Yarn Expo Spring 2015, leading fibre and yarn trade events in Asia, wrapped up on March 20 witnessed constant growth in its visitor number. The fair attracted nearly 21,000 trade visitors from 46 countries and regions – with the top five being Mainland China, India, Korea, Turkey and Hong Kong – representing an increase of 3% compared to last year.

The three-day event, which commenced on March 18 in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), was the second edition in Shanghai after it relocated from Beijing in 2014.

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd said that they were happy to see the growth momentum continue into this year after they achieved a significant jump of over 200% last year when they first came to Shanghai to host their Spring Edition.

Altogether 238 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions participated in the fair, while the popular Indian Pavilion and Pakistani zone returned once again. Their members were all happy with the fair as they could make business contacts with not only Chinese customers, but also with those from outside China, such as from the Middle East, said Mr Ravindranathan Narayanasamy, Joint Director of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) from India, co-organiser of the Indian Pavilion. This year, around 30% of the total visitors that came to their booths were from overseas, and 70% were from Mainland China.

Indonesian exhibitors also agreed that this fair was a stepping stone for them to open up the global market. This fair is important to them as they can meet with customers from around the world, said Mr Anupam Agrawal, Director – Spun Yarn Business at PT Indo-Rama Synthetics Tbk.

As the Chinese yarn and fibre market begins to improve, many fibre suppliers from around the world are trying to capture this opportunity to extend their business into China, and Yarn Expo Spring 2015 is one of the most ideal platforms to achieve this goal. More Chinese end users and manufacturers were seen visiting the fair this year, showing an improvement in the visitor quality, Mr Narayanasamy said, stating based on the results from the past several editions, 30% of visitors that came to the Indian Pavilion actually made an order with the suppliers after the fair.

Lahoti Overseas Ltd was one of the exhibitors under the Indian Pavilion that benefited from the enhanced visitor flow. Right now, they are exporting 2,000 tons of cotton yarn to China per month and with the help of this fair they want to increase it to 3,000 tons by the end of this year, said Mr Vijay Nate, the firm’s Vice President in Export.

Mr Henry Yang from Lih Shyang Industrial Co Ltd in Taiwan was also happy with the new business potential brought by this fair. They are extremely happy with the outcome of this fair. They met some very serious buyers from Finland who showed interest in their products, and what’s even more exciting is that they are looking for large-quantity orders.

Other than a trade platform that brings the whole industry under one roof, the fair never ceases to impress buyers with the latest product trends, such as synthetic fibres that featured in the Chinese Pavilion which attracted a lot of attention. China is getting better and better at producing man-made fibres, and the new trend in the country is that more and more cotton yarn producers are shifting their business focus to the synthetic fibre side, said Mr Dickens Chen, Business Consultant at Shanghai Jiancheng Consulting Firm.

Sharing the same idea is Mr Xiaobing Min, Sales Manager of Chu-li Nano-material Technology Development Co Ltd in China. Functional synthetic fibres will be under the spotlight next year and this is where the whole Chinese fibre market is heading right now.

The Chinese Pavilion became a popular spot for overseas buyers with an expertise in producing synthetic fibres. Richardo Barboss from Portugal was one of them looking for Chinese products as they have higher quality. Specialty fibres, such as flame retardant fibres, will be popular as such products can be used in the home textile, sportswear and automobile sectors, he said, stating he found a wide selection of such products at the fair.

Besides the latest products that are on offer, a Trend Area located in the Chinese Pavilion also revealed next year’s fibre developments.

While synthetic yarns are the rising star in the market, cotton yarns still remain attractive to some buyers. This fair is good as it has a complete selection of Indian and Pakistani exhibitors, said Mr David Lei, Vice General Manager of Hebei Spring Textiles Co Ltd in China. Who was present at the fair mainly to learn about the new development in Indian and Pakistani cotton yarn products, and saw quality getting much better.

Mr Mike Glukhikh, the Purchasing Manager of Sparta, a Russian garment manufacturer was also amazed by Indian and Pakistani cotton yarn quality. The product variety at this fair is good, and the product quality from India and Pakistan is improving rapidly, and he believe they will gain more market share in the future.

Yarn Expo showcased a wide spectrum of natural and blended yarns including cotton, wool, flax / regenerated flax, and man-made fibres and yarns as well as specialty products including elastic, and fancy and blended yarns.

Yarn Expo Spring is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; China Cotton Textile Association; China Wool Textile Association; China Chemical Fiber Association; China Bast & Leaf Fibres Textiles Association; and China Textile Information Centre.

The next edition will be held from 13 – 15 October this year in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).