By James M. Borneman, Editor In Chief

Attracting and retaining new talent is a recurring theme among U.S. textile manufacturers. According to The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) “Q2 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey,” the industry’s murmurs reflect a stark reality.

According to the survey, “More than 67 percent of manufacturers cited the inability to attract and retain employees as their top primary challenge, followed by rising health care costs 66.7 percent, an unfavorable business climate 59.6 percent and a weaker domestic economy 56.8 percent.”

The modern manufacturing environment also sets a high bar when it comes to finding candidates that have skills or an aptitude to acquire the technical skills necessary to perform on a highly automated, computer-centric shop floor.

With an aging workforce, the focus on new workers has been amplified and textile manufacturers must fight to overcome misplaced perceptions of an antiquated industry. If you are familiar with today’s textile plants, this may seem strange; but to the uninitiated, the reality of the plant floor and the level of advanced technology remain a true mystery. Additionally, in a post COVID world, the rising demand for a flexible work schedule is on an employee’s short list. However, remote work is difficult to mesh with a 24-hour-a-day work environment.

On the bright side, the demand for worker education and training has spawned opportunity for vocational trainers and Science,Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educators.
At the recent Synthetic Yarn and Fabrics Association (SYFA) conference, Jasmine Cox, executive director of the Textile Technology Center (TTC) at Belmont, N.C.-based Gaston College, gave a presentation about TTC’s focus on training and its new, in-depth education programs.

According to the college: “The Textile Technology Associate in Applied Science degree program at Gaston College prepares students for work as Textile Technicians involved with product development and testing, machine operation, fiber construction and other projects, and as Textile Designers. Students interested in continuing on to earn a bachelor’s will also be able to transfer their credits to a four-year college or university.”

This is a thoughtful approach to spanning the skills gap of today’s hiring environment.
Textiles is not the only manufacturing sector facing worker shortages and the industry
is competing for new workers with other sectors. Improving incentives, developing an appealing work environment, and providing a clear opportunity path goes a long way to attracting and retaining a skilled workforce.

This is all in the context of a rapidly changing manufacturing technology frontier, which has created a significant focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based employment solutions.
NAM posits several areas of potential success — efficiency gains; improving and promoting a safe, secure work environment; accelerating product development and innovation; AI assisted training and simulations; and an AI supported Supply Chain Integration with increased transparency and responsiveness.

Labor, a scarce resource? Yes, but automation and AI will sharpen labor’s focus on a long-term safe, highly productive and globally competitive manufacturing environment.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Later, White participated in a roundtable discussion with textile executives at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center. Urgent priority issues in Washington were highlighted including: increased Section 301 China tariffs on finished textile and apparel imports; closing the de minimis loophole; expanding the Western Hemisphere coproduction chain and maintaining the yarn forward rule of origin; and supporting domestic supply chains with Buy American and Berry Amendment policies, among other issues.

“We are in an urgent economic situation where these serious issues the industry is facing need to be resolved immediately,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.“We believe USTR’s development of supply chain resilience policies is a strong step in the right direction for helping secure the U.S. textile supply chain into the future.We look forward to working closely with Katie and Ambassador Katherine Tai to advance policies that bolster our domestic production.”

2024 Quarterly Volume III

2024 Quarterly Volume III

“We are beyond excited about this new expansion,” said Allegiance Flag Supply Co-Founder Wes Lyon. “Charleston County has been our home and with this new chapter for Allegiance, we’re hopeful that it will continue to be for a long time. We’ve still got a lot of growth to go and we’re hopeful the positive benefits of that growth will continue to reverberate loudly across the community.”

2024 Quarterly Volume III

“Weaving and dyeing velvet fabrics is extremely difficult and requires specialized knowledge,”said Paul Tantillo, KM president & CEO.“We’ve created a skilled and diversified workforce with decades of experience, and it was important for us to keep our team intact. Staying in West Greenville promotes revitalization in our community and allows us to scale. We will be moving our team of over 100 employees, and also plan on hiring additional staff across the board.”

