ITMA Review
Textile World Asia Special Report
ITMA 2003:A SuccessDespite pre-show uncertainties, ITMA 2003 proved to be a success for both
exhibitors and attendees.Housed in 20 halls at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham,
England, and covering more than 120,000 square meters of exposition space, the latest in textile
technology from every sector of the industry was on display for the global textile community. The
124,910 visitors in attendance during the course of the eight-day ITMA 2003 shared an overall
optimism of the event with exhibitors.Maria Avery, ITMA 2003 Organizing Committee exhibition
director, reported that 50 percent of visitors came from Europe, and almost 25 percent came from
Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Sixty percent of all visitors were director level and
above.Italy-based Savio S.p.A.’s sales during the show confirmed a diverse visitor geography. “This
ITMA was a ‘real’ ITMA, not a surrogate,” said Daniele Pellissetti, order administrator director.
“The attendees were very high quality. We sold machines to Turkey, China, Brazil, India. Also, we
saw visitors from unexpected countries like Argentina and have finalized orders. The quality of the
visitors and global nature of the show have made the introduction of the new Flexirotor an
important launch.” Savio’s FlexirotorS 3000 was on display for the first time at the show.Other
suppliers in the spinning sector reported positive results even with pre-show jitters caused by
major suppliers in the sector withdrawing from the show. Hideki Ichikawa, general manager, sales
department, Murata Machinery Ltd., Japan, said: “We believe it was a very important decision to
attend. Worldwide serious customers … Turkey, Bangladesh, India and more … serious clients with
fruitful meetings. New winding and Vortex systems were well received and sold with good results.”
Company Chairman Junichi Murata and President and CEO Daisuke Murata explained that with 22 years
dedicated to Murata Jet Spinning and nine years in Murata Vortex Spinning, the company continues to
develop yarn manufacturing systems of greater performance and flexibility. The yarn package also is
of great importance in Murata development. The company claims the package can be used directly by
the fabric manufacturer without additional clearing and winding steps.Spinning suppliers were well
represented at the show — even with the absence of some notables — and presented a variety of
technologies.Trützschler GmbH & Co., Germany, took full use of the opportunity to unveil the
new TC03 card on the first day of the show.Weaving Draws AttentionThe weaving sector was the
largest draw to ITMA 2003, according to show organizers. West Point, Ga.-based West Point Foundry
and Machine Co. President Pate Huguley said: “It would have been a mistake not to come to ITMA
2003. Even with major exhibitors pulling out, we’ve been pleased with the number of decision makers
here. Denim prep and corduroy cutting machinery have been strong, as well as other products. We
came presold on the equipment on display, but we are looking at new projects one to three months
out.” Scott Warren, general sales manager, West Point Foundry and Machine, added: “We’ve seen
customers from Pakistan, India, Turkey and more. ITMA has enabled us to reconnect with customers in
this region.”Italy-based Promatech Commercial Director Fabio Mazzucchetti remarked on the optimism
of the event: “We feel a positive movement, much less negative than we expected. We’ve sold both
air-jet and rapier installations in Taiwan, India and Brazil. This show creates an optimistic,
positive future for textiles. We’ve sold more here than the Paris ITMA and we’ve noticed a high
quality of people, extremely well prepared. It is not just speed, they are researching the
details.”“This show was much more active than we expected,” remarked Francesco Cecchinato, area
sales manager, SMIT S.p.A., Italy. SMIT recently emerged as a stand-alone company from the ITEMA
Group’s acquisition of Sulzer Textil. “The G6300 new-generation GS900, and JS900 air-jet, both
coming next year, saw great interest,” Checchinato said. “The terry version of the G6300 impressed
clients, as did the one equipped to produce air bag fabrics. We expect that 200 machines have been
sold at the show in the China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan sector and another 600 machines will be
placed in the first quarter. Without final figures, we expect sales around the world of 1,000
machines are concluded at the show.”Marco Giamminola, managing director of Giorgio Giamminola &
C S.p.A., Italy, agreed with the overall impressions of ITMA. “The people here came to gather real
information — not for tourism,” he said. “As a spare parts supplier and used weaving machine
company, we met clients and made new alliances. We have broadened our range of parts and introduced
our website, which makes the sales process even stronger.”According to Belgium-based Picanol NV’s
latest information, the company’s weaving machines received a very positive reception at ITMA. In
terms of both new leads and new contracts, the company realized better than expected results.
