1. Summary

"ITMA Asia + CITME 2008" was held for 5 days from July 27 to 31 in Shanghai. It was the first joint hosting of "CITME" and "ITMA Asia," and the largest ever with a total exhibition space of 126,000m², taking up all of the 11 halls in the Shanghai New international Expo Center. 1,368 companies from over 30 countries/regions including Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, the US, Korea, Denmark, India and Sweden exhibited.

The top 5 in the total exhibition space were China (33,000m² with 572 companies), Germany (10,000m² with 130 companies), Italy (7,200m² with 167 companies including 76 companies exhibiting at the "Italian Clusters" organized by the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade), Switzerland (5,000m² with 40 companies) and Japan (3,000m² with 43 companies) in descending order.

In terms of product categories on view, the top 3 were occupied by synthetic fiber, spinning and weaving and yarn section(30,000m²), dyeing and processing related (18,000m²) and weaving machines and knitting and hosiery machines (11,000m²).

It has been announced that it attracted 15,450 visitors on the first day, of those 12,140 visited from 31 provinces domestically and 3,310 were from abroad.

2. Noteworthy exhibitions

◎ Japan

Kyoto Machinery

It exhibited an actual machine, "UP PADDER," as well as introducing a lot of processing machinery including a new gas singeing machine and liquid ammonia processing machine with display panels and brochures for visitors.

(Promotional materials for UP PADDER were provided, restricted to potential clients.)

Shima Seiki

Putting forward "Your Choice~ responding to market needs through communication with customer" as a concept for its exhibition, Shima Seiki demonstrated mainly SSG/SIG series, of which 20,000 units have been sold in the 2 years since being released in 2006, and new models "MACH2X-15G"/ "MACH2S-16G" the latest wholegarment flat knitting machines and the "SDS-ONE" apparel design workstation. (Shima Seiki's booth was always packed. Staff from Asia, apart from Chinese staff, demonstrated machines and introduced operability to visitors from various countries. Its active PR provided a glimpse into its strategic plan for becoming a leader in the Asian market.)

Booth of Shima Seiki

◎ Germany

(1) Providing services in Chinese

The VDMA Textile Machinery Association (VDMA-German Engineering Federation) provided a Chinese edition of their "Buyer's guide" (with database CD-R) and guided booth tours for Chinese journalists, buyers and trade visitors. (2) Establishing "German pavilion" With financial help from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Germany (BMWi), the German pavilion was set up in W1 hall (spinning and winder related), E1 hall (washing, bleaching, dyeing and processing related), E6 hall (weaving related), E4 hall (knit and sock related) and W4 (nonwoven related) to provide booths for German companies. (3) Suggesting environment-consciousness and energy saving systems particularly environment-friendly, energy and water saving measures including wastewater control systems, airflow control systems and exhaust heat recovery and recycling systems were suggested.

Scene from German pavilion

◎ Italy

Italian Clusters

"Italian Clusters" organized by the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers(ACIMIT) and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade was established in W2, E6 and E1 halls, providing booths for 76 companies. ACIMIT provided a Chinese edition of "2008 Italian textile machinery makers and products" to visitors.

◎ Others

・ Zimmer

i) Chromo JET800, ink-jet printing machine for carpets, was demonstrated

12-color, number of nozzles: M-2500/Cx256type; each color 256 nozzles, M-2500/Cx12　type; each color 512 nozzles, the max printing width: 320cm, resolution: 50dpi, speed: M-2500/Cx256type; about 1.1~1.4m/min, M-2500/Cx12 type; about 2.2~2.7m/min.

Other than this, flat printing, rotary printing and coating systems were introduced.

・ Fong's (Hong Kong)

JUMBOFLOW high temperature dyeing machine It is capable of dyeing thin to medium thick fabrics at the lowest possible liquor ratio of 1:4.5, with capacity to carry large loadings (280 kg/tube) and reduced dye cycle (300min), requiring 1/3 water consumption of conventional machines. Other than this, many dyeing machines including high temperature cheese dyeing, beam dyeing and high temperature air-flow dyeing machines. (Closed to the same trade.)

Booth of Fong's

・ Stork

Many actual machines including the PegasusOR type rotary screen printing machine (printing width 1850~3250mm) and laser engravers were exhibited.

Booth of Stork