#Associations

2024-05-02

New General Secretary of Cematex

Federico Pellegata has been appointed as the new General Secretary of Cematex, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers. He takes over from Cornelia Buchwalder, to whom goes Cematex thanks for the work done with professionalism and competence.

Federico Pellegata at ITMA 2023 ACIMIT press conference © 2024 TexData International

Federico Pellegata was nominated by the Board of Directors of Cematex on April 11, 2024. He was a longstanding Member of the Cematex Executive Committee since January 1998 to August 2023; he is now CEO of Acimit Servizi.

Cematex is the official representative body for Europe’s national textile machinery associations and is the owner of ITMA, the world’s largest international textile machinery exhibition. The first inaugural show was launched in 1951. Subsequent editions have taken place in Europe, Asia and China.

Over the coming years, Federico Pellegata will support Cematex through a globally challenging period, taking in four major events. ITMA Asia + CITME will be held in Shanghai from October 14 - 18, 2024. This will be followed in 2025 by the ITMA Asia + CITME Singapore from October 28 – 31, 2025 and then by ITMA Asia + CITME 2026 again in Shanghai, culminating again by ITMA in Hannover (September 16 – 22, 2027).

Cematex President, Ernesto Maurer, says: “Cematex is determined to maintain its leadership role for exhibitions, carrying the ITMA brand to partners worldwide today and in the future, including a focus on increasingly digital opportunities. I’m confident that Federico Pellegata long experience in our sector and its exhibitions will contribute to strengthening our industry”.

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026 Shanghai showcases intelligent and sustainable manufacturing

From 20 to 24 November 2026, the textile machinery industry will gather in Shanghai for ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026, Asia’s leading business platform for textile machinery, to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The exhibition will occupy seven halls, with a total gross exhibition area of about 180,000 square metres. The exhibition has expanded by 10% over the last edition which reflects the continued industry interest in the region.

ITMA 2027 receives strong industry response

ITMA 2027 has unveiled its sector plan, marking progress towards the 2027 edition as planning continues ahead of the show. The ITMA 2027 sector plan covers 12 halls at the Messegelände Hannover venue, spanning over 180,000 square metres, and features 20 sectors of the textile and garment making processes, from spinning to finishing, software and automation, recycling, and fibres, yarns and fabrics.

ITMA 2027 gains strong momentum

In line with the theme "Co-creating the future of textiles", ITMA continues to strengthen its support for start-ups, recognising their role in driving innovation and shaping the future of textile and garment manufacturing. Through the Start-Up Valley, emerging companies gain access to a global marketplace where they can connect with industry leaders, potential partners, investors and customers.

Business situation weakens slightly, but the industry stays cautiously optimistic

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published the results of its 39th Global Textile Industry Survey (GTIS), conducted from 14 to 22 July 2026 among companies along the entire global textile value chain. Worldwide, 10% of participants rated their business situation as good, 53% as satisfactory and 37% as bad — a balance of -26pp, down from -17pp in May but still well above the 2023 lows. All regions are now in negative territory, from South Asia at -3pp to North & Central America at -58pp.

Italian textile machinery orders show quarterly recovery in Q2 2026

In the period between April and June 2026, order intake for Italian textile machinery manufacturers showed mixed but encouraging signals for the second half of the year. The order index at constant prices stood at 46.6 points (taking 2021=100 as the base year), showing a slight decrease of 3% compared to the same quarter of 2025. This trend was largely due to the contraction recorded in the domestic market, which fell by 25% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

Première Vision Paris expands innovation focus across fashion and beauty

From September 1–3, 2026, Première Vision Paris will bring together more than 900 exhibitors from across the global fashion value chain. This year's edition places a strong emphasis on Innovation-Tech, highlighting technologies and materials that are reshaping product development, manufacturing and sustainability.

SHIMA SEIKI to exhibit at Première Vision Paris

Leading digital textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will exhibit at Première Vision Paris in Paris, France next month. The company will exhibit in the "Smart Creation" area, dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge technologies that integrate sustainability and innovation. The knitting expert will be demonstrating solutions that optimize product development workflows and enhance sustainability through proposals in Digital Product Creation (DPC).