A Trio Of Events In Turkey

New products and processes, as well as research and development, await those who attend the upcoming Hightex, Safetech and International Technical Textile Congress events in Istanbul.

Textile World Asia Special Report

L ocated at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the Republic of Turkey is well-poised to take advantage of its strategic location with regard to international relations and trade. It is currently in European Union membership discussions and has instituted a range of economic reforms, prompting a revitalization of its manufacturing sector. The country had signed 17 free trade agreements as of January 2006. Apparel and textiles are today counted among the nation’s main exports.

According to the General Secretariat of the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Associations (ITKIB), technical textiles in particular have gained importance in terms of import and export dollars. (See “Turkey: Ancient Crossroads, Modern Textiles,” TW Asia, September/October 2007).

Promoting The Industry
Teknik Fuarcilik Ltd., a textile publishing and fair organization based in Istanbul — Turkey’s largest city — hopes to promote the continuation of these trends when it hosts Hightex 2007 Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Trade Fair, and Safetech 2007 Protective Textiles & Technologies Fair November 30-December 2 at the Istanbul Expo Center. Hightex exhibitors will be located in Halls 9 and 10, while Safetech exhibitors will be located in Hall 11.

Hightex 2007
Visitors to the second edition of Hightex — the first and only technical textiles event in Turkey — will include those involved in the apparel, geotextiles, home textiles, building, automotive, packaging, medical/cosmetics, hygiene and food industries. They will see a range of exhibited products and technologies that will include:
• airlaid, crosslapper, drylaid, meltblown, needlepunch, spunbond, spunlace, stitchbond, thermobond and wetlaid technologies, among others;
• bonding and separation, narrow weaving, converting, fiber tearing, flocking/impregnation, embossing machinery, coating and lamination, tufting, technical textile weaving; needling; lab measurement; drying systems; nonwovens processing; structural composites; and waste packaging and waste recycling machinery, among many others;
• raw materials such as fibers and filaments, yarns, polymer chips and granules, adhesives, hot melts and surface processing chemicals, among others;
• textile end-products for application in agriculture, construction, apparel, road and ground work, decoration, industry, food, medical, hygiene, cleaning, cosmetics, transportation, environmental protection, packaging, protection and sports; and
• smart textiles.
Exhibitors will be organized into 14 textile categories — agricultural, apparel, building, cosmetics, ecological, food, geo, industrial, medical, home furniture, packaging, protection, sports and transport.

Touting the event as the largest technical textiles meeting of its kind in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, organizers hope to improve upon the 10,000 visitors and 318 companies that attended the first Hightex, held in 2005. More than 200 companies have registered to exhibit at this year’s event as of Textile World Asia ’s press time.

Safetech 2007
In order to accommodate overwhelming demand from protective textiles and accessories manufacturers who wished to exhibit at Hightex, a separate show, to be held concurrently with Hightex at the same venue, was created to highlight that sector of the nonwovens and technical textiles industry. Organizers attribute this demand to the booming growth of the protective textiles market, both in Turkey and around the world.

The inaugural edition of Safetech will attract visitors from a wide range of industries including textile manufacturers; local, regional, state and federal governments; military, police, fire and security forces; hospitals; pharmaceutical companies; dye and enzyme producers; automotive manufacturers; chemical material manufacturers; printers; cargo/transportation businesses; mining; petrochemicals; steel/iron; and aviation, among others.

Exhibitor categories will include respiratory protection, fire protection, eye protection, hand protection, video protection, foot protection, head protection, noise protection, workwear and rescue equipment.

Exhibitors will display products related to:
• clothing and equipment for personal security including fireproof, waterproof and bulletproof clothing; high-visibility clothing; medical clothing; noise and pollution protection; and protective helmets, gloves and shoes, among others;
• indoor security equipment including isolation materials, security and warning systems, and natural hazard detectors, among other products;
• outdoor security equipment including anti-pollution systems, anti-noise systems and refinement equipment, among others; and
• rescue equipment including heatproof clothing, ropes and belts, protective hats and helmets, and waterproof tents, among other products.
International Technical Textiles Congress
The third edition of the International Technical Textiles Congress, first held in 2002, will be held alongside Hightex and Safetech, December 1-2, at the Istanbul Expo Center. Organized by Dokuz Eylul University’s Department of Textile Engineering, the congress is sponsored by ITKIB, Teknik Fuarcilik, Aegean Exporters’ Association, Izmir Chamber of Commerce and A-Teks Irfan Aydin.

Congress topics will include agricultural textiles; automotive textiles; civil engineering, constructive textiles and geotextiles; composite materials; filtration textiles; high-performance fibers; industrial textiles; medical textiles; military textiles; packaging textiles; protective clothes; and smart textiles and clothing.

Opening speeches will be given Saturday morning, December 1, and will be followed by three sessions held throughout the day. Four more sessions will be held Sunday, December 2. The closing ceremony, to be held Sunday evening, will be incorporated into the day’s last session.

Venue
The Istanbul Expo Center, spanning 30,000 square meters, is centrally located in the heart of Istanbul, and just 200 meters from the Atatürk Havalimani airport. Transportation facilities are available.

Visitor Services
Visitors to www.hightex2007.com or www.teknikfuarcilik.com will find sections devoted to obtaining a visa, finding accommodations in Istanbul and freight forwarding. These websites also provide online registration for both attendees and exhibitors. Those who wish to register for the International Technical Textiles Congress may do so at www.technicaltextiles2007.com.

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For more information about Hightex 2007 and Safetech 2007, contact Teknik Fuarcilik Ltd. +90 212 541 92 34; fax +90 212 599 38 82; info@hightex2007.com; www.hightex2007.com, www.teknikfuarcilik.com. For more information about the International Technical Textiles Congress, contact Dokuz Eylul University +90 232 388 28 69; fax 90 232 388 78 67; tekniktekstil2007@deu.edu.tr; www.technicaltextiles2007.com.

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September/October 2007

 

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