2024 Quarterly Volume III

“Our business model requires strategically located, multi-site capabilities to ensure reliability, increased customer delivery speed, and reduced transportation costs,”said COO Rob Tillman, who will oversee Standard Fiber’s Atlanta, Henderson and Mexico facilities.“By replicating on the east coast the excellent service levels we provide in the west out of Henderson, Nevada, we give our customers added confidence and peace of mind that makes working with us priceless.”

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The International Textile Machinery Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Director General Dr. Christian Schindler shares his thoughts about the organization and the textile industry ahead of the 2024 ITMF annual conference.

TW Special Report

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) is a Switzerland-based organization dedicated to the global textile industry. Its mission statement includes a commitment to connect, inform and represent its member companies all with a mind to strengthen relations both within and outside of the textile industry.

Member companies are able to cooperate on an international level with other members as well as organizations representing sectors allied to their industries. ITMF provides members with surveys, studies and publications, and also hosts an annual conference for learning and networking opportunities.

Dr. Christian Schindler is director general of ITMF. He recently chatted with Textile World about the organization, benefits of membership and ITMF’s upcoming annual conference to be held later this year in Uzbekistan, among other topics.

Textile World: ITMF has attracted a diverse group of members. Why do members join? What are the benefits of membership?

Schindler: ITMF is a platform for the entire textile value chain spanning all segments from fiber producers to producers of home textiles and garments including textile machinery producers and even retailers. Associations and companies join ITMF because they benefit from a unique set of statistics, reports and surveys, as well as from a unique network that looks at the entire textile value chain. Being part of a global network helps international-oriented companies to better under-stand the dynamics of the global textile value chain. Building an international network of colleagues and friends is an important aspect of joining ITMF.

TW: Please tell readers who are unfamiliar with ITMF about the data that ITMF collects and the publications and reports that are available to members.

Schindler: There are several statistics that ITMF publishes on a regular basis. First, for around 50 years, ITMF has published the annual so called “International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics” (ITMSS), which is a compilation of shipments of new textile machinery to any country in the world. This publication illustrates how many new ring-spindles, rotors, texturing spindles, shuttleless looms, large circular knitting machines or tenters were shipped to any country in any given year. People can see the investment intensities as well as the major investment destinations.

Second, the so called “International Production Cost Comparison” (IPCC) has been published every other year since the 1980s. In this publication, the production costs in U.S. dollars of yarns down to the finished fabrics are compared in 14 different countries/regions around the world. This publication helps to understand the cost competitiveness of a country/region.

Third, ITMF’s “Global Textile Industry Survey” (GTIS), which is conducted every other month, provides the entire textile value chain with information about the state and outlook of the industry covering all segments from fiber producers to producers of home textiles, garments and technical textiles and regions from South America to East Asia. There are also other publications like the “International Textile Industry Statistics” (ITIS) that provides data about machinery capacities and fiber consumption in countries around the world.

TW: What were the main results of the 26th GTIS, the most recent survey as of TW’s press time?

Schindler: ITMF’s 26th GTIS clearly highlighted that the entire textile value chain is faced with a very difficult business situation. As the graph shows (see Figure 1), the balance between companies claiming to have a “good” business situation — 13 percent — and a “poor” one — 42 percent — is -29 percentage points (pp). Business expectations remained positive at +25pp, which is what we saw in the March survey.

The reason for this lack-luster business situation is the lack of demand and higher costs for energy, raw materials, logistics, labor, or capital which is weighing heavily on companies’ profit margins (See Figure 2). Of course, geopolitics with wars in Ukraine and Gaza were, and are, not helping to improve business and consumer confidence.

Nevertheless, the survey also revealed that there are more companies seeing a more favorable business environment in six months— 36 percent — than a less favorable one — 11 percent. But it seems also clear that there will only be a gradual improvement given the fact that 53 percent of respondents expect that the business situation will be unchanged in six months. It can be said that there is the hope that the downward cycle that started at the end of 2022 is coming to an end in 2024, which can be regarded as a transition year.

