The first Yarn Expo - China International Trade Fair for Fibres and Yarns 31 March - 2 April 2004, National Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China

The Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council of India

New trends indicate an interest towards environmentally friendly yarns

Exhibitors are impressed by the quality and professionalism of the visitors at first show

Final Report

The debut Yarn Expo closed on 2 April 2004 after a successful three-day run at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre in Beijing with a final count of 7,525 trade buyers from 31 countries and regions. 128 fibre and yarn producers presented a broad selection of the latest fibres and yarns for apparel textiles, home textiles, upholstery and interiors. Among the exhibitors were companies from overseas countries including a large group from India with their own national pavilion organised by the Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council of India (Texprocil).

Even though India is already the number one exporter of cotton to China, most of the Indian companies said they recognised the huge market potential, and were at the show to make new buyer contacts. "Yarn Expo was a good show by all means,?commented by Mr. Ravindra N Nathan, Chief Representative, the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council of India Shanghai Representative Office. ¡°The visitors used this show as a platform to experience the Chinese market for themselves. Messe Frankfurt is a good organiser and has done a lot of pre-show promotion, which attracted many people. India specialises in cotton combed yarns and China has high demand for this kind of yarn, as the local production cannot meet the demand at the moment. Indian exhibitors received many bulk buying enquiries during the three days of the fair, but are very selective in choosing business partners. To them, China is still a very new market.?

The success of the show was not only marked by the high numbers of visitors but also by the presentation of innovative exhibits. Emphasising trends towards environmental friendly yarns, many exhibitors presented new products including some using egg white, bamboo and natural minerals.

Among the exhibitors showing newly invented fibres were Aron Textiles Co. Ltd from Korea, who were delighted with the results of their participation. ¡°The fair is very good, and many visitors have come to our booth. This is the first time we have participated in a trade fair in China. The feedback is good? said Mr. Joung Oung Kim, Planning Department Manager. ?Many visitors requested samples and we expect to get more business after the show. We brought our Pi-Ray ä Natural Mineral Fiber to the fair. It is made from natural minerals, which are not only durable and comfortable but is also anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, deodorising and can activate the blood circulation. This is a good opportunity for us to educate the visitors in China about our technology and our products.¡±

¡°We have been developing bamboo fibres for about two years now ?said Mr. Huang You Jia, Deputy Sales Manager, of Jiangsu Nantong No. 2 Textile Co Ltd. ¡°We see a great future in this product. The fibre is anti-bacterial, has UV protection and is very smooth to the touch. It is very breathable and therefore perfect for summer clothing.¡±

The organisers of the fair were also pleased with the results of the debut show. ¡°This is a very promising start,?said Katy Lam, Director of Trade Fairs for Messe Frankfurt in Hong Kong. ¡°We are glad to see that many domestic and overseas exhibitors are using our platform to promote their new products. For a first-time yarns and fibres show I think we can call that a success! The overseas exhibitors have shown a lot of confidence in the Yarn Expo concept. We expect the show to continue to grow in the coming years¡±

Other groups exhibiting at the show included ¡®Woolmark' consisting of wool producers from China, two cotton pavilions from Shandong and Zhejiang, and a pavilion for the China Bast & Leaf Fibres Textile Association.

For many of the Mainland Chinese exhibitors, the objective was to reach new domestic buyers. ¡°We sell stretch yarns, and our markets are mainly in Zhejiang and Guangzhou,?said Mr. Pan Xin of Tin Hong Industrial. ¡°We joined this fair as we want to open up northern China for our products; this is a very good place to educate new customers about what we can offer¡±

The show was held at the same time as the inaugural 'Beijing Textile Arena' (along with Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics, the Knitting Fair and CHIC ?China International Clothing & Accessories Fair). The Beijing Textile Arena was conceived to give buyers a one-stop sourcing platform for apparel and textile-related products in Beijing and surrounding regions

Yarn Expo is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry - CCPIT, The China Cotton Textile Association, China Wool Textile Association, China Chemical Fiber Association, China Bast & Leaf Fibers Textiles Association and the China Textile Information Centre and supported by the Texprocil of India.

For information on the next Yarn Expo, scheduled for Spring 2005, please email textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com , fax (852) 2598 8771 or visit the website: www.messefrankfurt.com.hk/yarnexpo.asp

Media contacts:
Ms Jennifer Lam / Ms Angel Ho
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
Tel (852) 2238 9956 / 9924
Fax (852) 2519 8632
jennifer.lam@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
angel.ho@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
Exhibitor and visitor comments

¡°Our markets are mainly in Japan and Korea but we also sell to USA, Europe and the Middle East. Our booth had many visitors and they were all very professional. We were surprised to see that buyers come from all over the world to visit the fair. We are very happy with the result.¡±
Mr. Huang You Jia, Deputy Sales Manager, Jiangsu Nantong No. 2 Textile (Group) Co Ltd, China

¡°We received around 80 serious enquiries in the first two days alone. The visitors we are seeing are not only from China but also from Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan and the Ukraine, and most seem to be the decision-makers in their company¡±
Mr. Jignesh Mehta of Pacific Harish Industries of India

¡°Nobody can deny that the Chinese market has great potential and that is why we are here now. We've made many interesting contacts; not only from China but also from southeast Asia. I think that at least 20% of the new contacts we have made could lead to real business. We also found four companies that are interested in becoming our agent in China.¡±
Mr. Pietro Terragni of Italian company Nex TV Trading Srl

¡°Both the traffic and the quality of the visitors are very good. We have made many useful contacts in the industry. We usually exhibit in Shanghai and this is the first time we moved to Beijing. The feedback from the visitors meets our expectations and we think this is good for our development in China¡±
Mr. Fred Hardin, Globecot, Inc., USA

¡°This event has been very fruitful for us and we will come again next time . We realise that China is a big potential market for us, and we received many strong sales leads here. We have also made a few good contacts with possible agents¡±
Mr. Rangarao, Executive Director for India's Sree Akkamamba Textiles

¡°This has been really worthwhile. I am looking for yarns for sweaters and circular fabrics. The fair is very good and the exhibits are well presented. We make sourcing trips to China every year but we usually go to Shanghai. This is our first time in Beijing, and have met new suppliers here that we have not met before at events in other parts of China.¡±
Mr. Colin Walshaw, Manager of Women's Yarn & Sweater Technology for US-based ¡®Express'