Picanol expects that 2004 will be a transition year and foresees first recovery in 2005. “In 2005,
the new Olympica product platform, [which] will be launched by the end of this year at ShanghaiTex,
will be fully in the market. This is part of our strategy to secure new customers by means of new
type [of] machines in geographic markets and niche segments where we have not been active thus far.
The recent order for 78 of the August-launched Olympica weaving machines by a new Chinese customer
in turn proves that our approach to accessing the niche segments is bearing fruit,” stated Jan
Coene, president and CEO.Beyond WeavingAccording to the ITMA 2003 Organizing Committee, for the
first time ever at ITMA, there was a separate sector within the show for nonwovens, which
incorporated all types of machinery for web formation, bonding and finishing of nonwovens and
felting and their accessories. More than 60 exhibitors showed their latest nonwovens technologies
in a dedicated area of 12,000 square meters.The knitting area of the show also held promise. With
the separate unafilliated International Knitting Machinery Exhibition (IKME) held in Milan just
prior to ITMA, many knitting suppliers scrambled to ensure a presence at both shows (See the
upcoming Spring 2004 issue of Textile World Asia for an IKME review). Companies like Groz- Beckert
KG, Santoni S.p.A., Comez and Kern-Liebers pulled it off with a major presence at both
venues.Digital printing also made progress at the show. Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Ink Jet
Textiles Global Sales and Service Manager Stephen J. Hurff noted: “DuPont Artistri digital
offerings in acid, reactives, pigments and disperse have been really well received. As a global
show, we’ve experienced strong interest from Italy, Turkey, India, Pakistan — and new interest from
South America.” DuPont sold the pigment and disperse machines on display at the show and their
installed base will now exceed 20 units. The machines have attracted the attention of graphics and
traditional textile manufacturers.ITMA 2003 was also the first time major dye and chemical
suppliers held significant space. BASF AG, CHT R. Beitlich GmbH, Clariant Ltd., Cognis GmbH &
Co. KG, DyStar and other suppliers made presentations and promoted their latest solutions — many
incorporating cross technology developments with machinery suppliers, such as Dystar with the
Brazzoli S.p.A. Innodye®/Innovat® system. Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Switzerland, supported multiple
chemical solutions, and in conjunction with Israel-based Scitex Vision Ltd. and Reggiani Macchine
S.p.A., Italy, presented the DReAM ink-jet printing machine. Digital printing appeared to be
growing and continuing to meet the challenges of the analog printing environment.The dye and
finishing sectors were well represented with international exhibitors. Textile Dyeing Machines
Sales and Marketing Manager Jordi Argelich, Argelich, Termes Y Cia. S.A., stated: “We saw more
people than we expected of the highest quality. We received the opportunity to make offers and
confirmed more sales than we expected. Our Rapidstretch machine received the most interest. Turkey,
Bangladesh, India and Pakistan were strong markets — Asia is most important. We see Brazil and
Argentina coming on strong.”
Offered for the first time, the ITMA Forum gave exhibitors and visitors a chance to discuss
issues affecting the industry. The first session, titled “China” (above left), featured a keynote
address by Minister Du Yu-Zhou (above right), president, China National Textile Industry Council.
Tubular Textile Machinery, one of the exhibitorsin the dyeing and finishing sector
Rino Morani (left), member of the board; and Paolo Puntoni, marketing and overseas branches
manager, Savio Macchine Tessili S.p.A., with the FlexiRotorS3000.
Egon Wirth (left), marketing communication manager, Lindauer Dornier GmbH; and Peter A.
Brust, executive vice president, American Dornier Machinery Corp., with Dornier’s ATVF 8/J
ServoTerry® air-jet weaving machine
Mag. Monika Fehrer, president, Fehrer AG, with the the company’s new CarpetStar
Jean-Pierre Caffin (third from left), area sales manager, NSC Fibre to Yarn, introduces the
FMV 42 vertical rubbing frame from N. Schlumberger & Cie.
Walter Studer, textile technician, Leiter Textillabor, Jakob Müller Technologie AG, with
Müller’s new Digital-Direkt Websystem MDL/C 12×30 machine.