TW: As someone with an inherent international perspective, how do you perceive each of the active economic areas — North America, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, China, India and Southeast Asia — in terms of opportunities, challenges, growth and specialization? Any specific areas that could be high-lighted for strong growth or a lack of growth?”

Schindler: I think that the U.S. economy is the one that has outperformed all developed economies in 2023 and continues going strong in 2024. While demand remains relatively strong, the U.S. retail industry was, and still is, sitting on inventory that was built up in 2021 and 2022. Once inventories move back to normal levels — and they are slowing coming down since the end of 2022 — brands and retailers will start placing more orders again. Another country that is seeing strong growth is India, which was the fastest growing developing country in 2023.The country has a strong domestic market whose retail market is becoming more and more mature and continues growing driven by demographics and by attracting more and more investments. Therefore, it provides a lot of opportunities to the textile and apparel industry. China has seen a decent growth in 2023, albeit from low 2022 levels. The country is still by far the largest producer of textiles and apparel and has an enormous domestic market to serve. Nevertheless, the country is faced with challenges like a shrinking population, a troubled real estate market, a deflationary tendency and persistent youth unemployment. Europe is still struggling the most as it was more strongly impacted by rising energy prices. Just like in 2023, the world economy is growing at around 3 percent in 2024. This is lower than the historic level of almost 4 percent between 2010-2019.

TW: The United States is in an election year and inflation is in the news even in the textile industry. Is inflation a global issue at the moment? Is inflation affecting European machinery manufacturers and/or affecting investment in various regions?

Schindler: In general, inflation is a global phenomenon that was fueled by several factors. Fiscal and monetary policies around the world were expansionary at the start of the pandemic which provided companies and consumers with a lot of needed support. While demand surged in 2021 and 2022, supply chains were disrupted and sometimes broken. Products or semi-products were in high demand that supply could not meet, and shipping containers were not where they were needed, for example.

All this led to supply and demand imbalances that resulted in rising prices. Furthermore, rising energy prices in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 added to higher costs and dampened demand. As of the end of 2022, the textile and textile machinery industries found themselves in a perfect storm of rising costs and dwindling demand. Consumers saw their disposable income fall in 2023. But with inflation falling back significantly since the peak in early 2023 and higher nominal wages across many industries, real wages are growing again which should eventually strengthen demand. As for investments, textile machinery companies are struggling just like textile companies. In 2023, some machinery producers benefited from a long order backlog, while order income remained low. Given the low order intake in the textile industry, only companies with a solid balance sheet will be able to invest now and prepare for the upswing that will eventually come.

TW: In September, ITMF will host its annual conference, which for the first time will be held jointly with the International Apparel Federation (IAF). What are the benefits of hosting a joint event with the IAF?

Schindler: The main benefit is that we will have one event for the global textile value chain and that all those persons that are affiliated with both organizations will only need to travel once. Furthermore, the strength of two organizations coming together for one event will provide additional insights for each other’s members.

TW: Why Uzbekistan and what unique opportunities does the location offer? How does hosting the event benefit the textile industry in Uzbekistan?

Schindler: Uzbekistan has seen enormous change in the last 10 years, especially since the new president, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, started to transform and open the country. The number of private investments in the cotton, textile and apparel industry is significant. ITMF’s International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics reveals that especially in cotton spinning machinery Uzbekistan — with a population of around 35 million — was among the five biggest investors during the past 10 years. But also in the other downstream segments, a lot of investments took place. Worth noting is the important fact that Uzbekistan was also able to get rid of the so-called cotton ban in 2022, introduced in 2010 by the cotton campaign, a coalition of human rights NGOs, independent trade unions, brand associations, responsible investors and academics. Uzbekistan is the “new kid on the block” that offers interesting sourcing alternatives being located between China, India and Europe.

TW: For someone who has never attended an ITMF annual conference before, what can they expect from the event?What are your hopes for the attendees?

