By+Flora+Zhao

The 18th International Exhibition on Textile Industry （ShanghaiTex 2017） is to be staged in Shanghai New International Expo Center from November 27th to 30th， 2017， with new highlights such as new technologies and Ecommerce.

Knitting in lifestyle

Knitting technology is always evolving in accordance to our ever-changing lifestyle. Thus it penetrates our lives with diverse appearances， functions and applications. In view of our different lifestyles， ShanghaiTex 2017 will explore the cutting-edge knitting technology and application to stimulate innovation and inspiration among textile manufacturers.

The highlighted knitting technology at ShanghaiTex 2017 covers Knitting & Hosiery， Functional Fibers and Wearable Electronics， targeting manufacturers of sportswear， sport shoes， wearables developer， fashion and home textiles， etc.

High performance textiles

Emerging technology of functional fiber processing leveled up the properties of knitwear， such as elasticity， air permeability， softness， and antiwrinkle， etc. The combination of fashion and function has delivered excellent performance and aesthetics of apparel. For examples， the Coolmax fiber from US DuPont； Triactor fiber from Japanese Toyobo； and the Coolplus fiber from Taiwan ZTE， are all developed with special cross-section shape to foster capillary action for better moisture transfer and sweat removal.

Yet， a lot more value-added properties are to be considered in developing functional wear， such as waterproof and UV resistant， thermal balance， moisture wicking， radiation protection， high tensile strength， etc. Buyers can explore the latest technologies of different functions at ShanghaiTex 2017.

Smart textiles·Wearable technology

With the development of textile technology， apparel industry has made some breakthroughs in terms of comfort and warmth retaining. The revolutionary integration of electronics and textiles has enabled Smart Textiles to sense and react to changing environment， which has triggered a revolutionary change in the industry. Wearable technology refers to smart electronic devices（with microcontrollers） that can be worn on the body as implant or accessories. The designs often incorporate practical functions and features. Wearable equipment is not only about hardware， but also incorporate software support， data and cloud interaction to achieve its function， bringing huge changes to our lives and perceptions. Cute Circuit， a British wearable technology company， has developed the worlds first “smart skirt” which was made of grapheme. With a built-in sensor， it can respond to the wearers breathing rate to change colors.

ShanghaiTex 2017 will unveil the wisdom and challenges behind smart textile， bringing topics such as conductive fabrics and soft batteries under the spotlight.

Gateway to the relatively fastest growing market： Sports Textiles Technology Zone

The emphasis on versatility， convenience， fashion and comfort is generating a strong demand for sports and fitness textiles. This segment is expected to garner the fastest growth. Sports textile is a combination of electronic technology and sports apparel with the aim of meeting the needs derived from sport and playing its unique function. The majority of sports textiles are characterized by combining functional performance with electronic high-tech features to achieve more innovative products in line with humanistic demands.

The newly launched “Sports Textiles Technology Zone” at ShanghaiTex 2017 Hall W1 will highlight the technology and equipment used in sports textile. A series of conferences and activities in this field will also explore cutting-edge design and trends for sportswear， footwear， fashion， smart fabric developers and other industry professionals.

ShanghaiTex 2017 connects with the world of E-commerce

As there is an increasing number of consumers using their smart phones to shop in retail stores， the mobile share of global e-commerce transaction is expected to grow further. It is a prelude to the Customer to Manufactory （C2M） business model replacing the traditional supply chain. The endcustomer needs can be delivered to manufacturers by just a few swipes and clicks， through which the manufacturers not only saves the cost， but also obtains the immediate market information.

ShanghaiTex 2017 will demonstrate a brand new C2M Smart Factory Experience Zone in order to share the most cutting-edge marketing information and bring a revolutionary interactive experience to visitors. A series of concurrent seminars will also shed lights on forecasting C2M trend in the coming 5 years to bring more practical solutions to interested industrial players.

●The manufacturing experience from future

C2M is a new business model， with one end connected to customer and the other to the manufacturer. All those links in between like inventory， logistics， sales and distribution， etc.， could be omitted to save the unnecessary cost， so that customers can buy high-quality goods with rather lower price.

C2M model， derived from the concept of industrial 4.0， refers to the automation， intellectualization， networking， customization and energy saving of the modern industry. It aims to connect different production processes through internet and utilize computer system for immediate data exchange. Hence the production order will be placed in accordance with customers requirements， and the product is customized duly. C2M is thus also called the fourth technology revolution after steam engine， electrification， and automation.

C2M achieves seamless connection of customer and manufactory， and removes most of the costly intermediate processes. As a result， C2M allows the manufacturers to produce personalized products with keen price. The C2M model also subverts the traditional retail thinking that manufacturing is driven by customer demands through the e-commerce platform. This on-demand production successfully eliminates factory inventory costs， thus further decreases customer purchasing cost.

C2M Smart Factory Experience Zone

The C2M model is becoming an overwhelming trend. Yet， how do the manufacturers cast a breakthrough from the traditional business model and meet end-customers needs？ Moreover， how can they arm their production process and be well-prepared for the Industry 4.0 revolution？

Composed by a range of selected leading companies， the C2M Smart Factory Experience Zone at ShanghaiTex 2017 will showcase various advanced production technology. The Zone will gather the worlds latest 3D body scanning and virtual fitting technology， ERP/MES system， as well as e-commerce platform to simulate the operation of a smart factory. Visitors will definitely get inspired through hands-on experience of the equipment and technology that involved under C2M.

In recent years， 3D printing has been gradually applied to garment field. Brands like NIKE and New Balance have already made use of 3D printing technology to customize sport shoes for athlete. This year， ShanghaiTex will introduce the hot 3D printing technology. Visitors will be able to experience how 3D printing has eliminated the need for tailoring and sewing processes， and how it can accurately complete complex and multi-material designs.