Next edition of Heimtextil to be held in January

Trade visitors to Heimtextil (8 to 11 January 2014) can obtain a topical overview of the latest technologies, market opportunities, areas of application for mass printing and sustainable production methods during the first “European Digital Textile Conference: Digital printing for homes and interiors”.

On the second and third days of the trade fair (9 and 10 January 2014), World Textile Information Network (WTiN), a global textile news and information provider for the sector, and Messe Frankfurt are organising an English-only conference with lectures by international experts in Hall 4.0. The ‘Digital Textile Conference’ has been held in different states for many years, the last time in Hamburg in 2011.

Up to now, the focus of the conference has been on textile printing for the apparel sector with areas of application in the field of home and household textiles only being touched on. “We estimate the market for this branch of industry to have a volume of around 12 billion square metres a year.

"This represents a share of 40 percent of all printed textiles. Therefore, it is important to hold a conference focusing solely on this segment. And the best place to do so is at the leading trade fair for the sector”, says John Scrimshaw, textile expert and Editor-in-Chief of ‘Digital Textile’ magazine and the Effects channel at WTiN.

Three half-day sessions will provide a detailed insight into this growing segment: “Commercial and creative opportunities”, “Digital fabric printing technology” and “Carpets and pile fabrics”. Until only a few years ago, the market for digital printing in the field of home and household textiles consisted solely of small designer collections.

“The industry only discovered this growth market recently”, adds Scrimshaw. Several Heimtextil exhibitors, such as Athenea from Spain, Dicitex D’Decor from India and Menderes Tekstil from Turkey, are currently investing in new systems that can print over 100 square meters an hour.

The Digital Textile Conference’s main Corporate Sponsor is Stork Prints. Other leading sponsors include HP (Platinum), Kornit Digital (Gold) and Sensient Imaging Technologies.

Messe Frankfurt