Schindler: First, all attendees will learn of course a lot about the Uzbek textile and apparel industry, but also about the country that is one of the safest countries in the world and that it offers a lot of history and culture as well as very divers and attractive landscape. Second, the conference will cover very important topics like how regulations in different regions will impact the global textile industry, and how innovation and collaboration will shape the way companies will produce and serve markets. The general theme “Innovation, Collaboration & Regulation — Drivers of the Textile & Apparel Industry” will serve as a guideline for the discussions among industry experts. One important aspect of the ITMF & IAF Conference 2024 is certainly the unique opportunity to meet colleagues and friends from around the world from the entire textile value chain.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

NCTO Chairman Norman Chapman outlined key industry facts and explained policy issues during NCTO’s 20th annual meeting.

By Norman Chapman

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) represents the full spectrum of the U.S. textile sector — a production chain that employees 502,000 workers nationwide and produces almost $64.8 billion in output annually. We are an essential industry that equips U.S. warfighters and one that pivoted overnight to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID pandemic.

The U.S. textile industry has made significant investments in the United States. Its innovations are unparalleled and its contributions to local communities and the U.S. economy are critical.

While the domestic textile industry is a key contributor to the U.S. economy and critical part of the military and public health industrial base, our sector is facing a crisis of historic pro-portions as the result of rapidly deteriorating market conditions coupled with unchecked foreign predatory trade practices and diminished customs enforcement activities.

On the economic front last year, our industry saw historic inflationary pressures, a severe global slowdown, weak consumer demand, a glut of retail inventory that translated into poor demand for future orders of textiles, and a contraction in manufacturing.

The fallout also extends beyond our borders to hemispheric partners— parties to U.S. free trade agreements including CAFTA-DR and USMCA — who, along with U.S. textile producers, form an integrated, vertical textile and apparel coproduction chain and represent the counter-weight to production in Asia.

To address these troubling trends, NCTO has been highly engaged with industry allies in Congress and the Biden administration to confront the severe crisis and challenging issues facing the industry.

NCTO hosted or participated in numerous congressional and administration visits throughout 2023 and into early 2024.

In July, NCTO executives and staff united to participate in a critical Washington fly-in and met with some of the most powerful members of Congress as well as the nation’s top trade chief.

We outlined policies critical to NCTO membership including: closing the de minimis loophole; strengthening customs enforcement; holding China accountable; strengthening our domestic procurement laws; maintaining the yarn-forward textile rule in CAFTA-DR and other trade agreements; and passing the Farm Bill and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which are so critical to our domestic industrial base.

We are literally making national news every night on de minimis. This is no longer an issue that is on page three of national news; it’s on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Time magazine.

This is a massive, coordinated effort involving NCTO and textile industry leaders who have had significant accomplishments that have turned the tide and changed the trends of conversations in Washington.

We cannot thank those members enough who do so very much to support our activities and go way above and beyond.

Especially given the velocity of things coming at us this year — several members repeatedly came to town like Andy Warlick, Eddie Ingle, David Smith, and so many other leaders.

We met with the highest levels of the cabinet and the highest levels of the Congress. Our industry’s effectiveness, breadth and prowess was noticed by all, and the urgency of what we were asking for as an industry became a huge priority for everyone in Washington — no matter the party affiliation. Recently, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) team responded to our urgent calls for a significantly stepped up textile and apparel enforcement plan to help address trade fraud — and that wouldn’t have happened without the concerted effort by the NCTO staff and the members who engaged here in Washington.

NCTO’s work is noted at the highest levels of our government. In July, President Joe Biden made a historic visit to NCTO member Auburn Manufacturing Inc. in Mechanic Falls, Maine, elevating the U.S. textile industry’s profile and reinforcing its competitiveness and economic contribution. This is the first visit to the industry by a sit-ting president in decades.

I would like to sincerely thank our staff, led by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas and the entire hard working NCTO team, as well as our industry leadership for successfully navigating through challenging economic times and polarization in Congress, while partnering with the administration and key congressional offices to secure a number of critical achievements last year.

