ITMA, the world's largest textiles and garment technology exhibition for its next edition to be held in June 2019 will be focusing on smart garment technologies. According to Fritz P. Mayer, President of CEMATEX, which owns the ITMA exhibition, the garment making industry is labour intensive and associated with low productivity. Things are set to change. Recently, there has been much publicity about sewbots, considered as a major breakthrough in garment automation. Manufacturers fast enough to ride the digital wave will find new opportunities and gain an edge over their competitors.

Automation, especially in an integrated textiles and garment manufacturing chain, will help address the fashion and clothing industry's current concerns of short production cycles and sustainable business practices.

With greater automation on the cards, industry players are seeing the resurgence of garment manufacturing activities in Europe and other developed economies.

Paulo Vaz, General Director of the Textile and Apparel Association of Portugal (ATP), is upbeat about prospects for Portuguese manufacturers said that they are glad that there is a resurgence of textiles and garment making in Europe as this benefits the Portuguese textile and apparel industry.

Their manufacturers can be more competitive by improving competencies through branding, innovation and R&D.

By incorporating technological and creative innovation to differentiate our products, we can expand our markets. As such, it is critical for us to continually evaluate and invest in new technologies. ITMA 2019, which will be held in neighbouring Spain, will be an excellent platform for our manufacturers to explore integrated solutions, ranging from textile and garment technologies to fibres, yarns and fabrics.

To help garment manufacturers exploit technologies that optimise the manufacturing process for productivity gains, ITMA 2019 is expected to feature a wide array of innovative solutions. They range from garment making machinery to other textile processing machinery, auxiliary machinery and accessories, such as: Software and systems for product planning, design and related automation technology for garment making, Equipment for product development, Machinery for shrinking, fusing, cutting preparation, cutting and related automation technology, Machinery for sewing, quilting and linking, Sewing supplies and consumables, Machinery and equipment for product finishing, Auxiliary machinery for the garment making industry.

Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) said that an exhibition such as ITMA 2019, where they can explore all the solutions, from textile to garment making, and even materials, in one location is ideal for their members. They will be organising a delegation of top garment manufacturers to study the latest trends and source new technologies that they can implement in their factories.

Besides a huge display of technologies, fibres, yarns and fabrics, ITMA 2019 will be complemented by conferences and meetings that will add value to the visits of garment technology buyers, as well as brands and retailers.

It will showcase an integrated textiles and garment manufacturing value chain and in addition to machinery, exhibits will also include yarns, fibres and fabrics, and solutions for technical textiles and nonwovens, and garment making. The event will be held from 20-26 June at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via venue.