CAITME is a large, respected and eagerly-awaited industry event, both in Uzbekistan and abroad, and companies from around the world looking to present their products in Central Asia take part in it. This year, 250 companies will exhibit from 22 countries, among them Austria, Belarus, Israel, India, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Poland, Russia, Romania, the United States, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Japan.

About 80% of all exhibitors are from outside Uzbekistan. Turkey leads the way with 42 exhibitors, followed by Italy with 30, Germany 22 and China with 20.

Uzbekistan is providing 50 exhibitors, many of which are offices of international companies. Their participation owes much to constantly growing interest from international producers and their desire for representation in Uzbekistan, as well as healthy competition between the market’s leading players.

Visitors will represent all sectors of the textile, sewing and knitting industry, as well as initiators of new regional projects in Uzbekistan and a large number of professionals from abroad. At the exhibition this year, they will be able to see a huge range of textiles equipment in action – one of the standout features of the exhibition.

Textile engineering accounts for 90% of the exhibition. Global leaders from this sectors that are exhibiting include Rieter Machine Works, Textima Export&Import, Truetzschler, Saurer Schlafhorst, Motex Di Modiano Guido, Itema Weaving, Marzoli, Picanol, Terrot, Benteks, Astas Juki, Ertash, Elips Tekstil and China Texmatech.

Several national pavilions will also feature at the exhibition. The German pavilion, financed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology of Germany (BMWi) together with the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) and the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, will include eight companies in the dyeing, finishing, weaving, weaving preparation, laboratory and testing/analytical equipment sectors.

Symatex, the Belgian Textile Machinery Exhibition, will bring six debutants and three regular participants from Belgium to exhibit at the country’s national pavilion: Bekaert Carding Solutions, BMSVision, Bonas, Cobble, Meersschaert, Evilo-Matthys Group, Picanol, Titan-Baratto and Van De Wiele. Belgian business representatives will present technologies for the Uzbek textiles industry in a series of one-day seminars and mini-fairs. Presentation topics include: the latest developments in carding technology, smooth and lint weaving technologies, tufting production, jacquard weaving technology, finishing equipment, parts and accessories for looms, monitoring and inspection systems for textile production, and textile industry automation.

The Korea Textile Machinery Research Institute is also making its debut at CAITME, with five companies showcasing hosiery equipment, equipment and technology for nonwoven fibre production, technical fibres from recycled materials, and much more.

CAITME 2013’s 90 newcomers include Canlar Makina, Comsat, Dhall Exports, Lakshmi Machine Works, Perfect Equipments, Eder, Textile Service Centre, A-Teks, and many others.

CAITME undergoes a UFI-approved exhibition audit every two years, the most recent of which confirmed that the exhibition is the largest in its sector in the CIS.

Textile Expo Uzbekistan 2013 will also feature several new exhibitors, including the Uzbekistani producers Cenas Textile, Cotton Fashion, Orange Textile and others. Since its launch, Textile Expo Uzbekistan has boosted business cooperation between textile industry professionals, attracted the industry’s leading producers and consumers, and expanded the concept of the textile industry in general.

Leaders of the domestic textile industry will again present their high-quality export-oriented products, including BF Textile Produktion, Osborn Textile, Uztex Chirchik, Uztex Tashkent, Alkim Tekstil, and Indorama Kokand Textile. In terms of international exhibitors, YKK from Japan and Turkey will showcase sewing accessories and SvetlogorskKhimvolokno from Belarus will present chemical and synthetic fibres.

For the third year running a Buyer Programme will operate at Textile Expo Uzbekistan for a range of companies from across Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The industry’s growth is proof of the importance of these two events. Output from textile industry facilities in Uzbekistan from January to July 2013 was 4,199.8 billion soums (US$2.35 billion), a 15.9% increase on the same period last year. Since Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, foreign investors have put US$1.8 billion into advanced processing of Uzbek cotton and in creating new and modernising existing facilities in Uzbekistan, attracted by high-quality cotton fibre, qualified workers, a developed communications network and a textiles market with room for new players.

As well as outside investment, US$13.4 million is being spent from 2012 to 2014 on acquiring over 700 pieces of equipment for clothing, yarn and linen production, and the national company Uzbekengilsanoat is spending US$625 million on 23 projects.