NCTO’s effective advocacy efforts resulted in a long list of accomplishments in 2023, including intensifying pressure on Congress and the administration to close the de minimis waiver system and step up enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFPLA) and import fraud; safeguarding the integrity of our free trade agreements; enhancing government procurement of U.S. textile-based products; and maintaining a strong position on China trade enforcement including tariffs on finished textiles and apparel.

Before laying out NCTO’s policy wins in 2023, I want to quickly recap how the industry fared “by the numbers” last year.

By The Numbers

Given the economic and trade headwinds the industry faced in 2023, the fact that the industry only registered slight declines in some of the key metrics is a testament to its resilience and strength. In 2023, the value of U.S. man-made fiber, textile and apparel shipments totaled an estimated $64.8 billion compared with $67.4 billion in shipments in 2022.¹

Here are additional key industry facts:

• U.S. exports of fibers, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023 compared with $33.9 billion in 2022.²
• The United States is the second largest individual country exporter of textile-related products in the world.
• The U.S. textile and apparel industry invested $20.9 billion in new plants and equipment from 2012 to 2021, the last year data is currently available for this figure. Recently, U.S. manufacturers have opened new facilities throughout the textile production chain, including recycling facilities to convert textile and other waste to new textile uses and resins.³

Onshoring and nearshoring trends continued to strengthen Made in USA production and our vital coproduction chain with the Western Hemisphere, while NCTO continued to press for effective enactment of policies in Washington aimed at expanding Berry and buy American rules to fuel growth in American-made products for the military, PPE and federal agencies.
At the end of the day, some key fundamentals for the U.S. textile industry remained sound, while others weakened due to the issues outlined above. We remain committed to growing our businesses and working with the administration and Congress to help shape effective policies that will ensure future expansion of this vital and strategic industry.

While we expect to see ongoing challenges this year, which will test our resolve, we know collectively as an industry this will not weaken our resilience or our innovative spirit.

Policy Issues

Now, I would like to highlight a few accomplishments NCTO staff achieved during the year.
Customs Enforcement — NCTO actively engaged with the administration and Congress to press for stepped up enforcement against unfair trade practices by China and other foreign competitors, sounding the alarm on the damaging impact this fraudulent activity is having on U.S. textile producers and our Western Hemisphere trade partners. We called on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to immediately step-up enforcement against slave labor in supply chains under the UFLPA, fraudulent origin claims under free trade agreements, “de minimis” shipments that facilitate illegal trade, largely bypass duties and inspection, and put the industry at a competitive disadvantage.

Another significant accomplishment was coordination on a bipartisan letter led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) calling on CBP to ensure Chinese companies aren’t evading U.S. laws against forced labor and costing American jobs, by stepping up oversight and enforcement provisions in trade agreements with Central American and North American trading partners. As a result of these efforts, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced a comprehensive textile enforcement plan to address enforcement concerns raised by the industry recently — this made the top of the Wall Street Journal.
De Minimis — The Section 321 De Minimis provision continued to be at the forefront of congressional scrutiny and hearings, with both Democrats and Republicans weighing in with concerns on this legal provision in U.S. trade law.

The impact of this loophole is devastating, facilitating nearly 4 mil-lion imported shipments a day that may contain goods made with forced labor, counterfeits, toxic products, and illicit narcotics such as fentanyl.

NCTO leaders held several meetings with lawmakers and the administration and testified at a key congressional hearing and a roundtable, amplifying the critical need to close this loophole that is hurting our members and giving China a duty-free backdoor to our market. We worked with allies like Rep. Dan Bishop who held two hearings drawing attention to de minimis and how it makes policing the UFLPA impossible. NCTO and our industry is leading the way to close this loophole.

In addition, several members of Congress weighed in with letters to President Biden to close this loophole, including a joint letter from Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a separate letter led by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and a letter led by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)

Three bills were introduced in 2023 — including bills from Senator Brown and Representative Earl Blu-menauer (D-Ore.) — to combat de minimis abuse.

