ITMA, happening in every 4 years, is the international trendsetting textile and garment technology platform to explore fresh ideas, effective solutions and collaborative partnerships for business growth is going to be held from 20 to 26 June 2019 in Barcelona at Fira De Barcelona, Gran Via.
In the last edition of ITMA in the year 2015 enjoyed the presence of 1,691 exhibitors from 46 countries, 95 supporting media from 19 countries and 123,000 buyers from 147 countries.
At the, ITMA’19, an exciting and diverse panel of industry experts has been invited to share future trends, rare insights and strategic solutions at the ITMA Speakers Platform. This is the first time that the experts from non-exhibiting commercial organisations have been invited to participate at the exhibition. The Speakers Platform is part of the ITMA Innovation Lab, a special feature launched to promote innovation excellence in the textile and garment industry. In addition to the Speakers Platform, the ITMA’19 Innovation Lab features three other components: Research & Innovation Pavilion, Innovation Video Showcase and ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award.
Fritz Mayer, President of CEMATEX, explained: “It is critical for the global textile, garment and fashion industry to collaborate and to share perspectives and best practices. In the past, the Speakers Platform featured only presentations by Research and Innovation Pavilion exhibitors.”
At a time when the industry is facing massive disruption, intense competition and global challenges, the owner of ITMA, CEMATEX – the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, strives to add greater value to participants’ experience at ITMA 2019. Well-known experts who have confirmed their acceptance to speak include Yoel Fink, CEO of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). He will address the topic, ‘Textile Sensors – Applications and Market Growth’.
Explaining the need of an expert opinion and presentation, Mayer said, “As the world trends towards Industry 4.0 and grapples with sustainability challenges, we would like to offer ITMA as an inclusive platform for all stakeholders to converge and work together to address the challenges we face in today’s rapidly evolving world. Hence, we have invited non exhibitors, as well as all ITMA exhibitors to add greater vibrancy to the Platform.”
By having industry experts who are not ITMA exhibitors to give their presentations, CEMATEX hopes to encourage cross-pollination of ideas and spotlight best in class solutions. The invited industry speakers will join ITMA 2019 exhibitors selected to make their presentations based on the themes such as, Innovative Raw Materials & Manufacturing Technology, Strategic Business Innovation through Automation & Digitalisation, Technical Textiles Innovations and Manufacturing Technology as well as the Sustainable Textile & Garment Manufacturing in the Circular Economy.
Renowned names of the industry will be attending the exhibition and share their presentations. Lutz Walter, Director Innovation & Skills, EURATEX, will present ‘Towards a 4th Industrial Revolution of Textiles & Clothing – Strategic Innovation & Research Agenda: Results in Practice & Way to Go’. Rakhil Hirdaramani, Manufacturers Committee Chair, World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) will provide insights on ‘Digitisation & Realisation of Data of the Shop Floor’. Navaid Baqai, Director, Global Textile of Cotton Council International (Cotton USA) will speak on the ‘Impact of US Cotton and Its Technical & Financial Performance. Peter Sestic, Lead Development Engineer, Sigmatex UK, will highlight ‘The ‘Breakthrough Aerospace Materials’ Project (BAM) on Development of 3D Woven Textile Composites in the Aerospace Industry’.
On the sustainability front, leading industry practitioners will share their viewpoints and solutions. Sophie Mather, Strategic Director, The Microfibre Consortium will share advice on ‘Prevention of Microplastic Release into the Aquatic Environment during the Washing of Synthetic Clothes: Results of the Cross Industry Agreement CIA)’. René Bethmann, Innovation Manager (Materials & Manufacturing), Vaude, will share ‘Vaude Expectations from Raw Materials Suppliers in the Sense of Sustainability’. Natalia Papu Carrone, Research Analyst, Textiles Programme, Circle Economy, will update on ‘Towards a Zero Waste Textiles industry: The End-of-use Value Chain’. Roian Atwood, Director of Sustainability for Wrangler and Lee Jeans, will provide details on ‘Engaging the Global Supply Chain to Drive Greater Social & Environmental Performance’. Lisa Rosengren, Head of R&D Raw Material, Fristads AB, will speak on ‘Measuring the Total Impact of a Garment – Environmental Product Declaration’.
Other than the speaker platform, ITMA will feature ColorJet as a platinum sponsor. Colorjet is the first Indian digital textile printing company to strike a platinum sponsorship deal at ITMA 2019. “ColorJet is proud to be a Platinum sponsor of ITMA 2019. This partnership is aligned with our aspiration of becoming a global digital textile printing brand coming out of India with a face of efficient Indian engineering product and technology,” says Jitender Pal Singh, Vice President (Textiles) at ColorJet India.
Sylvia Phua, ITMA 2019 Project Director adds, “Printing is an exciting sector at ITMA 2019 as the industry has seen vast transformation in the digital arena. We are pleased to welcome ColorJet, a leading Indian manufacturer of digital inkjet printers, to showcase their innovations at our exhibition”.
As a value-add to ITMA participants, professionals from the finance industry have been invited to share their expertise at the Speakers’ Platform including Andrea Rossi, Head of International Business Support, Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero (SACE), Andreas Oel, Client Advisory, Large Enterprises & Reinsurance, Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV), Julian Paisey, Senior Policy Analyst Export Credits Division, Credits Division, OECD Export, Christina Lutz, Export Finance Specialist, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Cengiz Bekret, Senior Manager – Sales and Business Development BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, Patricia Polo, Institutional Relations Unit, Compañía Española de Seguros de Crédito a la Exportación (CESCE).
Charles Beauduin, Chairman, ITMA Services, said: “Finance and managing risk are critical to the success of any business. At a time when the textile and garment sector is undergoing major technological transformation, businesses are faced with the challenge of finding sources to fund investments in new technologies, including green solutions. At the forum, participants will be able to get practical advice which will help them make better financing decisions.”
ITMA’19 has announced to feature latest cutting system as well. At the exhibition in Hall 3, Booth B227, Zünd is exhibiting state-of-the-art digital cutting systems with comprehensive production workflows that cover everything from pattern matching to projection-supported removal of cut parts. With the Over Cutter Camera OCC and its advanced optical system of Zünd, cutting patterned and digitally printed fabrics is just as precise and easy as cutting non-printed or solid-coloured textiles. The OCC captures all register marks at once. If no register marks are available, the Over Cutter Camera can determine the position of the printed image by capturing a corresponding outline that was printed along with it. The system can also automatically detect patterns and any material distortions that may have occurred. When compensating for distortions, the system perfectly maintains dimensional accuracy of the cut parts and their correct position on patterned fabric. Based on reference points, the software also automatically determines the most efficient parts layout and nesting. Cutting, pattern matching, and nesting occur simultaneously to ensure uninterrupted processing. And in a final step, a projection system facilitates the removal of cut parts.
