FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — Texcare International 2016 was staged here June 11-15, and textile professionals from around the world had a lot to take in.
The 2016 edition of the World Market for Modern Textile Care was the largest in the trade fair’s 60-year history, officials say.
Messe Frankfurt, the show manager, said a record 15,700 textile services professionals from around the world visited the trade fair over the five days, slightly more than attended in 2012.
Texcare International also broke records this year in terms of vendors. A record 319 exhibitors from 28 countries displayed products and services, according to the show operator.
Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt, opened the show from the steps of the Galleria, in between Hall 8 and the Hall 9 into which the fair expanded for the first time ever.
“For the first time, we are opening the fair in the middle of the exhibition, because vendors decided to expand their presence here,” Marzin says. “This goes to show that textile care is one of the biggest growth industries in the world.”
60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The opening of the trade fair in the Galleria featured something special: a celebration in honor of the event’s 60th anniversary.
The fair started in 1956 as the International Laundry Trade Exhibition, with 164 exhibitors. From 1968 to 1990, it was called the International Laundry and Dry Cleaning Exhibition (IWC). In 1994, the trade fair started using the Texcare name.
Of the original exhibiting companies — Burnus, Cordes, Clayton, Kannegiesser, Kreussler, Miele, Polymark, Seibt + Kapp, Seitz and Gottlob Stahl — nine have attended the fair every four years since its inception. Representatives of each were honored during the anniversary celebration.
After the opening, attendees got to experience just how big the show was this year. Exhibit space displays reached for the ceiling in Hall 8, and large swaths of Hall 9.
The show obviously has a more European focus, but commercial and on-premises companies with ties to the United States conducted brisk business as well.
Some of the companies with U.S. ties in attendance included Alliance Laundry Systems, Chicago Dryer Co., Colmac Industries, Dexter Laundry, Ecolab, Electrolux, Girbau, Image Laundry Systems, JENSEN, Kannegiesser, Lavatec Laundry Technology, Pellerin Milnor Corp. and Whirlpool.
“The ultimate goal here is to show complete automation in the laundry process,” says Phil Hart, president of Kannegiesser USA. “The industry isn’t there, yet. What we’re trying to show here is a process that replicates quality every time.”
TEXCARE FORUM
Knowledge was the focus of the educational side of the trade fair, known as Texcare Forum. Each afternoon during the first four days, two hours of lectures were offered to attendees on a variety of topics.
Andreas Schumacher, managing director of the German Dry Cleaning Association (Deutscher Textilreinigungsverband – DTV), says, “Very popular was the opportunity to exchange information and opinions about subjects of topical importance to the sector at Texcare Forum in addition to visiting the exhibition stands.”
He further indicates that his DTV stand itself was also a welcome meeting place for holding discussions with association members and sponsors.
“We were particularly pleased with the highly positive response of visitors to our program of events,” says Schumacher. “Which included a fashion show and ironing competition.”
The first day’s lectures had a training focus, because the growth in the industry is making it difficult for companies to find skilled employees—around the world.
Katrin Rasch with the Vocational Training Institute of the University of Cologne shared that training for employment at a laundry needs to become a “career-making concept.”
“We need to have theoretical and practical training,” she says. “Theoretical learning in the school setting and practical in the plant. We also need to make potential employees believe that the training will lead to a career.”
Udo Nagelschmidt, co-founder of the Munsterland Training Center for Textile Cleaning, summed up the day like this: “We can use a lot of machines, but if we don’t have the right people, it won’t work.”
The second day’s Forum lectures looked at technological advances. Speaking on creating added value with textile innovations, Dr. ir. Henk Gooijer of TKT, the Dutch technical knowledge center, says, “Growth and demand will be met by polysynthetic fiber.”
Sustainability of the industry, along with resource efficiency, in a world with a growing population and shrinking resources was the following day’s Forum theme. Topics covered included water reuse and heat recovery, sustainable fabrics and available sustainability tools.
Gianluca Mainolfi, vice president of the Asia-Pacific and Greater China regions, as well as global marketing, for Ecolab Europe, spoke on sustainability in terms of resource conservation and a competitive advantage for textile services companies. “Trends tell us that resources will become more scarce. They will be less available and more expensive.”
“Laundry 4.0” was the focus of the final day of Texcare Forum, with topics ranging from automation to RFID technological advances.
“Qualified personnel is expensive and difficult to find,” says Gunter Veit, managing director and owner of VEIT Group, as he spoke on the subject. “Automation decreases the level of dependency on skilled personnel and ensures constant quality.”
Industry 4.0 concluded with Mathias Schafer, product manager for Kannegiesser, taking a look at what a “Smart Laundry” is. “It has consistent and continuous workflow with synchronization of data and materials,” he says.
FASHION AND IRON
Texcare International 2016 hosted other events of interest to attendees in the various segments of the textile care industry.
Besides hosting the opening ceremony, the naturally lit, spacious Galleria was the perfect setting for the Fashion Shows that displayed the latest trends in work, protective and professional clothing.
On three consecutive days, competitors faced off in ironing competitions at various exhibitor displays throughout the trade fair halls.
Exhibitors and attendees alike said Texcare International 2016 provided good business opportunities and education that will benefit the textile services industry.
Now everyone can rest, make use of the deals and contacts made at the trade fair—and look ahead to what’s in store at the next Texcare International in 2020.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].