In February of this year, NCTO worked to build a coalition of diverse stakeholders to launch the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole, representing thousands of voices from the families of victims of fentanyl fatalities and nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations to labor unions, domestic law enforcement associations, domestic manufacturers and business associations.

Several coalition members participated in a press conference with Representative Blumenauer and other congressional members to elevate the issue, which was covered by several news outlets and have sent numerous communications to the Hill.

There are numerous other issues requiring NCTO’s focus and resources, such as advocating for full enforcement of the Make PPE in America Act, amplifying support for the Section 301 case against China’s intellectual property abuses, promoting tariffs on finished products, and the need to pass a new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill with immediate and full retroactivity.
Due to time constraints, I cannot delve into all these important issues. But please know that without exception, NCTO is highly engaged on every policy matter that affects the U.S. textile industry with the intent of shaping policy determinations in a manner that directly benefits U.S. textile investment, production and workforce.

Industry leadership and involvement is of paramount importance. From contributions to NCTO’s TextilePAC to arranging congressional visits, the industry can make a difference and help raise the level of awareness about its importance to the overall U.S. economy and workforce, and to the local and state economies it supports.

Conclusion

The business environment for the year ahead will continue to be rife with challenges for our industry and likely will lead to additional plant closures and layoffs, which we have already seen in the first quarter of 2024. But I remain cautiously optimistic for the following reason: NCTO’s strong advocacy on behalf of the industry in helping institute policies that support our industry, reform ill-conceived policies, and fend off challenges to our strong free trade agreement rules.

In 2024, we will continue to engage with Congress and the administration on critical policy issues impacting our industry and I am confident we will achieve positive policy wins for this industry as a unified voice in Washington.

We will continue to work in conjunction with our Western Hemisphere trading partners and capitalize on the onshoring and nearshoring trends that we are seeing and strengthen our co-production chain, investment and employment.

That concludes my formal remarks.

On a personal note, I have been honored to serve as chairman of a highly effective organization and dedicated staff and I know I hand it over to our new chairman who is well positioned to navigate the headwinds and trade battles.

I truly am optimistic about the innovative strength of the industry and its resilience to economic and trade challenges. With the support of this effective trade and lobbying organization in Washington, we can over-come unforeseen challenges and continue to cement our position as an integral sector to the U.S. economy and the Western Hemisphere.

References:
¹ U.S. Census Bureau Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders (M3) Survey, and Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM) value of shipments for NAICS 313, 314, 315 & 32522, 2021 data used to estimate NAICS 32522 figure.

² U.S. Department of Commerce data for Export Group
0: Textiles and Apparel

³ U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES), NAICS 313, 314 & 315

Editor’s Notes: Norman Chapman is president and CEO of Inman, S.C.-based Inman Mills. He served as the 2023 NCTO chairman. At the annual meeting in Washington, Charles Heilig, president of Gastonia, N.C.-based Parkdale Mills, succeeded Chapman as NCTO chairman; and Chuck Hall, president and CEO of Spartanburg, S.C.-based Barnet, was elected vice chairman.

The North American Industry Classifica-tion System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS Subsector 313 covers Textile Mills, sub-sector 314 covers Textile Product Mills and subsector 315 covers Apparel.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Techtextil North America settles into its new schedule with the next edition taking place in Raleigh, N.C., in August.

TW Special Report

After back-to-back years in Atlanta, Messe Frankfurt’s Techtextil North America (TTNA) trade show has settled into its new schedule with the non-Atlanta show now happening in even years.

The 2024 edition of the event — a show dedicated to the technical textiles and nonwovens industries — will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, August 20-22, 2024.

“We are thrilled to be getting back to Raleigh, after a three-and-a-half-year gap due to the show schedule shift,” stated Kristy Meade, vice president, Technical Shows, Atlanta-based Messe Frankfurt. “Techtextil North America Raleigh feels like a homecoming with NC State as our official academic partner and so much of the industry, both exhibitors and attendees, alums of the area.”

