T
he 5th International Garment, Textile & Leather Machinery & Accessories
Exhibition (IGATEX Pakistan 2006) – held recently at the Karachi Expo Center in Karachi, Pakistan –
hosted 390 principal exhibitors from 30 countries, according to show co-organizer Singapore-based
Conference & Exhibition Management Services Pte. Ltd. (CEMS). Pakistan-based Pegasus
Consultancy (Pvt.) Ltd. also helped organize the event. More than 30,000 visitors primarily from
Pakistan, India, Turkey, the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh attended the show over a
four-day period. CEMS reports those visitors placed orders with approximately 90 percent of the
exhibiting companies in amounts ranging from US$30,000 to more than US$100 million. According to
the Government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Textile Industry, locally based exhibitors took orders
worth approximately US$20 million during the show.
Pakistan appears to be one of the most promising countries in the Asian arena in terms of
capacity of absorbing goods and development potential of its various industrial sectors. The
country is like a bud about to bloom thanks to the growth of revealing macroeconomic indicators –
such as the gross domestic product (GDP) increase in all key segments over the past two fiscal
years, the significant improvement in per capita income, the influx of foreign investors, and the
massive progression of imports aimed at sourcing machinery and technologies capable of supporting
industrial development.
The textile sector plays a focal role in Pakistani expansion and is second only to services
in determining the GDP increase. Large cotton production and low-cost labor make this country one
of the most significant suppliers of fabrics and clothes targeted to Western markets. In fact, the
mechanics segment has fueled the expansion with a 40.2-percent increase in machinery purchases,
amounting to $5.9 billion – $929 million of which is represented by textile machinery. The
Pakistani government is steadily fostering the strengthening of the industrial structure in
strategic fields such as the chemical, agriculture, textile and automotive industries through
legislation that is favorable to foreign investments. This legislation also is intended to attract
capital that contributes to the development and acquisition of advanced technologies.
The initiatives of public support for private enterprises are more and more frequent. On the
fiscal front, the extreme reduction – or in certain cases removal – of customs duties on machinery
imports match those measures.
Challenges And Realities
It is certain that visitor characteristics contribute to the success of an exhibition. What
has hallmarked this edition of IGATEX Pakistan are the targeted attendance of trade entrepreneurs
and a general optimism. The unanimous answer that emerged from the halls of IGATEX Pakistan was
that this show could be regarded as one of Pakistan’s most important. Customers always were
present, and exhibitors often closed significant deals and reached new potential buyers. It is now
up to companies not to let the big opportunities that Pakistan offers the Western industry slip by.
Stäubli At IGATEX Pakistan
For the 2006 edition of IGATEX Pakistan, Stäubli AG, Switzerland, exhibited a selection of
its textile machinery products for shedding motion and weaving preparation systems including the
electronic jacquard machines LX 1600, which can be used not only on air-jet weaving machines for
weaving flat fabrics or terry cloth, but also on rapier or projectile weaving machines. The LX 1600
is available in formats from 1,408 to 6,144 hooks. The assembling of two machines together to
increase the number of hooks is possible.
Visitors interested in the latest jacquard technology and weaving preparation equipment
kept Stäubli’s stand busy during IGATEX Pakistan 2006.
Stäubli also exhibited its weaving preparation systems including automatic drawing-in systems
and warp-tying systems, as well as automatic leasing devices and handling systems for efficient
work flow between weaving preparation and weaving.
Smit Textile Donates Terry Weaving Machine
Italy-based Smit S.p.A. donated a rapier weaving machine for terry jacquard to the S.M.A.
Rizvi Textile Institute in Karachi, Pakistan. With this initiative, Smit Textile expresses its wish
to support the education of specialized technicians, spreading innovative textile technologies in
areas with high industrial potential.
General in Karachi; and Dr. Abdul Jabbar, S.M.A. Rizvi Textile Institute principal, cut the ribbon
at the donation ceremony.
The S.M.A. Rizvi Textile Institute was established in 1998 with the support of the Towel
Manufacturers’ Association of Pakistan and Export Promotion Bureau of the government of Pakistan,
both based in Karachi. The institute has become one of the leading textile institutes that offers
valuable teaching and training in textile technology.
A ceremony held to mark the donation was attended by S.M.A. Rizvi Principal Dr. Abdul Jabbar,
and Smit President Eng. Luciano Corain. Other guests of honor included the Consul General of Italy
in Karachi Dr. Bruno Pasquino, the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) Karachi Director Dr. Marco Pintus
and ICE trade analyst A.R. Daudpota.
July/August 2006