Techtextil 2013 closed its doors after setting unequivocal new records on both the exhibitor and visitor sides.
1,322 exhibitors from 48 countries, presented new products for all product groups and areas of application for technical textiles and nonwovens. Around 27,500 visitors from 97 countries, ensured busy exhibition stands and numerous contacts throughout the fair. “Techtextil has once again been able to expand its unique position as the world’s leading trade fair and a must for the sector”, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “Together with Texprocess, we see a bright future for Techtextil. The records set by both fairs confirm the seminal concept of this combination of technical textiles and textileprocessing technologies.” At the leading trade fair for the sector, visitors had the chance to discover innovations in all areas of application for technical textiles. The products on show took account of the latest trends, e.g., lightweight construction, functionality, sustainability and mobility. In addition to the great innovativeness of the sector, synergistic effects generated by the range of products at Texprocess were very much in evidence, as reflected by the statistics on visitors from Texprocess, which reveal that around 5,400 trade visitors of the leading trade fair for textile-processing technologies took advantage of this unrivalled opportunity to attend Techtextil.Besides the growth in visitor numbers, there was also an increase in the proportion of visitors from outside Germany to 57 percent, which enabled Techtextil to consolidate its position as the world’s foremost meeting place for the sector. After Germany, the biggest visitor nations were Italy, France, Turkey, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland and the Russian Federation. There were also significantly more visitors from China, Japan, Taiwan and the USA. 13 countries made presentations in national pavilions. In addition to Belgium, China, France, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, the Czech Republic und the USA, Great Britain, India and Croatia were represented. With its eleven product groups and twelve areas of application, the concept of Techtextil once again attracted visitors and exhibitors from all parts of the textile industry and areas of application. The very good mood at the fair was not affected by the current economic situation. 79 percent of exhibitors and 85 percent of visitors 
rated the business climate in the sector as good. In view of the large number of discussions, the high visitor quantity and quality and the huge product spectrum on show, many exhibitors said they would be in favour of a fourth day for Techtextil. Complementary programme and special shows very popular A comprehensive complementary programme showed the latest trends from the fields of technical textiles, nonwovens and functional apparel textiles. At the Techtextil and Avantex Symposiums, over 400 participants heard about current trends in the sector. In 66 lectures and presentations, renowned speakers offered insights into new ideas, projects, products, materials and technologies. The Techtextil and Avantex Innovation Awards were presented. There were also ten winners, including two special mentions, in the ‘Textile Structures for New Building’ student competition organised by Messe Frankfurt in cooperation with the international Tensinet association. The special shows in Halls 4.1 and 3.1 presented the award-winning products in an impressive and aesthetically pleasing way.
Invista Textiles (UK) Ltd., Great Britain / William P. Colven, Global Business Director
“We noticed the increase in traffic over last time with a good crosssection of Europeans, Asians and Americans. Especially the first day was a virtual rush hour at our stand. We work mostly with prearranged meetings, but we also had a lot of walk-in business. Invista is a large company with diverse businesses, but on the whole, we have seen good business transactions across the board. Trade shows always gather a lot of customers at one place, but we also definitely come to Techtextil to see the new technologies and developments in the market place.”
Schoeller Textil AG, Switzerland / Antonio Gatti, Head of Business Unit
“Techtextil is always a very interesting platform / fair to present the innovative products we develop and make to our customers. Our expectations have been more than fulfilled. The interest shown in our pyroshell™ range of products – the permanent flame protection on synthetic woven fabrics – was undoubtedly one of the highlights. However, the new synergo™ collection, a joint venture of Schoeller Textil AG and Klopman International Srl. also aroused the interest of many customers. Naturally, I am not in the position to make an overall assessment of the fair. With regard to our company, however, I can say that the visitors to our stand, as well as those to our other companies taking part here, were very good in terms of quality and quantity. All visitors are important to us. Hence, we held very good discussions with all. As mentioned at the beginning, Techtextil is the best platform for presenting innovations and technology for today and tomorrow. And for discovering what else is possible – outside our immediate core area of expertise.”
Outlast Europe GmbH, Germany / Martin Bentz, CEO
“Techtextil was a complete success for us. We were not only able to update existing Outlast customers and partners but also inform potential customers from a variety of sectors about our innovative PCM technology. Our exhibition stand was very busy on all three days of the fair and the level of internationality high. Moreover, we noticed that the demand for smart textiles is growing. Today’s consumers want functional textiles and, for example, more or less expect a variety of functions to be integrated into their garments and shoes. We also welcomed numerous visitors from the military and occupational safety sectors.”
Lindauer Dornier GmbH, Germany / Florian Boch, Central Marketing & Communication
“Innovative and sustainable – that was this year’s Techtextil once again. From 11 to 13 June 2013, a host of visitors from all over the world made their way to the 15th edition of this trade fair in Frankfurt. The visitors where everything focused on ‘mechanical engineering’, came to find out about the latest machines and equipment and took advantage of our company’s many years of consultancy experience and expertise in the field of technical textiles. We were particularly pleased with the interest shown not only in our new products, such as closed and linear fabric structures, but also in our existing products. When it comes to textile processing, the new, gridlike, multi-axial structures and 3D jacquard fabrics show the way forward. The resulting high-performance products are only possible if all stages of the production process interact with maximum precision.”
Sattler AG, Germany / Herbert Pfeilstecher, Chairman of the Board / CEO
“We were very pleased with the overall course of business at the fair and were delighted to find such a high level of international interest despite the difficult economic climate. The fair gives us the chance to cultivate our contacts to business partners from all over the world, and to make new contacts. As manufacturers of coated Technical textiles, we were able to hold discussions with both customers (makers- up as a rule) and suppliers.”
BASF SE, Germany / Stefanie Kreutle, Communications Dispersions for Adhesives and Construction Europe
“We are very pleased with the reaction to our presentation at Techtextil. Many of the initial contacts resulted in very interesting and profitable discussions for both sides. There was a large number of visitors in the hall and we were delighted with the numerous different questions put to us. We had the opportunity to speak to existing customers, as well as with many potential customers, and to answer their questions. For us, Techtextil is one of the leading trade fairs for the nonwovens sector and we are already looking forward to taking part in the next Techtextil in Frankfurt.”
Performance Fibers Europe SARL, Luxembourg / Catherine Martinet, Purchasing Director Europe
“We were able to use the opportunity afforded by the fair to speak with existing customers about future business. Additionally, we presented new projects, which produced a very good echo. I have the good feeling that this will result in more interesting projects and orders for us. Taking part in Techtextil was very worthwhile.”
Sioen Industries, Belgium / Miek Naessens, Group Marketing Manager
We had a very successful fair. We were glad to see so many quality attendees and had many amazing contacts with both existing and potential customers. Sioen Industries has a long tradition of participating at Techtextil and has always had one of the bigger booths.
