#Textile processing

2026-04-23

Vivien Altmann-Morelli new Director of Texcare

Vivien Altmann-Morelli will head Texcare starting May 2026. Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition

As of May 1, 2026, Vivien Altmann-Morelli will take over as Director of Texcare International and the associated brand Textile Care & Cleaning Technologies. In addition, the Food Technologies brand will also fall under her responsibility.

In her new role, Altmann-Morelli will oversee Texcare International in Frankfurt, the leading international trade fair for the global laundry, dry-cleaning and textile services industry. As a brand, Texcare is represented by four additional international events within the Technology Shows portfolio.

Altmann-Morelli will report to Kerstin Horaczek, Vice President Technology Shows at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition.

“Texcare in Frankfurt is the leading trade fair for the international textile care industry and a central hub for global technology leaders as well as emerging players. As an innovation platform, it provides key impulses for sustainable, efficient and future-oriented growth. I am very much looking forward to becoming part of this global network and to helping shape the future together,” says Vivien Altmann-Morelli. The business administration graduate with a focus on sales and event marketing has been working at Messe Frankfurt since 2019. After starting as a Sales Manager in the Guest Events division, she took on the role of Coordinator Guest Events in 2023, where she managed various interdisciplinary projects. As part of the Sustainability Management team, she also played a key role in the strategic development of Messe Frankfurt’s sustainability activities. As Director of Texcare International, she will also be responsible for the brand management of the four international events in the portfolio: Texcare Asia & China Laundry Expo, Texcare France, The Clean Show (USA), and Clean India Show. In addition, Altmann-Morelli will lead IFFA and oversee the Food Technologies brand.

She succeeds Johannes Schmid-Wiedersheim, who is pursuing new professional opportunities. He has successfully led Texcare since 2016.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris highlights evolving global sourcing landscape

From 31 August to 2 September 2026, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will bring together more than 1,000 international exhibitors at Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre. This edition reflects the new global balance of textile and apparel sourcing, highlighting a strong diversity of sourcing countries — some unexpected.

Messe Frankfurt commits further to East Africa: three textiles trade fairs during Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week from 2027

Messe Frankfurt and its Texpertise Network continue their steady, successful trajectory in the region. As Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) opened today, Member of the Executive Board Detlef Braun announced that Messe Frankfurt is licencing its three leading international trade fair brands Texworld, Apparel Sourcing and Texprocess to Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in 2027. From now on, they will take place annually as part of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) Nairobi.

Dedicated car seat model of SHIMA SEIKI’s P-CAM® R Cutting Machine unveiled

Leading Japanese textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, showed a special version of its P-CAM® R multi-ply computerized cutting machine dedicated to the production of car seats for the first time, at a private exhibition held over two days on Thursday, July 2nd and Friday, July 3rd at the Kariya City Industrial Promotion Center in Aichi Prefecture.

YKK invests USD 150 million in new manufacturing facility in India

YKK Corporation has announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility in India, reinforcing its long-term commitment to one of the world's fastest-growing textile and apparel production hubs. The new factory will be built at Origins by Mahindra in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and will become the third manufacturing site of YKK India Private Limited. The facility is expected to be completed by February 2028 and represents an investment of approximately USD 150 million, covering land, buildings, machinery and equipment.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Katharina Obergruber appointed to the Management Board of Sandler AG

The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.