Techtextil and Texprocess 2024 ended with 1,700 exhibitors from 53 countries, 38,000 visitors from 102 countries and a 29 percent increase in visitor numbers. The top visitor nations were Germany, Italy, France, Turkey and the Netherlands. The top exhibitor nations were Germany, Italy, China, France and Turkey. Countries such as Egypt, China, Indonesia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Moldova and Thailand contributed to the expansion of exhibitors, among others.
In times of emerging AI technologies, increasing legislative requirements and high energy costs, both trade fairs offered the markets the most important international marketplace for product innovations along the textile value chain at the right time: “With an overwhelming atmosphere and growth in size, exhibitors and visitors, Techtextil and Texprocess made it clear: textile innovation for a wide range of industries can only be found in this global width and strength here in Frankfurt. The textile industry, through both leading trade fairs, becomes the driving force and enabler for cross-industry transformations and a globally future-proof economy,” said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board, Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
Cross-networking opportunities
75 percent of visitors – including producers, engineers from various industries, architects, processors, industrial designers, clothing and construction material manufacturers, R&D decision-makers, medical developers, product developers and other top executives – thoroughly leveraged the cross-networking opportunities, spanning from the preliminary stages of Techtextil to the wide array of processing and clothing technologies offered at Texprocess. The trade fair duo thereby set the stage for numerous international collaborations and business initiations, fostering innovation across sectors and making them market-ready.
Exhibitors and visitors made intensive use of the trade fairs as efficient sales channels, made new international contacts and gained a concentrated overview of the global spectrum of high-tech textiles that can be used across industries, as well as the latest machines and technologies for textile processing. Visitor satisfaction at both events was at a very high level: 95 percent of visitors were satisfied overall with their trade fair visit, achieved their trade fair objectives and were impressed by the range of exhibitors.
20 years of Techtextil: biggest edition sets new standards
Studies confirm the enormous future prospects of technical textiles: Fortune Business Insights estimates the global market at 225.99 billion dollars in 2023 and forecasts an increase to 346.67 billion dollars by 2030. Similar forecasts by Allied Market Research expect an increase to 331.8 billion dollars by 2032. Within the EU textile industry, technical textiles are the most dynamic drivers of demand in sectors such as medicine, agriculture, construction, outdoor clothing and automotive.
Techtextil is the only platform in the world to showcase the entire range of high-tech textiles across 12 application areas. In addition to examples such as medical textiles with a virus barrier, fibre structures for sound insulation in the construction industry or technical nonwovens for the automotive industry, these also included innovative world firsts in 2024: from the latest weaving technology with an open shed from the start-up Casmue, a new type of coating for self-cooling textiles from the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf to recyclable insulating textiles made of bio-based aerogel fibres from the start-up SA-Dynamics. Techtextil also placed a clear focus on sustainable action and production. More than 15 percent of the exhibitors presented natural fibres and materials.
“Techtextil is the most important industry event of the year for us and went really well for us in 2024. Once again, we were able to showcase our technology expertise to visitors. The special aspect about this global industry meeting place is that it not only brings us potential new customers, but we also meet our partner companies and suppliers here. The connection with Texprocess creates fantastic synergies. Techtextil 2024 has made it clear that the industry is on the move and sustainability is the overarching theme. We were surprised and pleased that we were visited by a particularly large number of young visitors – students as well as young innovators – with very specific requests for cooperation, also with regard to our sustainable solutions,” says Holger Michael Steingräber, Senior Vice President Global Marketing & Communications, Freudenberg Performance Materials.
Texprocess strengthens its pioneering role in digitalisation and automation
At Texprocess, a vast array of cutting-edge machines, processes, and services for textile and apparel processing were exhibited, spanning from innovative AI technologies to design systems and visualisation tools, along with highly efficient cutting and state-of-the-art sewing machines. Texprocess presented pivotal solutions harnessing the latest technologies.
“For the Texprocess exhibitors, this trade fair was more important than ever before. The entire textile processing industry is facing enormous challenges worldwide, such as changing trade conditions or labour shortages. Many new technological solutions to these challenges were on show at Texprocess. There are great new developments, especially in the areas of digitalisation, automation and AI. Texprocess has thus focused on the future and highlighted many new opportunities,” says Elgar Straub, Managing Director, VDMA Textile Care, Fabrics and Leather Technologies.
Trade fair duo shines with research, knowledge transfer and high-quality content
A powerful mix of topics drove the intensive exchange between research and industry and provided visitors with important impulses on the newest textile solutions, intelligent materials and the latest research results in the sectors. Numerous exhibitors, start-ups and renowned research institutes demonstrated at both trade fairs that AI, digitalisation and automation are significantly advancing the industry. Whether textile recycling, fault detection in production and processing, networked production steps or smart clothing that monitors the wearer’s physical functions – the new opportunities offered by AI and digitalisation are multifaceted. These technologies are paving the way for the future of the industry.
In times of upcoming legislative requirements as part of the EU strategy for sustainable textiles, Techtextil and Texprocess focussed on recyclable solutions and the latest research results on resource efficiency and recyclability. This was also reflected in the increased number of exhibitors in the Econogy Finder: more than twice as many exhibitors were checked against the criteria of recognised labels and certificates as well as the Sustainable Development Goals and were included in the Finder. In addition, the Econogy Talks provided a platform for dialogue on resource-saving solutions, while the Econogy Tours led by an independent expert provided first-hand insights on sustainable products.
The next edition of Techtextil and Texprocess will be held from 21 to 24 April 2026.