BEIJING, China — Texcare Asia, the International Trade Fair for Modern Textile Care, wrapped its three-day run here on Saturday afternoon. Attendance figures from show organizer Messe Frankfurt were not available as of this morning, but activity was brisk throughout the event.
The exhibition was 10% larger than Texcare Asia 2009, a show that Messe Frankfurt had described as the “largest one yet.” The 2011 edition occupied approximately 10,000 square meters (approximately 108,000 square feet) in three halls of the China International Exhibition Center, with one main aisle connecting the three.
There were approximately 130 exhibitors on hand. The show continues to grow as China’s laundry and drycleaning market presents significant opportunities for suppliers of resource-saving technologies as the government implements measures to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2020.
This has created a demand for environmentally friendly products such as centralized laundry systems, advanced drycleaning equipment, green solvents, energy-saving dryers, and water reclaimers, Messe Frankfurt says.
Sankosha exhibited for the first time in China. Its booth was a popular stopping place for attendees to watch some of the company’s garment presses, tensioning equipment and bagging machines in action.
Alliance Laundry Systems, American Dryer Corp., Dexter Laundry, Dow Chemical, Forenta, Hoffman/New Yorker and Pellerin Milnor were among the U.S. companies listed as exhibitors here.
Thomas Bolan Jr., sales manager for laundry/drycleaning press manufacturer Hoffman/New Yorker, says the company exhibited here again this year to help reinforce its dealer network, to seek new dealers in underserved countries, and to examine the state of technology serving the Asian market.
“We knew there was going to be good attendance from China, but we also saw a lot of dealers from other countries,” Bolan says. “Malaysia was well represented, India, the Middle East, Vietnam. On this trip, I usually travel at least three to four weeks. This time, I was able to cut it down to two weeks because I knew I’d be seeing people at this show.”
While there were drycleaning elements to the show, it was clear that the emphasis was on laundry services and particularly in high-production systems. Several companies displayed complete tunnel washers.
Some equipment, such as a tunnel exhibited by Sealion, displayed signs warning against the taking of photos. But attendees could be seen freely using cameras, smart phones and even tablet computers to photograph and record videos of equipment demonstrations throughout the vast building.
Despite the language and cultural differences, there were plenty of similarities between Texcare Asia and trade shows held elsewhere in the world. Booth workers handed out freebies and bags carrying their company’s logo, and pushed brochures into the hands of any willing recipient passing by.
Away from the show floor, experts in professional textile care (PTC) led a series of seminars at the Texcare Forum Asia, co-organized by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co. and CINET International Committee of Textile Care.
Topics included sustainability, laundry technologies, logistics and planning, textiles, outsourcing, and certification. For example, Chris Tebbs, executive director of the International Drycleaners Congress and international director on the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute board, presented a session highlighting textile trends and the importance of meeting future customer demands.
Everyone who attended Texcare Asia first had to enter through metal detectors, and some were checked further by security wielding handheld metal-detecting “wands.” Uniformed officers were stationed throughout the complex and walked the exhibition floor.
Texcare Asia is scheduled to return in fall 2013 at a site to be determined. This year’s visitors survey asked if attendees would favor Texcare Asia being held annually and in alternating cities in China.
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