Being successful in bringing people and markets together, Messe Frankfurt – the leader in the business of organizing trade shows – has shown remarkable growth over the last two decades in India and has come to be known as the company that creates platforms for new markets in the country. With time, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing exhibiting nations among 139 countries at Frankfurt fairs, with more than 2,500 Indian manufacturers and scores of visitors, being present every year. In an exclusive conversation with Apparel Online, Michael Jänecke, Director, Brand Management Technical Textiles & Textile Processing, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH; Priyanka Pawar, Group Exhibition Head (Textile and Consumer shows) Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt. Ltd.; and Veronika Maerz, Marketing Director, VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, share the strategy that drives the exhibitions.
Globally, Messe Frankfurt conducts over 50 events for apparel fabrics, fashions, home textiles, technical textiles, textile processing and care. In India, the company currently holds around 18 events, of which three are related to the textile industry. It is now coming up with the first Texprocess Pavillion @ Techtextil India (within Techtextil India) from 13-15 September 2017. “India is a booming market and the idea behind the show is to better link the Indian technical textile industry to the global market,” reveals Michael. Though, the Indian Government is supporting investment in the technical textiles segment with reduction of import duties by 10 per cent on required technologies, the marketing efforts have not been proactive and need support as well. “Sensing the gap, Messe Frankfurt were the first show organisers to bring awareness about technical textiles in India and also encourage Indian exhibitors to go to the Frankfurt and the US shows for exposure,” adds Michael.
The company had established Techtextil in 2007, with great success. Subsequently the company launched Heimtextil India and Ambiente India together and now is soon going to link technical textiles with Texprocess through the first Texprocess Pavillion @ Techtextil India. “The reason behind launching Texprocess is that there is a need for an international show in technology. We are trying to get international technology here. Our shows are the right platform for them to be positioned in India because the market is huge,” claims Priyanka. Endorsing the view, Veronika adds, “There was a big demand for a platform such as Texprocess in India from the international manufacturers of sewing and garment machinery because they see a rising demand for automation for more productivity.”
With global connects, supported by a local network, Messe Frankfurt gets penetration into the markets along with a credibility of getting international companies to the exhibiting country. This makes them stronger than any local shows that are organised in India.
“Our core strength is that we can bring in a combination of local depth with international network,” says Michael. The last edition of Techtextil India in 2015 counted 158 exhibitors from 11 countries and over 5,000 trade visitors from 35 countries.
All Techtextil and Texprocess shows happen after a two years’ cycle, except in Russia where Techtextil happens on a yearly basis. “The big challenge is how to continually showcase the dynamic potential of the technical textile industry and the surrounding industry? So, we are always looking for something that creates awareness and also excites the mind,” reveals Michael. The new theme for the upcoming Techtextil at the Frankfurt show (9-12 May 2017) is ‘Living in Space,’ which is in cooperation with the European Space Agency and the German Aerospace Centre, illustrating the broad spectrum of applications for technical textiles with examples from the aerospace sector. The company has created an area of 500 sq. metres dedicated to living in space in terms of architecture, mobility and civilization. Apart from this, the company is also focusing on complementary programme with focus on digital printing and international innovative apparel shows. “There will be a digital textile micro-factory on the floor at Texprocess in Frankfurt (parallel to Techtextil) mainly dedicated to the garment industry,” adds Michael.
The need of the premiere of the Texprocess Pavilion @ Techtextil India is borne by the fact that the technical textiles and processing market in India is growing at an average of 4-5 per cent and while a decade ago there were hardly 10 companies in the segment, now there are 40-50 serious contenders. “India is on the way of becoming a major market for technical textiles. The growth is driven by demand from the user side and the dependency on technical textiles for more and more applications,” avers Michael. For a successful shift towards technical textiles, the industry requires technically sound machineries and this is where Messe Frankfurt is trying to fill the gap by bringing in different technologies on the same platform with the Texprocess Pavilion. “There is a certain benefit that all industries get through Techtextil and Texprocess, being together,” reasons Michael.
This is where VDMA takes centre stage, through its research and development in Germany and Europe providing a platform to industries and association to communicate with each other and to discover new markets. “You need to process textiles, live in space or build a digital micro-factory for which we need technology. This is where the manufacturers of sewing and garment technology come in,” informs Veronika. A major topic that continues to concern the sector is that of sustainable production in the international garment industry, whether as a result of state regulation or consumer and trade demand, leading sustainability to develop into an important and growing competitive factor. With the Blue Competence sustainability initiative launched by the VDMA, manufacturers of sewing and garment machinery are showing that they contribute towards using energy more efficiently, protecting resources and reducing costs through continuous innovations and pioneering technology.
India is a thrust market for Messe Frankfurt and with support from its local office, the company is looking at ways to explore the vibrant market opportunities in the country to grow… the first Texprocess Pavilion @ Techtextil India is an effort in that direction.
