Frankfurt is getting ready to welcome professionals from laundry, cleaning and textile rental sectors, as Texcare international trade fair is to take place from 11-15 June 2016, exhibiting the latest trends and innovations in the laundry and dry-cleaning industry.

The last edition of the event, which is held every four years, attracted 15,650 visitors, who came to see the new products and services from the 262 exhibitors, both from inside Germany and from abroad.

At the forthcoming Texcare, the exhibition area will grow in line with the huge demand, organisers report. This, according to Messe Frankfurt, will strengthen the most promising product groups at Texcare and ensure greater levels of international participation amongst both exhibitors and visitors.

Messe Frankfurt, the leading trade fair organiser, spoke with Elgar Straub, of Garment and Leather Technology Group of the Association of German Machine and Plant Manufacturers (VDMA Bekleidungs- und Ledertechnik), one of the supporting organisations of Texcare International, about the positive mood in the sector.

We are still a year away from the event, and already there is huge demand on the part of exhibitors. This has resulted in a new layout and the addition of Hall 9. Mr. Straub, what is your view of this development and of Messe Frankfurt's decision?

ES: “It was exactly the right decision to take, to include the extra hall – and at exactly the right time, too. In discussions with Messe Frankfurt, many of the exhibitors have emphasised that they wanted to increase the size of their stands and at the same time they wanted to be included within the appropriate product group for them. That requirement could no longer be met with Hall 8, which had got to a point where it could grow no further. It seems to me an extremely positive thing that the organisers at Messe Frankfurt have reacted quickly and flexibly to this by extending the floor space of the exhibition.”

What, from your point of view, are the advantages for the sector, for exhibitors and for the trade visitors?

ES: “The addition of Hall 9 and the extension of the available exhibition space have resulted in advantages for visitors and exhibitors alike. The market leaders will, next year, be presenting their new products in Hall 8 and Hall 9. In both halls, they will be grouped together with new and smaller manufacturing companies as appropriate to their particular product group or groups. That means that there will be a balanced variety and plurality, which will make both halls more interesting for the trade and professional visitors who come and, at the same time, provide an even broader reflection of the sector as a whole.”

“The overall picture at Texcare will be even more attractive as a result. Our sector needs a unified platform which can give a rounded picture of the product groups. The larger surface area will also enable additional networking areas to be provided, which visitors to the last Texcare regretted not having. All in all, Texcare is becoming an even more international platform. We are delighted at this development, which reflects the growth in the product groups and their diversity.”

Does this growth of Texcare International in Frankfurt also reflect the developments in the sector as a whole?

ES: “Absolutely. The textile-care sector is a strong and growing market, both in Europe and worldwide. The field of textile services, in particular, enjoys huge market volumes and is becoming more and more important. We are noticing, moreover, that many companies have not yet fully exploited their potential and are developing, in ways, for instance, that involve adding neighbouring fields of activity and new segments to the range of products and services they offer.”

“Thus, for instance, we are set to see continued growth in terms of textile hire, as well as with information technologies and merchandise management systems. Services, too, are becoming more and more important, as are the ecological aspects of textile care. The issues are very much those of the future and are coming to have greater and greater importance at Texcare International. It is, therefore, a logical conclusion, that the exhibitors in these areas should be using a larger area for their presentations – and the extension into Hall 9 makes this possible for 2016.”

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