05/18/2023

Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas 2023 Advance Industries through Networking and Education (5/18/23)

The unified edition of Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas created offered more features than ever before, including the lauded Symposium sessions, Tech Talks, Tech Zone, and Career and Training Center, as well as the first-ever Innovation Awards in the Americas for technical textiles, nonwovens, and sewn product industries. “This year, we were excited to bring together a variety of exhibitors and attendees from across the industry spectrum. We were able to provide a space where they could showcase their innovations, learn about industry trends, develop new business relationships, and find opportunities for growth in the market,” says Kristy Meade, VP of Technical Textiles & Technology Shows for Messe Frankfurt, Inc. The three-day co-located exhibitions highlighted advancements and industry trends in textile design and manufacturing, supply chain optimization, workforce development, and more. Throughout the three days, visitors were able to see products up close, watch live demonstrations, attend over 40 educational sessions, and meet with exhibitors providing the latest solutions across the supply chain. Symposium Hosted off the show floor in a classroom setting, these sessions were a cornerstone of the educational track. Featuring subject matter experts from across the industry, the Symposium provided attendees an opportunity to dive deep into industry-critical topics that spanned a wide range of application areas, including aerospace and defense, supply chain evolution, manufacturing innovation, and sustainability. When asked about his experience at the Symposium, Rick Fowler of Youngone Corporation, who attended every session, had this to say: “ I’m very impressed and very gratified that our industry is embracing the concerns of sustainability with a phenomenal number of actions and factual, considered, careful planning.” Tech Talks Located on the show floor, these complimentary presentations, demonstrations, and discussions revolved around groundbreaking technical advancements and highlighted the latest in textile and sewn product applications. Topics included sustainability, empowering and growing workforces with technology, the next generation of technical designers, and more. This year, Casey Strauch of Hohenstein Institute America and Melissa Sharp of Zeis Textiles Extension curated and hosted the Techtextil North America Tech Talks. “With such interesting conversations at our booth and the TechTalks, this year’s show flew by,” says Strauch!" Texprocess Americas Tech Talks were coordinated and moderated by Xochil Herrera Scheer of The Chicago Pattern Maker. “All the planning and preparation really paid off when I looked out into the full audiences - even standing room overflow - and seeing interest flow into side chats with speakers afterwards, moving into the exhibitors booths!” Career and Training The Career and Training Center, a new feature at the exhibitions this year, combined professional development with practical training. Representatives from the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College were on site to share valuable resources related to the industry’s career landscape, networking tips, and much more. Simultaneously, hands-on training was conducted by Sewn Products Equipment and Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) association members Merrow Sewing Machine Company (of the Merrow Group Companies) and the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), and included machine repair/maintenance training as well. “We are thrilled with the outcome of the inaugural ‘Training Takes Time’ sessions during Texprocess Americas 2023,” says Michael McDonald, President of SPESA. “We’re looking forward to seeing how this training program will evolve for future editions of Texprocess Americas.” Innovation Awards The Innovation Awards 2023 celebrated cutting-edge advancements and thought-leaders in textile technologies from across the industry. The award-winners represent a broad range of application areas such as new technologies, concepts, and innovative sustainability approaches. The next edition Techtextil North America will be in Raleigh, North Carolina, August 20 – 22, 2024. Texprocess Americas will return to Atlanta in May 6 – 8, 2025 once again co-located with Techtextil North America.