Techtextil North America (TTNA), North America’s premier trade show for technical textiles and nonwovens, announced that it is increasing the frequency of its trade show. The event, previously held only on even years in Atlanta, Ga., will now be held each year, alternating locations between Atlanta and a Western region site.

This year’s event will be held April 1-3 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. The 2009 Techtextil North America is scheduled to take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, April 21-23, 2009.

“The Western region features a significant concentration of manufacturers and customers in important growth markets,” said David Audrain, president of Messe Frankfurt, USA. “By offering Techtextil North America annually in two U.S. regions, this event will be accessible and beneficial to significantly more buyers, and make it even more valuable for our exhibiting companies.”

The Western Region
Responding to the growing demand for technical textiles and nonwovens across the U.S., Messe Frankfurt, the show’s organizer, conducted an in-depth analysis of the attendee opportunity across the Western region. The research, focused on general technical textiles, agricultural, transportation, industrial and medical sectors, identified nearly 90,000 companies in the Western region as potential participants.

The Western U.S. has proven itself to be a strong consumer of high-performance fibers and textiles with new innovations and technologies emerging over the past several years.

Offering the largest concentrations of potential attendees in focus sectors, forty-one percent (41%) were found to be in California, twenty-one percent (21%) in Texas, eight percent (8%) in Washington and seven percent (7%) in Colorado. The Las Vegas location for Techtextil North America 2009 was strategically chosen as most accessible to each of these key Western states.

Opportunity Analysis
The analysis found good opportunities for the expansion based on the companies identifying themselves in the focus sectors of agriculture, transportation, industrial and medical, and based in the Western region. Aside from the general textiles classifications which accounted for seventy percent (70%) of the opportunity pool, agriculture and transportation have been identified as increasingly promising.
 
 
 
The agriculture sector represented eighteen percent (18%) of the total companies, while the transportation sector (including aerospace) accounted for seven percent (7%). The industrial sector opportunities represented three percent (3%), while the medical sector accounted for two percent (2%).

Agriculture Sector
As detailed in a report by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Textile Management, the agricultural sector accounted for eight percent (8%) of total consumption of technical textiles in 2000 in volume terms, but only six percent (6%) in dollar value. Consumption is projected to nearly double in this decade (2000-2010) from almost 1.4 million tons to just under 2.0 million tons.

Agrotextiles are viewed as being one of the fastest growing and most important markets in the future. The growth in agrotextiles relates to an increase in population worldwide, including the demand for more and better quality foods in soil that is often compromised. As a result, varieties of agrotextile products have been developed for specific purposes such as energy efficiency, type of crop, land, forest or animal needs and geographic location.

Transportation Sector
According to research by David Rigby Associates, the transportation sector of the technical textile category represented the single-most valuable world market for technical textiles at $25.6 billion in 2000. It is one of the largest users of "engineered" nonwovens. Although only modest volume growth and even slower value growth are forecast in the longer term, Mobiltech will remain the most valuable application area and is predicted to reach $29.3 billion by 2010.

In a Fall 2004 International Nonwovens Journal article, William C. Smith noted that the average car uses over 33 square meters of textile fabric of all types for interiors alone – nonwovens represent just over ten percent (10%) of that with about 3.64 square meters per vehicle. Add the "working" fabrics under the hood – filtration, sound absorption and the like – and the usage is much greater.

“We are continually looking for ways to enhance the experience and engage new participants in Techtextil North America,” said Stephanie Everett, the show’s manager. “TTNA 2009 promises to deliver a new mix of global decision makers and suppliers, more innovation and increased opportunities for all participants, and demonstrates Messe Frankfurt’s continuing commitment to the growing technical textiles industry.”