Civil & Environmental Engineering

The Switzerland based International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published its State of Trade Report for the 3rd Quarter of 2011. The organisation reports that global yarn and fabric production were up in Q3 and that estimates for Q4 are also positive.

Virtual prototyping for manufacturing industries specialist ESI Group has announced the release of PAM-RTM and PAM-FORM 2012, two numerical simulation applications dedicated to the manufacture of composite parts.

Rapid growth in demand in emerging markets is driving investment in nonwovens, according to new report by business information company Textiles Intelligence. The World Nonwovens Industry: Part 2 - 20 Medium Sized Producers was published in the first quarter of 2012 and is now available for purchase here on Innovation in Textiles.

ACIMIT, the organisation representing the Italian textile machinery manufacturers says that orders for Italian textile machinery sector are now back on the rise.

After the success of its 2010 Nonwovens Symposium in Baveno, which drew more than 200 delegates, EDANA has announced the programme for the first Eurasia Nonwovens Symposium, which will take place at the Sheraton Ataköy Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey from the 10-11 May 2012.

Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in the development of nonwoven technologies for the successful processing of alternative raw materials, including natural fibres, and for the recycling of waste materials.

The world market for technical textiles was estimated at US$127.2bn in 2010, with Asia accounting for US$59.9bn, or 47% of the total. China, which is now the world’s largest producer of technical textiles in volume terms, is estimated to have around 11% of the industry’s total global exports by value. Moreover, China’s apparent consumption is forecast to grow at around 10% a year to 2015, and the country will continue to be a significant importer, particularly for high-tech products.

India is witnessing a revolutionary phase in the horticultural and agricultural sectors with both small and large companies investing heavily in the latest technologies. In March, the Ministry of Agriculture-sponsored Inter-Horti Expo will become the focus for the industry with both domestic and international exhibitors vying for a piece of the action and displaying their latest products.

Karl Mayer is aiming to extend its contact in the Chinese technical textiles market when it takes part in a series of VDMA organised symposia across China in March.

A new book entitled ‘Handbook of Technical Textile Design’ has been launched by authors Michael and Matthew Litton; two well known Ayrshire, Scotland, based technical textiles designer/ developers. The book is available in e-format (PDF) and can be purchased directly from the authors by following the links at the foot of this article. The proceeds of the book go to charity.