ITMA seals partnership with IWTO

09 Feb '11

4 min read

The organiser of ITMA 2011 and 2015, MP International signed a working agreement with International Wool Textile Association (IWTO). The agreement was inked at the IWTO industry briefing in Paris, France.

Owned by CEMATEX, ITMA is the world's largest textile and garment technology showcase held since 1951. Set up in 1930, IWTO is the international body representing the interests of the world's wool textile trade and industry.

The agreement signifies the start of a new partnership that is in line with the introduction of the new fibre and yarn chapter at ITMA 2011. Covered in this new chapter are natural, man-made and technical fibres, and natural, synthetic and technical yarns. This extension represents a logical step forward as visitors to the exhibition are also potential buyers of such raw materials.

Ms Sylvia Phua, Project Director of ITMA and Chief Executive Officer of MP International, enthused, “Our main aim is to help textile and garment manufacturers be more efficient in their sourcing. Hence, we have added raw materials in the exhibit profile.

“Wool is one of the world's premier textile fibres, and world consumption in 2010/11 is forecast to reach 1.08 million tonnes, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Through this new partnership with IWTO, we are confident of delivering an unrivalled sourcing experience for buyers looking for natural fibres at ITMA.”

Mr Peter Ackroyd, Vice President of IWTO said, “We believe there are outstanding synergies between IWTO and ITMA as we share many objectives. Our industry constantly strives to produce natural, renewable and environmentally-friendly products while ITMA remains the world's most established textile technology show in these challenging times. As such, one of the collaboration opportunities being explored is a natural fibre pavilion, including a prominent wool section, at ITMA for our members to showcase their innovative products.”

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mrs Evelyne Cholet, Secretary General of Union des Constructeurs de Matériel Textile de France (UCMTF), one of the nine CEMATEX national associations. Mrs Cholet said, “In a globalised world, innovation and partnership are vital for any organisation to remain relevant. We are delighted that ITMA has the support of IWTO and we will work towards a partnership that benefits all our stakeholders.”

New chapter gets industry support
The new fibre and yarn chapter was launched fourth quarter of last year. Besides IWTO, US-based Synthetic Yarn and Fiber Association (SYFA) is also in full support of this sector.

Kim Pettit, Managing Director of SYFA said, “We are delighted to join many major organisations to support ITMA as it integrates fibre and yarn into its product index. We believe this will make the exhibition an even more relevant industry sourcing platform. At the same time, with its strong emphasis on research, development and education, ITMAwill be THE leading-edge showcase of innovations to the textile and garment world.”

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