Interview with Cornelia Buchwalder, Cematex
Cornelia Buchwalder (Source: Cematex)
ITMA exhibition space is fully booked. ITMA 2023, which will be held on June 8-14, 2023, in Milan/Italy, will feature over 1,600 exhibitors from 44 countries. The event, which takes place every 4 years, sees the entire textile industry meeting in person, with everyone represented ranging from key decision-makers from the top textile and garment producers to leading brand owners. This ITMA will be used at an international level as the main place to gather market intelligence and forge collaborative partnerships.
Transforming the world of textiles – that is this year's ITMA motto. What is your response to this? What is the motto of your trade show participation?
The theme "Transforming the World of Textiles" has hardly ever been more appropriate than at the present time. We have so many parallel developments and challenges for which the industry needs to find solutions. Even though the topics of digitalization, automation and sustainability have been at the top of our industry's agenda for many years, they have lost none of their relevance. As for sustainability, it is and remains a big and very important topic. It has been for years, but now it has become even more important due to the new EU Sustainable Textiles Strategy. This development is a great opportunity for our textile machinery industry, as the machinery industry offers solutions to these challenges.
Our association stands for "Innovation - it's in our DNA". And this motto naturally also fits the motto of ITMA 2023.
What do you hope/expect from the ITMA 2023?
The exhibition comes at just the right time for our industry. We were very lucky that the last ITMA was in 2019 and now it will be back in 2023 after 4 years. I firmly believe that the pent-up demand for a physical meeting place is very high again. Therefore, I expect a successful exhibition, both in terms of visitor numbers, quality and origin. Companies are still bringing their innovations to ITMA. In this sense, there will be many new or improved solutions to the major challenges of our industry. For all these reasons, I am very much looking forward to the show and the many innovations, including a focus on automation, more sustainable solutions and further digitalization.
What are the biggest challenges for the textile industry right now?
We live in a time with probably more simultaneous challenges than ever before – not only for the textile industry. The Ukraine war, the (now easing) related energy shortages in Europe, supply chain challenges, to name a few. Then there are the high inflation rates and the resulting curbing of consumption, to name just the most important ones. All these challenges, including higher commodity prices, are having an impact on production. Irrespective of inflation, leading economic indicators do not give cause for optimism. Although unemployment rates in the developed world remain very low by historical standards, consumer sentiment is at an all-time low in the face of rapidly rising prices and major geopolitical risks. In all major economic regions, consumer sentiment is clearly on a downward trend. These indicators suggest that it will take some time for consumer and business sentiment to turn around.
The interview was conducted by the TextileTechnology Team with Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General, Cematex, Brussels/Belgium
