & Co. won the first ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award, clinching the ITMA Industry Excellence Award from two other finalists,BertoIndustriaTessile (Italy) and Gebrüder Otto (Germany). Receiving the award at the ITMA 2015 gala dinner on Nov 12, FrankyVangaever, R&D Product Researcher,Levi’s said, "We are very excited to be the first winner of the ITMA award. The success is a testimony of the strong collaboration of two iconic brands – Tonello and ourselves – in pursuit of industry sustainability."
Tonello's technology provided Levi’s an important first step to solving an industry challenge in denim finishing, Levi has started preliminary development work in their Plock facility in Poland, using the Tonello’sNoStone garment washing technology and avoiding the use of pumice stones, as those had environmental, economic and mechanical disadvantages.
Finalist BertoIndustriaTessile is a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of denim products. It leveraged on the Matex Eco Applicator range by ITMA exhibitor Monforts to significantly reduce the amount of liquid needed in finishing denim fabrics, leading to energy savings and a huge reduction in waste water produced.On the other hand, Gebrüder Otto, the other finalist, is a leading yarn manufacturer which implemented Mayer &Cie'sspinitsystems to produce single jersey fabric using up to 35 per cent less energy compared to the conventional process.
Charles Beauduin, President of CEMATEX, who was also on the Industry Excellence Award judging panel, said, "The ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award celebrates the successful collaboration between technology providers and industry users. With both parties working closely together, innovative, yet practical solutions that positively impact the environment and business bottom line can be created. Hence, we hope to continue to encourage more of such industry collaborations.”
For the R&I Excellence Award – Masters category, Jan Vincent Jordan, InstitutFürTextiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University has been announced as the winner.The two other finalists were; Jenifer Schneidereit, HochschuleNiederrhein for her Master's Thesis: 'Sustainable Water Use in Textile Wet Processing: Development of a List of Improvement Measures for a Self-Assessment Tool for Factories', and MoniruddozaAshir, Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, TU Dresden, for his Master's Thesis: 'Development of Hybrid Woven Structures for Lightweight Applications'.
S Café has won ‘Best Invention Award’ at Geneva Inventions and Pittsburgh Invention Gold Medal Award of Merit. Additionally, it has obtained GRS (Global Recycle Standard) certification by Control Union (Holland base notarisation unit) and Recycled Material Certification by TÜV (Germany base notarisation unit).
Focused on innovative fabrics
Singtex is a $50 million company and has been witnessing five to 10 per cent business growth every year. It is now also expanding into garment production and dyeing. Localised customers according to Ching are now increasingly looking for sustainable products such as recycled polyester or recycled properties in fabrics. “This year, the trend is about sustainability. China has a lot of garment factories. Lot of global customers are jumping into the Chinese supply chain and looking for good products. China will continue to grow though at a slow pace. We have a two or three per cent share in the Chinese market. So far our company has focused on the European and US markets. We have just come to China. Next year we think our share will be one percent more.”
Fabrics is the company’s main business. They are mainly wicking fabrics or laminated waterproof fabrics. “The US has a 50 per cent share in our business and Europe has 40 per cent share. The other 10 per cent comes from China and the Asia Pacific. About 10 per cent of our business is driven by yarn and fibres, the rest comes from fabrics,” he adds.
In performance fabrics, some customers look for more stretch. Fabrics are non-spandex but still have stretch. “We do this by construction or by yarn. If we take out spandex, the fabric can have quick dry and wicking. We make tight fit possible without spandex. Non spandex stretch is growing. This trend can be seen in the US, Japan and Europe,” explains Ching.
Sustainable products in demand
Reiterating Ching’s opinion that most of the brands are now looking for green products, Jason Chen, Chairman, Singtex said, “The business is about finding a good vendor, good fashion. But the product should be environment friendly. The product should be good for the country, good for consumers and good for the land.”
Many countries, he says, have different groups. “I see competition between groups but the competition should be with oneself. That way you will benefit and your products will get better. It’s about products from a good idea, products from a good design. You develop products from your mind. If you do that you have no competition. For instance, TPP is 40 per cent of the global market and I don’t think it will impact the global business. It’s not a competition but a move from some place to other. One day, sourcing destination may even move to Africa or somewhere else. So it is about being prepared, ready. But it is not about being calculative,” avers Chen.
