Recovery Beckons: A daily tabloid brought out on the first day of ITMA Asia+CITME, which ended recently in Shanghai, carried this heading under which it said “Organisers are delighted with the industry's response to the second edition.” Confidence in the recovery of the world economy has been building in recent months, and this was reflected in the strong visitor attendance to the 5-day leading textile-technology show of Asia. About 50% of the space was occupied by the increasingly quality-conscious Chinese. It is time the Indian machinery industry takes this more seriously and there is no use shrugging off Chinese competition in this sector. On the other side, look at Germany, whose textile machinery exports to China have gone up by 37% in Jan-Feb this year compared to the same period last year.

Another welcoming departure from the usual talks on technology in such events is the focus on energy issues and sustainability. Take for instance the UCMTF's (French Textile Machinery Association) rallying point. Says Bruno Ameline, UCMTF Chairman: “Energy savings are not just a fashion or a “politically correct” attitude but a real “must” both from ethical and economical points of views”. He made it very clear that the responsibility of the machinery manufacturers is not to influence the consumption of end-products but to reduce significantly the energy necessary for the production level set by the market. His tone was echoed by many companies from various countries. For Italian textile machinery manufacturers, Asia represents 50% of their total exports. The aim of the ‘eco-sustainability’ project ACIMIT (Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association) has undertaken, explains Salmoiraghi, its chief, is to create a ‘green tag’ on which a manufacturer can declare the energy or environmental specifications of each machinery produced. The global economic crisis has changed people’s behaviour in the industry. The textile and clothing sector in Asia has had to deal with an escalation in the prices of raw materials, along with increased production costs and a weakened demand from Western markets. ITMA Asia+CITME simply reaffirmed the vital role of Asia in the scheme of things concerning the future of the global textile industry and has given its stamp of approval for the new movement in “green sustainability”.