The sixth ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 exhibition drew down its curtain at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai on 19 October with industry players set to focus on technology’s impact on taking China’s textile industry forward into the future.

According to the organizer, the exhibition welcomed visitorship of over 100,000 from 116 countries and regions, with an increase of 10% from domestic visitors compared to the 2016 show. About 20% of the visitors came from outside of China. Of the overseas participants, Indian visitors top the list, reflecting the strong growth of its textile industry.

The combined show grossed 180,000 square meters of exhibition space, 10% larger than the last edition in 2016. It has attracted a total of 1,733 textile machinery manufacturers from 28 countries and regions to demonstrate their innovative technological products that focus on automation and sustainable production.

China filled the biggest exhibition area, followed by Germany, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. By product categories, spinning was the largest sector, occupying 22% of the total exhibition space. Finishing machinery formed the next biggest group at 20%, followed by knitting (19%) and weaving (17%).

This year, the exhibition featured a newly opened functional area- Research and Innovation Pavilion. The pavilion was established in order to promote cross-border exchange between the industry and institution.

“Each ITMA ASIA + CITME edition features an interesting presentation of the latest technologies by European exhibitors. On show this year will be a wide range of solutions for automation and sustainable production, as well as those for the production of technical textiles and nonwoven materials,” said Mr Fritz P. Mayer, President of CEMATEX at the press conference during the exhibition.

“The combined show provides industry members with a useful platform to conduct business, and learn about exciting new trends. Hence, we are very pleased to have the participation of both large and emerging players as they are important for meaningful industry collaboration, dialogue and networking,” added Mr Wang Shutian, President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA).

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 is owned by CEMATEX and its Chinese partners - the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPIT-Tex), China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and China Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC). It is organised by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co Ltd and co-organised by ITMA Services. The Japan Textile Machinery Association (JTMA) is a special partner of the show.

Following the successful staging of the 2018 edition, the next combined show will be held in October 2020 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai.