The global economic climate continues to be challenging for all businesses， including those in the textile and garment sector. Hence， the European textile machinery sector has also been impacted. However， thanks to Europes strong engineering base， coupled with investments in research and development， European textile machinery manufacturers have been able to stay ahead of the global competition.

With sustainability and productivity high on agenda for textile makers， European manufacturers are providing more energy-efficient and innovative textile manufacturing solutions， especially those that leverage on emerging digital technologies.

Since ITMA ASIAs move to Shanghai to join hands with CITME in 2008， the combined show has developed into the preferred platform in China for sellers and buyers of textile machinery.

The last four editions enjoyed strong support， attesting to ITMA ASIA + CITME as the premier showcase. Response to the upcoming show in October has been very positive， making this years combined show the largest in the series since its inception.

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2016 will gross 180，000 square meters with the participation of over 1，600 textile machinery manufacturers from 28 economies. This speaks volumes about the success of the collaboration between CEMATEX and our Chinese partners， and further affirms that our decision to stage a combined show is justified and beneficial for the industry.

China is not only the worlds largest textile and clothing producer， it is also the largest consumer and trader. Despite its declining textile and garment exports， it remains a very important market to textile machinery manufacturers.

The Chinese government has put the focus on innovation as the primary driver of economic development in their latest Five-Year Program. A development programme has been drawn up to promote smart yarn， woven and polyester manufacturing， as well as automated printing and dyeing production.

These positive industry developments， together with the huge demand for advanced textiles as the country modernizes， will create exciting market opportunities for textile machinery manufacturers of advanced manufacturing processes and technologies.

Like their Chinese counterparts， many Asian textile and garment manufacturers are also sourcing the latest technologies and cost-effective solutions to help them be more competitive.endprint