The Textile Industries Media Group (TIMG) — publishers of trade magazines
Textile World
,
Textile World Asia
and
Textiles Panamericanos
— has been named official media partner for the 2009 International Textile Manufacturers
Federation (ITMF) Annual Conference, to be held October 23-25 in Shanghai. TIMG will provide
exclusive pre-conference coverage in special sections to be included in the September/October 2009
issues of
TW
and
TPA
and the July/August/September 2009 issue of
TW Asia
, and a conference report to be published in the following issues.
ITMF is one of the oldest non-governmental organizations. It was founded in 1904 at a meeting
held in Zurich and convened at the initiative of the British cotton spinning industry. That’s why
it still has a very close relationship with the whole cotton industry. However, today, ITMF
activities cover the entire textile industry, including nonwovens and technical textiles as well as
apparel.
The main objectives are to provide a forum for discussion, to be a neutral meeting ground for
textile trade associations to exchange information and to act as an overall organization of the
textile industry for the collection of information, statistical and otherwise, on textile
manufacturing developments around the world.
ITMF also acts as a narrator for the world textile industry and functions as a liaison agent
among the textile industries and governments and intergovernmental organizations interested in the
textile industry.
High-Ranking Organization
ITMF is without doubt the most important textile association around the world. Members are
associations and other constituted organizations of textile manufacturers. There can be only one
member association from each country. The members have access to all annual statistics as well as
to other important data and committee papers. Associate members are associations and other
constituted organizations of textile manufacturers in countries in which there is already a member
association. It is also possible to be a corporate member. These are manufacturers of textiles or
of products allied to the textile industry, such as textile machinery.
ITMF is the highest-ranking global meeting point for networking. At the annual meeting, held
somewhere around the globe, the top-ranking textile industry leaders meet, to attend an excellent
conference but also to exchange information and strengthen contacts with the leaders of the global
textile machinery and textile industry. These high-level gatherings are probably even more
important than are just the statistics. This comment is made based on personally participating at
these annual meetings for many years.
China, 2009 Host Country
The annual meeting is always organized by a country association, which invites the delegates
from all four corners of the world. The 2009 ITMF Annual Conference in Shanghai is organized by the
China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC). CNTAC says it is honored to host the 2009
conference, and believes “that the convention of the delegates in China will help participants to
reach a certain consensus on issues of common interest and to push forward the bilateral and
multilateral cooperation as well as to provide grounds for the textile industry in China and the
rest of world to develop … a better understanding.”
Structural Changes
The general theme of the conference, “Structural Adjustments in the World Textile Industry,”
is based on the current situation of the world textile industry, which is challenged by various
difficulties – like structural technological adjustments in this traditional industry, the short
supply of resources and the increasing obligations to environmental concerns. At the same time, the
entire industry sees continuous opportunities to further upgrade its technology both for
efficacious and ecological reasons. The 2009 ITMF Annual Conference will give the opportunity for
in-depth presentations and discussions on all these aspects of the general theme, with the aim of
promoting mutual understanding, enhancing cooperation and creating new prosperity for the world
textile industry. More information is available at www.itmf.org.
July 15, 2009