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30 August
2001, Singapore - Trade liberalisation and globalisation
trends have prompted Asian textile manufacturers to increase
their capital investment in the latest plants and machinery,
generating more influx of pre-registration requests from visitors
to attend the upcoming ITMA Asia 2001.
According
to Mr Nat Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Meeting Planners
International Pte Ltd, local organiser of this first mega-size
Asian international exhibition of textile machinery, some 10,000
visitors have pre-registered for their entry passes and many
more are still submitting. It is expected that some 25,000 visitors
will eventually converge in Singapore during the exhibition
from 15 to 19 October 2001.
ITMA Asia
2001, occupying a total gross exhibition space of 60,000 sqm
and taking up all the six exhibition halls at Singapore Expo,
will be taken part by 788 exhibiting companies from 31 countries,
with the majority coming from Europe and Asia.
Mr Wong
said the new market situations will undoubtedly provide a boost
in the world production of textiles and garments and their exports,
after the lifting of the restrictive EU garment and textile
quotas for World Trade Organisation members by 2005 and the
tariff barriers in ASEAN by 2006. With China's impending entry
into the World Trade Organisation, textile production in Asia
is set to take the fast track towards further development.
"In
a bid to stay efficient and afloat in a highly competitive market,
Asian textile exporters will need to upgrade their production
technologies and facilities. ITMA Asia 2001 is offering them
unique opportunities to review all the latest technology and
equipment at the door step of their home base," said Mr
Wong.
Ms Evelyne
Cholet, Secretary General of the CEMATEX, the European Committee
of Textile Manufacturers which organises the exhibition jointly
with Meeting Planners International, also indicated that the
demand from Asian textile manufacturers has been remarkably
strong in recent years and it is still showing a healthy growth.
"According
to our estimation, Asian buyers at present form a huge 37% of
the world's market share," said Ms Cholet. "With the
new market conditions, the Asian market can easily increase
to 50% in the next five years."
Concurring
on this upward trend, Nat Wong highlighted that in addition
to individual visitors, several official delegations and groups
from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand
have already registered their interest and attendance. Among
them are the Association of Thai Textile Bleaching, Dyeing,
Printing & Finishing Industries, China Council for the Promotion
of International Trade's Textile Industry Sub-council and Malaysia
Knitting & Manufacturing Association.
"These
delegates know that they will derive great benefit from their
attendance by meeting the originators and innovators of new
textile machinery, and getting first-hand information on the
latest technology and future trends. Furthermore, they appreciate
the enormous networking opportunities with the leading players
in the field," he added.
In addition
to the visitors, there is also strong participation from Asian
textile machinery makers. A total of 308 exhibitors will be
participating, including 21 from China, 78 from India, 27 from
Japan, 48 from Korea, 17 from Singapore and 79 from Taiwan.
ITMA Asia
2001, featuring a comprehensive range of textile machinery and
services, will see 296 companies or more than 39% of its exhibitors
displaying machinery for spinning preparation, man-made fibre
production, spinning, winding, texturing, twisting, web formation,
nonwovens, auxiliary machinery and accessories.
The second
largest product and service group will be in the washing, bleaching,
dyeing, printing, drying, finishing and make-up machinery, auxiliary
machinery and accessories. Altogether it will represent 262
companies or 35% of the total.
They will be followed by weaving preparatory, weaving, tufting
machinery, knitting and hosiery machinery, testing and measuring
equipment, pneumatic equipment, transport, handling and packing
equipment, equipment for liquid, and software for design, data
monitoring and processing.
With ITMA
in Europe firmly entrenched as the 'Olympics' of textile machinery
exhibitions, ITMA Asia will also become a consolidated quadrennial
event and alternate on a biennial cycle with the European exhibition.
CEMATEX,
boasting 50 years of organising ITMA in Europe, comprises national
textile machinery associations from Belgium, France, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
ITMA Asia 2001 is endorsed by the Singapore Trade Development
Board and supported by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention
Bureau. Admission to the event is for the trade only. Day passes
are available at S$30 and season pass is at S$50. Pre-registration
which allows trade visitors to enjoy free admission ends on
15 September 2001.
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