#ITMA 2019

2017-03-16

ITMA highlights innovation for its second Barcelona edition

ITMA, the world’s largest textile and garment technology showcase will continue its focus on innovation for its upcoming edition in Barcelona in June 2019, with the main theme of the show being ‘Innovating the World of Textiles’.

ITMA 2019 online space application opens in May

Mr Fritz P. Mayer, president of CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, which owns the ITMA exhibition, explained: “The increasingly high level of automation and digitisation in combination with real time data tracking and interconnection has spawned the 4th industrial revolution and the emergence of smart factories. ITMA is a unique showcase of live machinery demonstrations and innovative solutions that boost productivity and profitability.

“For this latest edition of ITMA, we have chosen to focus the industry’s attention on innovation which creates a competitive advantage for manufacturers. Sustainable innovation that drives growth for the textile and garment industry will continue to be emphasised at the exhibition.”

As many leading textile machinery and raw material manufacturers, and service providers look forward to the exhibition to launch or promote their latest innovations, the organiser of ITMA 2019, ITMA Services, has already been receiving numerous enquiries for participation.

Mr A.E. Roberts, Chairman of ITMA Services, said: “ITMA was last held in Barcelona in 2011. We expect strong response when the exhibition returns to the city after eight years. A host of exciting highlights and knowledge-sharing activities have been planned which give added value to exhibitors and visitors alike.”

ITMA 2019 is expected to feature over 1,500 exhibitors from 45 countries spread over 100,000 square metres of net exhibition space. It will be held from 20 to 26 June at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via venue.

Online space application will open on 4 May 2017. Interested participants can visit application@itma.com.

The last ITMA exhibition, held in Milan in 2015, featured exhibits from the entire textile and garment making value-chain spread over 108,268 square metres of net exhibition space. It drew the participation of 1691 exhibitors from 46 countries and visitorship of almost 123,000 from 147 countries.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.