T he International Exhibition on Textile Industry (ShanghaiTex), inaugurated in 1984, will be celebrating its silver anniversary during this year's event, to be held June 12-15, 2009. Organizers of the biennial show expect more than 1,500 exhibitors to fill 100,000 square meters in nine halls at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai's Pudong district. More than 120,000 visitors from China and more than 40 other countries and regions are expected to attend the event, topping the 2007 show's attendance of 108,204 visitors from 42 countries and regions.


 
ShanghaiTex 2009 organizers include Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd., Shanghai Textile Technology Service & Exhibition Center and Hong Kong-based Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. Show sponsors include Shanghai Textile Holding (Group) Corp., China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai Sub-Council and China Chamber of International Commerce.

Exhibitors' displays of textile technologies and services will be organized into the following zones: Knitting & Hosiery Machinery; Printing, Dyeing & Finishing Machinery & Textile Chemicals; Spinning, Nonwoven & Techtextile Machinery; Weaving Machinery; and Spare Parts & Accessories.

Within these zones, ShanghaiTex visitors will find the latest-generation textile technology including: bleaching, dyeing, printing, finishing and making-up machinery; fiber manufacturing machinery; knitting and hosiery machinery; machines and accessories for apparel; mill management instruments; nonwoven fabric machines and tufting machines; software and information technology for the textile and garment industries (computer-aided design/computer-aided management/computer-integrated manufacturing); spare parts and accessories for textile and garment machinery; spinning machinery; testing and measuring equipment; textile chemicals; weaving machinery; and yarn twisters, winders and accessories.

The show floor will be open to visitors from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 12-14; and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. June 15. Admission is free and visitors may pre-register online or register on-site during the show. Also of interest to visitors will be the new Buying Guide Zone, which will provide guidance to buyers according to their sourcing needs.

The 2009 China Textile Industry Summit, themed "Crisis and Opportunities," will be held concurrently with ShanghaiTex 2009. Topics of discussion will include an analysis of the impact of the current financial crisis on the textile industry, and an exploration of the opportunities available to Chinese textile and textile machinery companies to extend their application areas.

China has not been immune to the economic upheaval taking place around the world, and its government has responded by introducing new tax incentives that are expected to help bolster its textile industry, which has had to deal with growing costs for labor as well as raw materials, and also has had to face competition from lower-cost countries. Benefits to the industry extend to textile machinery manufacturers, which can expect to increase their sales of machinery and equipment to Chinese textile and apparel manufacturers as a result, ShanghaiTex organizers report.

In 2007, 93.6 percent of show attendees rated the quality of exhibitors from good to excellent, and 92.7 percent of visitors rated the quality of exhibits from good to excellent.

"ShanghaiTex has always been well-organized," said Qi Jian Dong, Zhejiang Netsun Co. Ltd., speaking about ShanghaiTex 2007. "In this edition, I see more exhibitors and they are more professional. There are different varieties of exhibits and products categorization is going to be more detailed. We have met many potential partners at the show and we are very satisfied with it."

"The show is very good," said Pulak Mukherjee, India-based PMP Global. "I think ShanghaiTex will continue its success in the future."

For more information about ShanghaiTex 2009, contact Fiona Pang or Vivien Wong, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd.; +852 2516 3348/3340; fax +852 2516 5024; publicity@adsale.com.hk; www.shanghaitexonline.com.

April/May/June 2009