Rossano Biancalani (left) and Massimo Biancalani with Biancalani’s Spyra® continuous tumbler
Italian Association of Textile Machinery Producers (ACIMIT) press conference hosts (left to
right) Guido Cerboni, Italian Embassy, London; Alberto M. Sacchi, ACIMIT chairman; and Giampaolo
Chiappini Carpena, Italian Trade Commission – London
Appalachian Electronic Instruments Inc. sales team
Fabio Mazzucchetti, commercial director, Promatech, is pictured with the Leonardo Silver
industrial fabric loom.
Left to Right: Dr. Michael Schürenkrämer, managing director; Dr. Stefan Schlichter, head of
design and development; Heinrich Trützschler, managing director; and Lutz Trützschler, sales
director, Trützschler GmbH & Co., proudly unveiled the new TC03 card the first day of the show.
Carpet weaving looms fromNV Michel Van de Wiele
Testing equipment fromJames H. Heal & Co. Ltd.
Dipl.-Ing. Johann Philipp Dilo (left), general manager, Dilo Maschinensystem GmbH, and Klaus
G. Maitre, executive vice president, Dilo Inc., in front of the Di-Loom HyperPunch DBF, VE2 machine
Junichi Murata (left), chairman, and Daisuke Murata, president and CEO, Murata Machinery Ltd.
Fong’s National Engineering Co. Ltd.
Fritz Legler, president, Sultex (USA) Inc., with the L9400 air-jet loom for carpet backing
Nicola Canziani, president, Brazzoli S.p.A., with the Innodye® 600 dyeing machine
Mario Di Francesco (left), sales manager, Brazzoli, describes the new Innovat® 400 to
interested visitors. The machine was developed jointly by Brazzoli and DyStar.
Stäubli AG
Stäubli introduced the Unival 100 jacquard machine, which uses an independent JC5 controller
to control between 5,120 and 20,480 ends. The Unival was demonstrated on a Picanol OMNIplus 6-J250
air-jet weaving machine.
Francesco Cecchinato, area sales manager, SMIT S.p.A., with the GS900 rapier loom weaving
100-percent silk fabric for men’s ties.
Groz-Beckert KG
Jim Noble, director, sales and marketing, datatex – tis Inc., the US-based datatex subsidiary
Left to right: Tony Greaney, technical sales and service manager, Bonas USA; Bob Harding,
executive vice president, Bonas USA; J. Arthur Phillips Jr., general manager, Van de Wiele of
America; Thomas H. Hansen, president, IRO Inc.; Danny Bourgois, sales coordinator, NV Michel Van de
Wiele; Benjamin E. Mackey, sales manager, Van de Wiele of America
Udo Skarke, Mahlo America Inc. (second from left), chats with visitors to the company’s
stand.
Marco Volpi, sales support, Marzoli S.p.A., with the new Marzoli C601 card
Jan Maes, market manager, Picanol NV’s Apparel Business Unit, with the TERRYplus 6-J 260
air-jet weaving machine
Left to right: Visitors Louis Fournier K., Sutexa S.r.l., and Raúl Diaz Vera, Raval S.A.C.,
chat with Uwe J. Sick, project-/sales director, Santex AG.
DuPont Ink Jet sales and research staff
Dipl. Ing. Hellmuth Behr, managing director, Memminger-IRO GmbH, with the company’s yarn
feeding technologies. In his hands is the MLT Wesco.
Boehme Filatex
BASF
CHT R. Beitlich
DyStar
Ciba
Cognis
Clariant
Dipl. Ing. Oliver L. Scharf, sales director, Mayer & Cie. Circular Knitting Machines,
with the new Relanit 4.0
Petru Singeorzan (left), sales manager, Latin America; and Jürgen Riegraf, project
management, head of design, LTG Air Engineering GmbH & Co. KG, with the ModulDrum filter
The MCS/Termoelettronica stand attracted many visitors during the show.
The Sclavos S.A. team with the new Athena dyeing machine
Bernard Blazak (left), senior area sales manager, NSC Nonwoven, explains how the new
AirWeb®-T machine works.
U.T.I.T. Wagner Automation S.p.A. displayed its latest material handling and automation
technologies.
Ing. Davide Bellini, Loris Bellini Dyeing Machines
Left to right: Fabio Mazzucchetti, commercial director, Promatech; Rino Morani, member of the
board, Savio Macchine Tessili S.p.A.; Valentino Zambon, sales director, Savio; and Paolo Puntoni,
marketing and overseas branch manager, Savio, presented the latest weaving and spinning innovations
from Promatech and Savio at a press conference held at the Council House in Birmingham.
November 2003