Light And Shade On Shanghai
Shanghaitex, held in Shanghai in June, highlighted the latest in textile technology.
By Elena Aravecchia
A
leaden sky welcomed and never quit, both inside and outside of the exhibition, for the
visitors to Shanghaitex 2007, held June 1-4 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in China.
Divided into nine exhibition halls and three temporary halls, and spread over an exhibition space
of about 120,000 square meters, the event was successful in terms of both exhibitor and visitor
numbers.
There were more than 1,400 exhibitors present either through direct representatives or
through local branch offices of leading global manufacturers. There were just over 108,000 visitors
altogether, coming from 45 different countries.
The Organizer's Opinion
Shanghaitex, now in its 13th year, is
portrayed as the most important international show devoted to textile machines in China, and the
data released are doubtless interpreted in this sense.
Stanley Chu, chairman of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., the show’s organizer, stressed the
fact that the exhibition has grown 20 percent this year, in terms of both exhibition space and
sales volume. Chu explained that the decision to divide the show into sectors rather than by
nations — as done in the past — won a favorable response. He added that further positive novelties
can be expected for the next edition, scheduled to run June 12-15, 2009.
And what about the ITMA Asia + CITME agreement? Will the new, big biennial textile machinery
exhibition really be held in Shanghai, starting next year? The matter doesn’t worry him much. “
China is a very large market, and therefore, there is space for everybody,” Chu commented. “The
Shanghai area has a marked textile tradition, and it is for this reason that the organizers of ITMA
Asia + CITME have thought of moving here. China is continuously improving its technological level,
and it is not by chance that by this time it is producing for its own domestic market. There has
long been a lot of talk about China being a future big power, and there is no doubt that shortly it
shall be so.”
At Shanghaitex, But With A Mind To ITMA?
If the sun shines in Adsale’s
offices, the same cannot be said for the exhibition halls, where the mood of many exhibitors
continued, for the length of the show, to be in keeping with the aforementioned climate.
Let’s go back a little, in order to understand the reasons of a similar, widespread “state
of mind.” At the end of 2005, in an attempt to solve the problems caused by the proliferation of
trade exhibitions — a situation the Chinese authorities themselves had termed “chaotic” — the
European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX), the China Textile Machinery
Association (CTMA) and the Japan Textile Machinery Association (JTMA) signed an agreement that
attempted to make the exhibition calendar less subject to uncertainty. Previously, that calendar
was full of continuous, repeated and especially expensive show timings — causing serious
difficulties for Western companies, obliged to bear weighty costs in exchange for not always
certain results.
Under this agreement, the three associations, which represent almost 100 percent of the
global textile machinery industry, have undertaken to support only ITMA — both Asia and Europe
editions — and CITME shows — the latter being the main Chinese textile machinery show — with the
following calendar: ITMA Europe in 2007, ITMA Asia + CITME in 2008 and 2010, and then again ITMA in
Europe in 2011.
And what of Shanghaitex? This event is not joining the chorus and will be staged, as already
mentioned, in 2009 and 2011. So, will it come to nothing?
Exhibitors' Opinions
With regard to the new exhibition
arrangement, Michele Zampieri of Italy-based Cimi S.p.A., argued: “Fairs are always too many; the
best solution should be to hold in Asia just one traveling exhibition. But to obtain this result,
it would be necessary to solve also the big communication problems existing today within the
pipeline.”
So much for a general point of view; but what about the choice between Shanghaitex and ITMA
Asia?
“The new ITMA Asia, as it is now devised, is not a convenient exhibition,” said Massimo
Becheri, of Italy-based Laip S.r.l., “because the compulsory display of one’s own machinery —
explicitly provided for by the ITMA regulations — compels the smaller-sized firms, which cannot
compete with the big groups, to incur more and more substantial expenses.”
Other representatives of Italian companies present at Shanghaitex — Mauro Vignoli of Corghi
S.p.A., Mario Bruno of Loris Bellini S.p.A. and Carl Bergedolf of Lafer S.p.A. — expressed the same
opinion. They feel that “not admitting representative agents to ITMA Asia is at least
counterproductive — not only because the companies are obliged to take responsibility personally
for the event, but also because, among other things, they’ll have to solve the inevitable problems
of a linguistic nature.”
What will the consequences be? First and foremost, in the minds of these executives, that of
“ being again obliged to participate also in Shanghaitex.”
Is Shanghaitex then a minor and, in many respects, also a Hobson’s choice? This is the
picture ensuing from the current state of affairs, and seemingly the source of the exhibitors’ bad
moods.
In Shanghai, there were those who were not completely satisfied with the show performance;
and many likewise are those who quite clearly agree with the initiative of the European, Chinese
and Japanese associations to create the fair that, borrowing the words of Jutta Soell of
Germany-based Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, “will really be Asia’s ITMA.”
One thing is sure: Everybody sees China as an important market where, as Rolf Wolfang of
Germany-based A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, explained, “One should be directly
present, also because … the Chinese are becoming more and more demanding!”
On Display At Shanghaitex
Owing to the timing with ITMA forthcoming in Munich, the novelties displayed at Shanghaitex were few. In addition, many companies benefited from the possibility of being present through their agents or representatives, hence, without exhibiting their machinery. But some exceptions were noticed — for example, the new air-jet weaving machine presented by Itema Weaving.
L88 Air-Jet Weaving Machine
The major novelty in the booth of Itema Weaving — the Italy-based group that comprises Somet, Vamatex, Sulzer Textile, Savio Macchine Tessili and Itema Shanghai — was the new L88 air-jet weaving machine. Designed by an international team, this new machine was conceived to enable its users to achieve the highest productivity at very reasonable costs.
According to the company, this modern machine is simple and user-friendly; reliable and
accurate; and capable of producing fabrics of excellent quality ranging from simple printed
materials to high-quality shirtings, premium bed linens or densely woven twills for workwear.
The L88 air-jet machine was displayed in two different versions, demonstrating its great
adaptability to various market needs.
Side by side with the L88, the well-proven Mythos E-Tec was exhibited: This state-of-the-art
air-jet weaving machine, recognized worldwide for having the lowest air consumption, demonstrated
its potential by weaving a very demanding high-density stretch fabric at high speed.
Also on show at Shanghaitex were two versions of the well-established K88 rapier weaving
machines manufactured by Itema Shanghai. High performance, high flexibility and consolidated
reliability contribute to the return on investment for the K88.
Within Itema Weaving, Fimtextile’s products — cam motions and electronic dobbies — are
appreciated worldwide for their technology and reliability. An XJ model high-speed electronic dobby
was displayed in the company’s booth.
September/October 2007
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