The global demand and market for technical textiles and products is projected to increase from US$ 75 billion in 2006 to around US$ 130 billion 2010. The largest application areas by value are transport, industrial and sports related products and according to Technical Textile Intelligence, the fastest growing segments will be medical and hygiene products and geotextiles. Asia is expected to account for 45% of the market share in 2010 in terms of the weight and volume growth will average between 4% and 5% per annum to year 2010. According to Textiles Intelligence new report of World Market for Technical Textiles: Forecast to 2010, Chinese consumption of technical textiles will increase in future, and China imported almost 500,000 tons of technical textiles in 2004 and it given its propensity of self reliance, it will be matter of time before they start exporting the same to global markets. Similarly, India has also reported that total market of technical textiles and nonwovens amounting to US$ 444, whereas the growing segments are agro-textiles and automotive applications.

BCH (Business Co-ordination House) - an Indian research organization reported that with a population of over a billion people, of which above 300 million are middle class with high living standards and purchasing power, the potential for nonwovens products, such as feminine hygiene products, consumer wipes, diapers and other disposables, in India is huge. There is already a growth in nonwovens applications such as automotive, interlinings, agriculture and medical. Nonwoven geotextiles, especially, are expected to grow rapidly since over 10,000 kilometres of coastal roads are planned for the next five years. The Turkish textile industry is gearing towards technical textiles and nonwovens. The 2006 data revealed that export of technical textiles and nonwovens from Turkey is more than US $847 millions, as compared to US$ 405 million in 2000. The top countries where the technical textiles from Turkey are being exported include Germany, France, Spain, Italy and United Kingdom. The technical textiles and nonwovens segment is growing rapidly and the imports are more than doubled from 2000 to 2006. However, when compared with total exports of Turkish textiles and garments amounting to US$ 19.7 billion, this figure seems quite small, but the growth in this sector is very significant when compared to the conventional textile manufacturing industry of Turkey.

In 1970’s Turkey had started with technical textiles with very simple products such as textile waste recycling, hard/soft coarse felts and underlining for domestic industry, producing only raw material or intermediate products for different end-users in Europe. Nowadays, the technical textiles export of Turkey include tonnes of raw material, intermediate products as well as end products for various sectors mainly, construction, readymade garments, geotextiles, home textiles, cleaning / cosmetics / hygiene, automobile, packaging, food industries.

Turkey will host Hightex 2007 Technical textiles and Nonwovens trade fair and Safetech 2007 Protective Textiles & Technologies Fair during 30th November to 2nd December 2007 at Istanbul Expo Center. The 2005 edition of Hightex attracted 318 exhibitors out of which 162 came from foreign countries. Organized by Teknik Fuarcılık, 2nd HIGHTEX Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Exhibition will showcase the raw materials, intermediate and end products of future’s market technical textiles, their production techniques and machinery under one roof. SAFETECH 2007 is being organized by Teknik Ltd. simultaneously with HIGHTEX as a special section. SAFETECH 2007 initiative was taken due to an increase in industrialization and technological developments, and the fact that security and protection of the personnel and work place has became a crucial aspect in the fields and applications, where flammable gases, chemicals, explosives and other liquids are used in all fields such as military, fire brigades, municipalities, laboratories, hospitals and other industries. This is the right time for our entrepreneurs and industrialists in Pakistan to consider this highly profitable and diverse sector of technical textiles. Pakistan Textile Journal will participate at the upcoming Hightex Exhibition at Hall 9/D13 and shall be pleased to welcome interested visitors at the exhibition.