#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2020-02-13

VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies: High expectations of Texcare International 2020

From 20 to 24 June 2020, the leading international trade fair Texcare International will once again be the worldwide meeting place for laundry and dry-cleaning technology in Frankfurt am Main. The top theme of sustainability will be reflected at the leading trade fair.

Top Topic Sustainability

The topic of sustainability continues to gain in importance and will play a role across all exhibitors. On the consumer side, awareness of sustainability is increasing and with it the demands on industry for more sustainable and resource-efficient production. The EU Commission is also prioritising the issue. The EU Commission's Green New Deal will also occupy and shape the textile care industry in the coming years. In this context, the topic of circular laundry is also rapidly gaining in importance.

Elgar Straub, Managing Director of the VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies Association (c) 2020 VDMA

Potentials through digitisation

The advancing digitisation in particular offers enormous potential to further advance these issues. Automation and artificial intelligence, among other things, are groundbreaking in this respect. Companies are thinking ahead on the topic of laundry to improve connectivity and digitisation and to drive the digitisation of the entire value chain. Resource conservation, efficiency and hygiene are the most important goals.

Due to worldwide changes, such as rising hygiene and living standards, the industry has extremely positive expectations for the future. "The growing global hygiene standards offer many new opportunities for the entire textile care sector. Therefore, our industry as a whole is looking positively into the future", says Elgar Straub, Managing Director VDMA TFL. Companies have high expectations of this year's edition of Texcare International because it will set the course of the sector for the coming years.

Industry Economy

Last year's tense political and economic situation also affected the laundry and dry-cleaning industry. The trade conflict between the USA and China and the unresolved brexite situation were just two of the geopolitical crises that have unsettled the markets. As these are all important target markets for the industry, these conflicts unsettle customers and reduce investment. It is precisely for this reason that Texcare is expected to generate positive investment impetus.

After many very successful years, the entire German VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies industry can look back on a growing year 2019 and a slowdown in the economy has become clearly noticeable. Order intake for the entire TFL industry (including garment and leather technology) deteriorated by 7 percent in real terms in 2019, but is still above the average for the mechanical engineering industry in general. In the same period, sales declined by 6 percent in real terms compared to the previous year.

In the laundry and dry-cleaning technology sub-segment, German exports fell by 11.4 percent in the first eleven months of 2019.

VDMA TFL is the conceptual sponsor of Texcare International

Texcare International is the leading international trade fair for the laundry and dry-cleaning sector. From 20 to 24 June 2020, international exhibitors will present trade visitors at Texcare with the latest machinery, plant, processes and services for laundry and dry-cleaning technology.

Young researchers recognised for cutting-edge work in recycling, fibre technology and textile mechanics

At the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference held in Aachen at the end of November, Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, honoured five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses that develop solutions for resource-saving products and technologies, for example, are eligible for the sustainability awards.

VDMA members at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Singapore

With 69 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. Altogether 82 companies from Germany will exhibit at the show, covering about 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, topped only by China and Italy. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

VDMA member companies on display at ITMA ASIA

ITMA ASIA + CITME end of October in Singapore will see a strong participation of around 70 VDMA member companies. They will cover nearly all different machinery chapters along the textile value chain including spinning and man-made fibres, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & warp knitting, finishing & dyeing as well as technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled material. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

Smart technologies for green textile production

With 42 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2024 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. They cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning and man-made fibers, nonwovens, weaving, braiding, knitting & warp knitting, finishing & dyeing as well as technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled material. In total, the German participation at the fair is the largest from outside China.

VIATT 2026 announces inaugural lifestyle Trend Forum: Unified vision for S/S 2027 across fashion, home, and tech

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is set to host its first Trend Forum, offering a forward-looking, industry-wide perspective for Spring / Summer 2027. With the show scheduled from 26 – 28 February 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), VIATT’s trend curators – NellyRodi™ Agency and MUSEATIVE – will provide comprehensive insights across the interconnected realms of Apparel Fabrics & Fashion, Home & Contract Textiles, and Technical Textiles & Technologies.

PERFORMANCE DAYS: Focus topic shifts to the beginning of the value chain

Following the last Focus Topic in October 2025, which placed Textile-to-Textile Recycling at its core, PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to drive the conversation around circularity – this time with an expanded and more upstream perspective. The upcoming Focus Topic, “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters,” presented during the spring edition on March 18–19, will spotlight one of the most essential yet often overlooked components of a functioning circular textile system: the efficient collection and sorting of post-consumer textiles.

ROICA: Where distinction and intention shape the future of apparel industry at Milano Unica

At Milano Unica, held at Fiera Milano (Rho) in Milan from January 20–22, nine select European partners unveil collections shaped by ROICA™—the premium stretch fiber by Asahi Kasei. ROICA™ does not stand alone on the show floor, but its presence is quietly interlaced into each creation, chosen by those who seek distinction and depth in modern textiles. Through these dedicated collaborations, ROICA™ continues to sup-port the apparel industry with advanced stretch, comfort, and environmental care, offering something unique for brands who value true craftsmanship and thoughtful innovation.

Precision jet dyeing moves towards industrial scale as Alchemie partners with Acatel

BTMA member Alchemie Technology, the pioneer of precision jet dyeing solutions based in Cambridge, UK, is partnering with Acatel, the Portuguese leader in sustainable textile manufacturing. The two companies will work together to validate and optimise Alchemie’s Endeavour system for knitted cellulosic fabrics.