Texcare International 2008, World Market for Modern Textile Care in Frankfurt am Main from 31 May to 4 June 2008, is the biggest international meeting place for the laundry and dry-cleaning sector. Over 200 companies, including all international market leaders, have already registered. Texcare Forum is the heart of the complementary programme of Texcare International and will be held in Room 'Symmetrie' in Hall 8.1 from 31 May to 3 June 2008. The Forum is being organised under the auspices of Cinet, the International Committee of Textile Care. Other cooperation partners of Messe Frankfurt in this connection are the Garment and Leather Technology Association of the Association of German Machine and Plant Manufacturers (Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau – VDMA), the German Textile Dry Cleaning Association (Deutscher Textilreinigungsverband - DTV), intex, the Textile Service Industrial Association (Industrieverband Textil Service e.V.), Wfk Research Institute for Dry Cleaning Technology and the Hohenstein Institutes. Peter Wennekes, General Manager of Cinet, on his association, the subjects to be covered and the speakers at Texcare Forum.

"Mr Wennekes, what duties does Cinet have on an international plane?"
Peter Wennekes: "Cinet is the umbrella association of the national textile-care associations. We see our job as creating a worldwide network of contacts to bring together expert knowledge from all countries over the world. For example, Cinet has a first-class database covering the international laundry and drycleaning sector, offers seminars and conferences and, of course, lobbies in the interests of its members."

"Mr Wennekes, after organising the conference at Texcare Asia, Cinet accepted overall responsibility for Texcare Forum in Frankfurt. What advantages do you see in organising a con¬ference parallel to an international trade fair such as Texcare International?"
Peter Wennekes: "This is the first time we have accepted responsibility for organising Texcare Forum and, of course, we are working closely on the programme with the other partner organisations of Texcare Forum, namely, the Garment and Leather Technology Association of VDMA, the German Textile Dry Cleaning Association (DTV), intex, Textile Service Industrial Association, the Wfk Research Institute for Dry Cleaning Technology and the Hohenstein Institutes. International specialists who bring a huge potential in terms of company and personal expertise to Texcare International in Frankfurt. This represents a unique opportunity for a worldwide exchange of specialist knowledge and Texcare Forum contributes to this. In my opinion, a great advantage of holding a conference parallel to a leading trade fair such as Texcare International is that participants not only have the chance to exchange theoretical information but can also see the latest technology, machines and equipment in operation at the fair."

"The conference is entitled "Challenges in a Global Textile Care and Service Market". What do you consider to be the major challenges facing the textile-care sector in the future?"
Peter Wennekes: "The primary aim is to better understand the needs of our customers and to act accordingly along the entire supply chain. We must make our sector fit to face the future, and an enhanced service level will play an important role in this. Another objective is to optimise the image of our industry, to give it a sustainable profile and to emphasise the significance of technological innovations in all fields."

"Globalisation is a keyword at Texcare Forum, which naturally includes big laundries and textile-service companies. In what respect does this also affect small to medium-sized dry-cleaning companies?"
Peter Wennekes: "Small to medium-sized companies also profit from globalisation. The formula is simple: if you have a problem, you can learn from someone else in the world. If we combine the knowledge available worldwide, we have a huge pool of expert knowledge. And the international exchange of information helps individuals to increase the efficiency of their companies. This is a rewarding approach in the interest of all professional textile care companies, small and bigger companies alike."

"What differences exist in terms of textile care in various countries and what impact will globalisation have over the coming years?"
Peter Wennekes: "The main differences are, on the one hand, the degree to which new technologies are employed and, on the other hand, service quality. In this connection, much will change in the coming years. Many growth markets, such as China, East Europe and South America, are catching up rapidly. Naturally, leading manufacturing nations, such as Germany, profit from exports to these countries."

"What are the target groups of Texcare Forum and from which countries do you expect participants in the Texcare Forum to come?"
Peter Wennekes: "Texcare Forum is primarily aimed at managers from textile rental and services companies, as well as managers from smaller textile care companies, decision makers from the equipment and service fields, technical experts and consultants. We expect the visitors to come from all over the world."

"Can you tell us about the concept of Texcare Forum?"
Peter Wennekes: "To take the needs of the different target groups – dry-cleaning and textile-service companies – into account we have split Texcare Forum into two blocks. On Saturday, 31 May, and Sunday, 1 June, the Forum is aimed at small to medium-sized dry-cleaning companies, many of which are family-run enterprises. On the Saturday, the emphasis is on marketing questions for SME textile care companies, while the Sunday will focus on new technologies, environmental issues and new textile materials. Monday, 2 June, and Tuesday, 3 June, will be devoted to textile rental and service companies and laundries. The Monday afternoon will focus on subjects such as new sustainable processing technologies, quality issues and new textile materials relating to laundries. The Tuesday is dealing with market and marketing issues, also from the perspective of endusers of service from the hospitality, health care, corporate image and industrial sectors. Participation in Texcare Forum is free of charge for exhibitors and visitors of Texcare International."

"Where do the Texcare Forum speakers come from?"
Peter Wennekes: "We have been able to attract top speakers from science, business and institutes, who will speak on technological and marketing topics. They include, for example, experts from the Hohenstein Institutes, the Wfk Research Institute for Dry Cleaning Technology, the Garment and Leather Technology Associa¬tion of the VDMA, the TKT Institute (Technology Knowledge Centre Textile Care) and the European Research Association for Innovative Textile Care (EFIT). Additionally, lectures will be given by specialists from the industry, e.g., from Kannegiesser, Jensen and Veit. On service and marketing subjects, the lecturers will include experts from associations, professional textile care companies and renowned consultancy firms. The programme will be rounded off by talks given by customers on, for instance, the requirements of hotels or hospitals."

Brief curriculum vitae of Peter Wennekes:
Peter Wennekes has been Secretary General and Treasurer of Cinet for three years. Parallel to this, he also works for more than ten years for the Federation Textile Rental and Services Netherlands (FTN), the Dutch Dry Cleaning Association (Netex) and TKT. Previously, Peter Wennekes worked in the textile industry for eight years.
(Photograph on request from: sabine.horst@messefrankfurt.com)