High Interest in Sewing Technical Textiles

At 1MB 2003, more than one-third of visitors were interested in machinery and technology for the production of technical textiles.

In association with such high interest, participants in next year's 1MB, which will be held in Cologne from May 10th to 13th, are adapting to the changing trends in customer demand. A large number of companies have already announced that, in addition to their range of products for the apparel industry, they will be increasing their focus on the technical textile segment.

According to the registrations received to date, over one-third of suppliers plan to present products for this future market, compared to 22% in 2003. Koelnmesse and the conceptual sponsor of 1MB (the Association for Garment and Leather Technology within the VDMA), have decided to expand the range of products and services in order to offer the industry an optimal platform tailored precisely to its needs. In addition to machinery and technology for the production of technical textiles, technical textiles/materials are now a product group at 1MB.

The increasing importance of the growing technical textile market was clearly reflected in the independent visitor surveys conducted during 1MB. Ever since the turn of the millennium, visitors have been looking for innovations and solutions to problems in this sector. In 2000, 32% of the visitors showed interest in machinery and technology for the production of technical textiles, and by 2003 this figure rose to 34%.

According to a survey conducted in 2000, 44% of visitors questioned regarded the range of products in this segment as incomplete. Three years later, exhibitors had already adapted to this shift in demand, with only 9% of those interviewed saying that this segment lacked a wide product range.

The answers to the question about which sectors the visitors belonged to were also very informative. In 2000, one in five visitors came from sectors of the industry where the processing of technical textiles plays a major role. By 2003, every fourth person surveyed belonged to the automotive, aviation, upholstered furniture, tents /canvas /heavy textiles, filter technology or medical sectors.

Those interested in the topic off technical textiles are a target group, with excellent prospects for manufacturers; 20% of the visitors in 2000 said that they planned to invest in the sector in the next 12 months, and by 2003 this figure rose to 24%.