Show Floor Organization

As always, exhibits will be categorized using 12 application areas: Agrotech; Buildtech; Clothtech; Geotech; Hometech; Indutech; Medtech; Mobiltech; Oekotech; Packtech; Protech; and Sporttech. This arrangement helps visitors find the products and services they are interested in based on product application.

Exhibitors from Germany will share their latest innovations on the German Pavilion located in the center of the show floor.

New in 2024 is the History of Textiles Museum, which is presented by North Carolina State University. Exhibit areas located throughout the show floor will focus on the history of the industry from early pieces of machinery up to present day innovations including automation.

Learning Opportunities

Techtextil North America 2024 will host a symposium, as well as Tech Talks and Student Research Poster Program on the show floor.

The Techtextil North America Symposium is dedicated to showcasing advancements in research and technology for the textile industry, highlighting the latest trends and innovations, with a focus on sustain-able textile practices. Sessions will take place all three days of the show. Symposium topics this year include:

• Smart Threads and Healing Fibers:
• Navigating the Intersection of Wearable Technology, Medical Textiles and Legal Compliance;
• Department of Defense Trend Forecast;
• Real World Circularity: Stitching a Sustainable Future in the Textile Industry; and
• Durable Water Repellency: Balancing Performance and Sustainability (See Schedule Highlights sidebar).

Tech Talks will take place on the show floor. These sessions are free for all show attendees and center on solution-oriented discussions about new technologies, hot button issues and more.

A complete list of symposium and Tech Talk titles and speakers will be available on the Techtextil North America show website prior to the event. All event information, including any last-minute changes or updates, also will be located on the Techtextil North America 2024 mobile app, which will be ready to download later this summer.

A mainstay feature, the Student Research Poster Program, also is a must-see show floor exhibit featuring both undergraduate and graduate level research and textile innovations. Students from around the globe have the opportunity to share their research findings with visitors by way of the poster program.

2024 Techtextil North America Innovation Awards

During the 2024 edition of the show, organizers will present the Techtextil Innovation Awards to deserving entries submitted in advance and chosen by a jury of industry experts. According to Messe Frankfurt, the award: “ … reflects the innovative content of the Techtextil North America trade fair as well as the future-oriented products of the exhibitors. It honors cutting-edge developments that foster new and unconventional ideas and visions and supports cross-industry dialogue among researchers, manufacturers and users.”

An award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 21, at noon on the Tech Talks Special Fea-ture Stage located in booth 1033.

Visitor Information

On the opening night of the show, all attendees can participate in the Opening Night Reception, which will be held at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center on the NC State campus from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The reception requires a ticket for entry, which is included with the full experience pass or may be purchased separately as an add-on.

Visitors to Techtextil North America can register to attend and purchase exhibit hall badges, symposium passes and reception tickets in advance online. Tickets may also be purchased in person on show days, but advance registration is suggested in order to expedite the entrance process.

The show floor is open Tuesday, August 20, and Wednesday, August 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thurs-day, August 22, the show floor is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit To Network, Learn

The show floor will be smaller and cozier than the average Atlanta show, but the sense of community, opportunity to interact with colleagues, and chance to stumble upon new and interesting technologies remains the same as always.

“This year we have a focus on Integrating Technology and attendees will have opportunity to see the latest from technical suppliers from across the globe, highlighted by the Innovation Awards and Student Research Program, as well as learn from an engaging line-up of speakers in the Symposium and the on-floor Tech Talks,” Meade noted. “We are confident that the 2024 edition is sure to be THE meeting point for the industry.”

For more information about Techtextil North America 2024 and to register, visit techtextilna.com.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The next edition of the Advanced Textiles Association’s AT Expo takes place in Anaheim this September.

TW Special Report

After multiple iterations held in east coast cities, the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) is taking its Advanced Textiles (AT) Expo to the west coast for the 2024 edition. The expo will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Education sessions begin on September 23 and the show floor is open September 24-26, 2024.