He feels China’s textile industry should undergo a transformation since manufacturing there is shrinking. “They have to change their design thinking. It is not enough to copy. Designs have to be original. And this is a long process. It is about thinking from production to design. But it has to be done. Otherwise there won’t be real development. China’s young generation has a lot of potential. They are capable of doing it. We need to encourage them,” Chen asserts.
www.scafefabrics.com
Vietnam’s textile and garment industry is looking to upgrade itself. It’s considering strategic solutions for enhancing research and promoting the application of advanced technologies to increase domestic garment businesses’ competitiveness.
Fashion design centers will be set up. National textile brands will be formed to make deeper inroads into international markets. The focus is on hastening modernisation and ensuring sustainable growth in order to turn the textile sector into one of the country’s key industries. Events like the Asia Fashion Summit 2015 and an international exhibition on fashion and materials for the garment industry are being planned. These events aim to help bolster links among Asian textile enterprises, offering them a chance to discuss ways to promote garment exports to other countries.
Trade promotion activities, training programs, workshops and conferences will take place. There will be strong liaising activities with foreign organisations. Vietnam’s garment and textile sector has a goal of generating $42 billion in export turnover by 2020, with a localisation rate of 65 per cent. With this aim there will be more investment in weaving, dyeing, completing products and developing supply chains to increase the added value of export products.
The country’s textile and garment sector has seen fast and sustainable growth over the years.
Italy will help Vietnam to open two technology centers for the garment and footwear industries in 2016. Italy wants to help Vietnam improve the performance of garment and footwear sectors. The Italians will equip the upcoming centers with their machinery and technology as well as send experts to train the local workforce.
The centers will be set up at two leading universities. They will receive 15 machines from Italy, which will be used to help train skilled employees for both the Vietnamese and Italian apparel businesses. Italy is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner in the EU, with bilateral trade topping $4billion in 2014, up 17 per cent from a year earlier. As of end of last year, Italy ranked ninth among EU countries, and 28th among foreign investors, in terms of direct foreign investment in Vietnam.
Vietnam and Italy have similarities in small and medium sized business structures and the two countries are discussing options for increasing bilateral trade ties and investment cooperation. Vietnam is among the ten emerging markets Italy has prioritised for developing trade and investment with. Many Italian businesses have plans for long term investment in the Vietnamese market.
Fiber supplier Euro Fibers has been renamed as Prisma. The company is known for high performance fibers like Dyneema, Twaron, Technora, Vectran and Zylon. Rebranding came about because the company is now transitioning to a technology platform with a growing presence and expanding services. It has tripled its coating capacity within a year.
The rebrand is the positive outcome of the company’s broadening footprint in and outside Europe, unprecedented demand, and increasing recognition. The company’s brand Prisma embodies a coating technology that creates innovative solutions to shield high performance fibers. The name Prisma originates from the initial trials conducted when Euro Fibers tried to coat Dyneema fibers. Dyneema is only available in white and with the Prisma coating technology the company can offer it in all colors of the rainbow. The new logo clearly shows all these colors. The stylised shield is a statement in itself with the shield representing the protective features the Prisma coating technology offers to treat high performance fibers.
The new brand identity is a logical step that communicates to both customers and end users that the company continues to provide products and services that consistently outpace its competitors’. With a strong logo, and a clear and distinctive website, the company shows customers why Prisma shielded fibers are the fibers of choice.
India's first industrial hemp start-up Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), is run by seven twenty-year-olds, who dream of a green world. Hemp, hardly recognised in India, as it is confused with marijuana, is touted to be a billion-dollar industry in the West. Hemp is hardly consumed in India, unlike a small town in Australia that runs entirely on hemp. Locals in north India use it in their food and to make fibres, but that's about it. Sanvar Oberoi, one of the co-founders says, the Textile Ministry claims that industrial hemp fibre can rake in a potential revenue of approximately Rs 240 crore annually.
Several hemp-based products can be found at BOHECO’s office such as a couple of cream canvas hemp shoes that are still in the works, a neatly packaged crisp, white hemp shirt ready for shipment, bottles of hemp seed oil sit beside packets of hemp seeds, etc.
Romesh Bhattacharji, former narcotics commissioner of India and an advisor to BOHECO explained that hemp is created from the stalk and seed and is a non-narcotic and non-excisable duty item, not from the bud and leaf, which are used to make psychotropic substances. Suman Sahai, founder of the Gene Campaign and an advisor to BOHECO says that the long-term solution for integrating hemp is through development of Indian seeds. The first licence to develop hemp seeds in India in partnership with a government entity is bagged by BOHECO. Kotak stated that they would want to have their own seeds by 2017.
