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By Just Style
This interview with SPESA President Michael McDonald was published in Just Style April 29, 2022. In the interview Michael discusses the importance of the upcoming Texprocess Americas trade show, and his predictions for the future of the sewn products industry. Click the interview link above to watch the full video interview.
Ahead of Texprocess Americas, which is taking place on 17-19 May in Atlanta, US, Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas president Michael McDonald shares his insights on what's next for the sewn products industry and the wider apparel sector.
This year’s Texprocess Americas trade show is an in-person event taking place on 17 to 19 May 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia and aims to bring the sewn products industry together again post-Covid.
In an exclusive interview with Just Style, SPESA’s president, Michael McDonald who co-produces the event with event company Messe Frankfurt shares what’s in-store at the show and why it’s an incredible time to be part of the apparel industry with the amount of innovation on the horizon.
What’s Next for the Sewn Products and Apparel Industry?
McDonald explains that when you start talking about automation, digital twins and hyper factories – you realise there’s a “lot of exciting stuff going on right now”.
He says it’s a fun time to be part of the industry as a whole but especially when you’re part of the engineering and software behind what runs the industry, which is the focus of the SPESA organisation and the Texprocess Americas event.
McDonald points out that supply chain transparency was a key theme even prior to the Covid pandemic but he suggests it now offers a real opportunity thanks to the rise of regionalisation. He says it is now possible for companies to understand their complete supply chain and this means companies can improve their sustainability credentials which will only continue to be a growing consumer demand.
He adds there is a new type of workforce that will also take the sector to the next level. He explains there are high-tech and innovative roles within apparel that are highly paid and really exciting. He believes it’s essential the sector breaks down the stigma the industry has cultivated over the past 25 years and these new roles will help to do that.
He says: “This will help to drive the next genesis of the industry when it comes to automation and creating that community feeling that we’ve had in the past.”
What Can We Expect from Texprocess Americas this Year?
McDonald tells Just Style the upcoming Texprocess Americas event is going to be big. He says: “We’re coming back strong with exhibitors who haven’t been able to display their equipment for three years. There has also been a lot of advancements in manufacturing, technology and software so the industry is ready to show all of that off. Plus, it’s going to be a great opportunity for everyone within the industry to come back together again.”
He adds the event will be full of technology, exhibitors and interesting topics to discuss both at the formal event and at the networking drinks receptions.
Understanding SPESA’s Role Within the Apparel Industry?
SPESA represents the suppliers of the sewn products industry, which ranges from sewing machine equipment through to software and McDonald believes it’s the part of the apparel and textiles sector that is driving innovation and will take the wider sector to what he describes as the “next genesis.”