“ATA is excited to host the textile industry at Advanced Textiles Expo in Anaheim, California, September 24-26,” said Steve Schiffman, ATA president and CEO. “Being in California allows us to reach new people that may not travel to the east coast. Advanced Textiles Expo continues to bring thousands of textiles professionals who serve many markets together for education, networking, and an exhibit floor full of textiles/materials, new innovations, and equipment.

“This year’s show has several new features including the Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day, the Tex-tiles Challenge, programming on specialty textiles, shade and weather and emerging technologies.”

What To Expect

The show will again be collocated with Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America, which will be held September 24-26, 2024. According to ATA, the collocation of the events for these two complementary industries offers value in terms of connecting with customers, suppliers, end-product manufacturers, and industry counterparts, as well as providing growth opportunities. Attendees have access to both events including the combined show floor, show floor education and networking receptions. The only exceptions are AT Expo’s conference, which is only open to AT Expo registrants; and Sun Shading Expo classroom education, which is only open to Sun Shading Expo registrants.

The show floor will feature the ATA Hub, which is a great place to learn more about ATA or join a member division open meeting. Also on the show floor, ATA announced the return of a pet rescue fundraising booth, as well as the Demo Booth —a hands-on educational space for makers and materials suppliers.

The optional add-on AT Expo Annual Fun Run/Walk will take place Wednesday morning, September 25, at 6 a.m. Participants will meet at the Hilton Anaheim and be led by experienced locals on a walk or run through Anaheim. Runners can choose a pace group and distance —1 mile or 5 kilometers. Proceeds benefit the Work Ethic Scholarship Fund.

New Features

ATA has planned several new features for attendees at the upcoming expo. The Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day is Wednesday, September 25. At 10 a.m., a hands-on LEGO net-working workshop will take place on the show floor. Designed to foster new connections and teach industry concepts, teams will collaborate to build Lego models that represent key elements of the industry. Later that afternoon, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., The NextGen Textiles Meet-up will take place. This fun activity begins with participants building a Lego avatar to represent their personal style. Afterwards, fast-paced networking rounds will give participants the chance to meet new people and mingle with industry influencers.

The Textiles Challenge, another new show feature, is a skill-testing, hands-on activity featuring — as the name suggests — textile challenges. Preview and practice rounds will take place on Tuesday, September 24, with qualifying rounds and the final round taking place on Wednesday.

On Thursday, ATA is giving women a chance to connect before the show floor opens. Interested attendees should gather at the Hilton Anaheim at 7 a.m. for the Women’s Networking Walk. Following the walk, women can participate in a leadership session titled “Balancing Priorities for Success” at 9:30 a.m. The session begins with a keynote followed by a panel discussion featuring industry leaders who will share their perspectives and advice. Wrapping up the event is a development session on strategies for establishing boundaries and setting priorities to obtain a work/life balance.

Nighttime Fun

To kick things off, the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) is hosting the Awning Pub Night at Bowlero Anaheim on Monday, September 23 at 5 p.m. RSVP’s are required by August 26.

On Tuesday, September 24, AT Expo will host the official opening reception at 4 p.m. The reception is included with all registration types to give all participants the chance to mix and mingle to wrap up the first full day.

Those who opt to purchase a separate ticket when registering can move from the opening reception to Industry Night, which this year will be held at the Anaheim House of Blues starting at 7 p.m. As always, live music will be provided by ATA member band Hangin’ by a Thread.

Education

The one-and-a-half day Emerging Technologies Conference begins with a full day of presentations on Monday, September 23, and an Emerging Technologies Networking Reception at the close of the sessions. On Tuesday, additional sessions will be held in the morning. Topics will cover a variety of subjects from healthcare and electronic textiles to green chemistry and testing. A full lineup of speakers and topics is available on the AT Expo website.

Education continues on the Emerging Technologies show floor stage beginning Tuesday afternoon. These more informal, 30-minute sessions are designed to be interactive and digestible.

For more information about Advanced Textiles Expo — including the full conference schedule with speakers — as well as to register, please visit advancedtextiles expo.com.

2024 Quarterly Volume III