SHANGHAI, China — Texcare Asia, one of the region’s acclaimed trade exhibitions for the international textile care sector, ended its eighth edition on a bright note, say show organizers Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. and the China Light Industry Machinery Association (CLIMA).
The biennial show returned to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in late November. The three-day event—which fell during the Thanksgiving holiday celebrated in the United States—welcomed 10,267 visitors from 54 countries and regions, representing a 20% increase from the 2013 edition.
“Texcare Asia has unwavering support from the global industry, particularly from regional associations across continents. The impressive increase in visitor figures validates the show’s status as the first-choice trade platform for textile care solutions in China and throughout the rest of Asia,” says Richard Li, general manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. “It also reflects the steady growth in demand for upgraded laundry machinery and innovative solutions with heightened concerns about energy efficiency and integrated automation.
“I am pleased with the show results and believe the fair has contributed to unlocking greater market opportunities for suppliers worldwide.”
Texcare hosted 153 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions that showcased a full spectrum of products, solutions and advanced technologies related to laundry, dry cleaning, dyeing, and ironing and textile management systems for industrial and commercial use, organizers say.
Alliance Laundry Systems enlarged its booth for the 2015 show. On display was an array of machines from its family of renowned brands, including Speed Queen, UniMac, Huebsch and IPSO, with special focus given to the newly acquired brands of Deli and Primus.
“With Texcare Asia being held in Southeast Asia, every customer from our distributors comes to the show, making it an important platform for us to show them how unique we are in the industry,” says Christophe Sisternas, the company’s international marketing director.
“The Chinese market has great potential and is one of our biggest markets,” adds Michael Li, managing partner for the group’s Greater China business. “We will retain our focus here for at least the next 10 years.”
China’s own Shanghai Sailstar Machinery Group Co. Ltd. also returned to the 2015 show and successfully closed deals onsite. Says Mingjun Yang, vice president, “Texcare Asia is the most significant and popular industry trade fair for our customers. This year’s visitor flow was exceptionally high and we have met many end-users, laundry plant owners and professionals from China and other countries across Asia.”
Visiting the show were buyers with different requirements and demands.
Edy Susanto, laundry manager at luxury hotel Raffles Jakarta, came with the Indonesian delegation.
“This is a very successful exhibition. I am delighted to see plenty of solution options that I can compare and choose from,” Susanto says. “My colleagues and I found some products, including tunnel washers and fabric spreading machines from China, that we may place orders for. In recent years I have noticed a big improvement in Chinese products that are competing with European ones. We are very much satisfied by the products demonstrated here, and it is likely that we will place orders when we return to Indonesia.”
Jong Hyun An, vice chairman of the Korean Laundry and Dry-cleaning Machinery Association, visited the show together with his fellow members.
“The Korean laundry market is expected to grow considerably over the next five years,” he says. “We came to the show to investigate market trends, see new products and network with industry players across the globe. In particular, we are interested in products and technologies related to coin laundry, because there has been a surge in domestic demand for it. We have met some suppliers and may work with them in a technical way.”
Held alongside a portion of the show, the Texcare Forum Asia provided informative sessions that revealed the newest industry and product trends.
Prominent experts and market leaders from renowned research institutes presented on topics covering innovative smart laundry concepts, and cost-saving RFID and ICT technologies. They also covered specific fashion care principles that help achieve high productivity, sustainability and maximum profits.
“The forum provides a good chance for participants to learn about what is happening in Asia’s textile market and to exchange ideas,” says one of the speakers, Sandra Constant, head of France’s Department for CTTN Research Institute for Textile Care and Cleaning. “Besides big topics like dry cleaning and laundry, issues related to energy savings are also popular in Europe. Related costs are relatively lower in Asia so this creates opportunities for brands. If brands want to develop their businesses in Asia, they have to adapt to the Asian market’s preferences for products, technologies and chemicals.”
The next edition of Texcare Asia is scheduled for the fall of 2017 in Shanghai.
It is a sister event of Texcare International, the World Market for Modern Textile Care, staged every four years in Germany. The next edition of that major exhibition will be June 11-15, 2016, in Frankfurt.
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