"Yarn Expo continued its growth story as the industry’s most comprehensive and effective business platform with its Spring edition which concluded recently. It saw a large increase in buyers, as well as another year of growth in exhibitor numbers. Strong demand was evident in synthetic, fancy and specialty yarns as well as chemical fibres, while exhibitors in the more traditional cotton product group also fared well. In total, 435 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions took part, attracting 25,966 trade buyers from 88 countries & regions."

Once again, Yarn Expo proved itself as the ideal trade fair for the industry to benefit from changing demands and product trends, especially in the Chinese and wider Asian markets,” Wendy Wen, Senior GM, Messe Frankfurt (HK) explained. “The fair has evolved in recent editions to have a much bigger focus on synthetic, fancy & specialty yarns and chemical fibres, and based on the exhibitor feedback during the fair, there was an increase in buyers sourcing these products this year. What’s more, local buyers were showing strong interest in the offerings from Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, while Vietnamese cotton exhibitors reported increased orders from China due to the favourable trade policies between these countries.”

As one of the industry’s leading players, Birla Jingwei Fibres plays a big role at Yarn Expo, with their Birla Planet pavilion proving to be highly successful. Sachin Malik, Sr-VP explained, “Yarn Expo is an important platform for Birla, to be visible to our value chain, to connect with our customers, and our own clients’ customers. We value Yarn Expo as a long-term partner for showcasing our products and connecting with the value chain. Each edition we connect with more and more buyers, and more customers in the industry recognise the importance of this fair. It has developed into a premium event in the global textile industry calendar. Usually this edition is quieter than the autumn fair, but the results this year saw the spring edition reach the same level. Our booth was always packed with buyers, and we also received more high-quality and international buyers. Our pavilion members are also very satisfied with the buyers and their results this time.”

Exhibitors upbeat about show

Satisfied with their participation, most exhibitors were happy with the show’s turnout. Anupam Agrawal, Director – spun yarn business, PT. Indo-Rama Synthetics Tbk said, “Yarn Expo is an ideal platform to meet not only Chinese but also global buyers. The fair attracts so many good-quality buyers, and compared to other fairs attracts more of our target buyers. The results in this edition have been good. After four years of doing business in China, we have found many Chinese customers who are willing to pay for quality. The demand in the China market for high-quality products is growing, in particular because of the shortage of spinning capacity which is made up for by imports. We have seen more serious and meaningful buyers that have strong desire for further cooperation this time, and I think the potential of this market will continue to grow.”

Joo Son, International Sales Team, HJLite, Korea observed, “Our booth was so crowded throughout the fair. We had more than 300 buyers visit us, and I guess approximately 30 per cent of them will turn into business after the fair. Our target buyers are fabric and garment manufacturers, and we found a lot of good quality ones here. A wide range of worldwide buyers from different market sectors sourced at our booth, especially big-brand sportswear manufacturers and sourcing offices. We have had visitors from China, Europe and many other countries. We are very satisfied with our first Yarn Expo experience, and we expect a very good outcome after the show.” N Sarawgi, Representative of Madhusudan Rayons, added, “Yarn Expo is really helpful in that it has a diverse buyer profile and attracts buyers from around the world. We managed to talk to customers from Pakistan, India and Colombia, as well as potential Chinese buyers who are very interested in our products. The buyers have been genuine with specific sourcing needs, and some of them have already placed orders.”

Buyers a satisfied lot Visitors too were happy with the products & services basket showcased. Wang Gaofeng, DGM, Jiaxing Jinqie Fashion, China, stated, “We can find all ranges of cotton yarn, fancy yarn and chemical fibres at Yarn Expo. Most of the famous brands are here, and they bring the latest technologies and products, including debut products. Yarn Expo always catches the latest trends in the industry and presents them at the fair. This year the quantity and quality of fancy yarn exhibitors has increased, so I’ve found some products to source already.” Linggar Jati Halim, director, PT. Kartika Sinar Mulia, Indonesia, averred, “We mainly came to source fancy yarn this time, and we found many new options. This international show greatly expands our sourcing options. Many of our existing suppliers, including from Indonesia, exhibit at this fair so that’s why we source here. We are satisfied with the exhibitor quality and intend to place orders afterwards. There have been a number of new technologies presented here that left a deep impression on us.”