ITMA ASIA WELCOMES THE TEXTILE WORLD TO SINGAPORE
Second mega textile machinery showcase set to attract overwhelming response
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19 July 2005, Singapore - The countdown for ITMA ASIA 2005 has begun, with some 800 exhibitors from 33 economies all set to showcase their latest technology at the second Asian edition of the world''s largest textile machinery exhibition. The exhibition, to be held from 17 to 21 October 2005 at Singapore Expo, is owned by CEMATEX (European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers) and organised by Meeting Planners International (MPI).

The organiser expects a visitorship of around 50,000 (including government and textile association officials, buyers, dealers and agents) to converge at the exhibition with the show floor abuzz with machinery demonstrations, business discussions and networking.

"The upcoming ITMA ASIA exhibition will be a significant one as it is the first show we have held following the lifting of textile quotas at the beginning of this year. The post textile quota era is exciting and challenging for both manufacturers and buyers of textile machinery, and we anticipate that it will draw tremendous interest from Asian textile makers who are eager to modernise and upgrade their operations," said Mr Edward Roberts, President of CEMATEX.

Ms Sylvia Phua, Chief Executive Officer of MPI, concurs: "With the majority of the world''s textile manufacturers based in Asia, ITMA ASIA serves as a significant trading and networking platform between the textile machinery manufacturers and textile manufacturers, especially in this watershed year."

Strong industry support

An Approved International Fair, ITMA ASIA 2005 has the support of the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau and the nine CEMATEX member associations. It is also held in partnership with the Japan Textile Machinery Association (JTMA) for the first time.

In addition, ITMA ASIA 2005 has secured the support of several textile machinery manufacturers groups, namely the American Textile Machinery Association, China Textile Machinery Association, Korea Textile Machinery Association and Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry.

Thanks to the strong support of these trade associations, ITMA ASIA 2005 has been able to attract an impressive list of the industry’s leading manufacturers from around the world who will be participating in the exhibition. Some 55 per cent of the 800 participants are from Europe, with the majority coming from Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

ITMA ASIA 2005 features a nett exhibition space of more than 40,000 square metres, which represents an increase of 25 per cent over the last show. It also boasts a comprehensive showcase of textile machinery.  Exhibits will be displayed in 15 sectors, ranging from spinning, nonwovens, weaving and knitting, to finishing, testing, handling and packing. The top three product groups in the exhibition are spinning, finishing and weaving.

Visitors from the region will have the chance to view and inspect the latest state-of-the-art textile manufacturing equipment, related machinery, technology, information, software and tap on exhibitors'''' expertise, all under one roof.

Regional promotions

Delegations and groups of visitors from China, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East have already confirmed their attendance at the event. These are being organised by trade and industry associations and travel agents in key textile hubs in the region.

ITMA ASIA 2005 is being promoted heavily throughout Asia and the Middle East by means of roadshows, visits to trade associations, soliciting endorsement from government agencies of key textile manufacturing countries, exhibitions, liaison with travel agents, public relations and advertising. Meetings with government officials from key textile manufacturing economies have indicated that they are keen to visit the ITMA ASIA 2005 showcase, as the region''s textile industry urgently needs to use technology to improve productivity in order to compete in today''s global arena. 

Recent roadshows include:

Pakistan

In May, the ITMA ASIA team travelled to Pakistan for a well-attended three-city roadshow in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. The presentations, supported by Pakistan Textile Journal, received very positive response from industry groups. The Lahore presentation was co-organised by the Lahore Textile Institute. Courtesy visits were made to the new Secretary of Textiles, Mr Syed Masood Alam Rizvi, and the Textile Commissioner Mr Mohammad Idrees Ahmed.

China

The ITMA Asia team took part in the ShanghaiTex exhibition which was held in Shanghai in June. Last October, it also had a booth at the CITME exhibition in Beijing. To raise the profile of the exhibition in key textile cities, the ITMA ASIA 2005 team has just completed a tour of three Chinese provinces, holding presentations and meetings with local textile trade associations and industry members. It included visits to Bin Zhou, Wuxi and Quanzhou from 11 to 15 July.

India

To enable Indian textile makers to keep abreast of new technologies and trends in the market, the Textiles Committee of India is co-organising the ITMA ASIA roadshow with the support of Orbit Tours. The Textiles Committee is a premier developmental organisation committed to promote quality and productivity through the introduction of newer technologies in the Indian textile and clothing industry. 

The multi-city roadshow is held in southern and western India from 19 to 27 July. Presentations are scheduled to be held at Coimbatore, Tirapur, Erode, Madurai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat.

Other presentations planned for August will include Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand.

For more information on ITMA ASIA, or to order your badge, please visit the event website, www.itmaasia2005.com Orders received by 30 August will be entered into a draw to win two pairs of return air tickets to ITMA ASIA in Singapore, courtesy of ITMA 2007. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

ITMA (International Textile Machinery Exhibition)
Considered the ''''Olympics'''' of textile machinery exhibitions, ITMA has over 50 years of history in displaying the latest in machinery and software for every single work process of textile making. The European and Asian showcases are owned by CEMATEX.

The Asian version of this successful exhibition, ITMA ASIA, was launched in Singapore in 2001.  It is owned by CEMATEX and organised by Meeting Planners International to address the needs of the Asia Pacific market.

CEMATEX

The European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX) comprises national textile machinery associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Meeting Planners International Pte Ltd
Established in 1987, Meeting Planners is a professional exhibition and conference organiser. It received the Enterprise 50 award for two consecutive years, in 2001 and 2002.  To date, it has organised and managed over 200 major national, regional and international events.

CEMATEX and Meeting Planners International Pte Ltd
Exhibition Sales: Kwok Wai Mui
Tel: (65) 6393 0214
Fax: (65) 6296 2670
Email: kwokwaimui@mpgroupasia.com
Website: www.itmaasia2005.com