This year’s edition of Texprocess Americas is gearing up to be one of the largest gatherings of equipment and technology for sewn products manufacturers in the western world.
The event, which takes place May 3-5 at the Georgia World Congress in Atlanta, will once again be co-located with Techtextil North America and JEC Americas, and is expected to draw decision makers such as executives, buyers, engineers, technical directors, plant managers, product development chiefs and more.
“This is the only show that focuses on all of the processes involved in sewn goods manufacturing,” offered K.P. Reddy, CEO of textile-equipment maker and exhibitor SoftWear Automation, noting that Texprocess attracts a great cross-section of the industry, including visitors from overseas. “Originally, we thought that SoftWear’s products would appeal primarily to American brands that want to bring their manufacturing operations back to the U.S. However, since our initial announcement, we have found that there is a tremendous demand for robotic automation from countries that previously relied on low-cost labor to attract manufacturers.”
That’s not to say domestic companies won’t have a strong presence. Frank Henderson, CEO of Henderson Sewing, pointed out, “Many Western hemisphere manufacturers of textile and sewn products only have the ability to attend a major trade show expo in this hemisphere,” adding that many are increasingly looking at re-shoring or nearshoring more of their products.
The proof is in the numbers. According to the organizers, the 2014 three-in-one event hosted 759 exhibitors from 29 countries and more than 9,000 visitors. This year’s edition will include exhibitors from 33-plus countries. That’s 25 percent more than two years ago due to the addition of a multitude of product categories.
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American exhibitors confirmed for Texprocess include Mitsubishi Electric Automation and Human Solution Group, while special pavilions will feature companies from Germany, Italy, China, Belgium, Taiwan and France.
Aside from the host of participants presenting their wares, several symposium sessions will also take place during the three-day event.
Software solutions provider Optitex will moderate a discussion titled “Automation and Robotics: Present and Future Trends in Product Development,” while fashion technology supplier Tukatech will tell brands and retailers what they need to know in a panel dubbed “Long and Short Term Future of Technology in Apparel.” Industry leaders throughout the sewn products supply chain will also contribute to a talk on the challenges currently facing reshoring and how to overcome them.
For more information on all eight sessions and their speakers (plus three additional bonus seminars for visitors who have purchased a symposium pass), or to pre-register for the show, check out texprocessamericas.com.