Some 250 companies and brands from 17 countries will exhibit at the 17th Central Asian International Textile Machinery Exhibition, CAITME 2026, running September 8-10 at the Uzexpocentre NEC in Tashkent, Dunyo IA reported on August 5.

The show will occupy all exhibition areas at the venue and open the annual Global Textile Days week. According to an independent audit cited by the organisers, CAITME is the largest specialist exhibition of its kind in the CIS.

For sourcing teams tracking capacity build-out in Uzbekistan and the wider region, the exhibitor list signals where machinery investment is heading. Germany will field a National Pavilion. Confirmed participants also come from Austria, India, Italy, China, Türkiye, the USA and Switzerland.

Which machinery suppliers are confirmed?

The floor will host recognised European and Asian machinery leaders, including:

• Spinning: Rieter, Lakshmi Machine Works, Truetzschler, Saurer, Toyota
• Weaving and knitting: Picanol, Itema, Karl Mayer, Staubli, Santoni, Terrot, Shima Seiki, Lonati
• Dyeing and finishing: Thies, Brazzoli, Mahlo, Brückner, Andritz Küsters, Sclavos, Dettin
• Garment equipment and components: Groz-Beckert, Habasit, IRO, Novibra, Uster, Kaeser Kompressoren
• Asian suppliers: CTMTC, Hengyi, Leadsfon, Rifa, Yingyang, Baoyu
• Chemicals and dyes: Dyestar, NF Kimya, Eksoy, Deniz Kimya

Registration of participants is still in progress, so the list may grow.

How is the show organised?

CAITME 2026 will run in dedicated thematic sections covering:

• Cotton ginning and spinning technologies
• Textile dyeing and finishing equipment
• Weaving and knitting machinery and accessories
• Garment manufacturing equipment
• Textile chemicals and dyes

Organisers position the exhibition as a working tool for regional manufacturers seeking to raise productivity, adopt advanced technologies and strengthen competitiveness in international markets — a machinery-upgrade story rather than a marketing event.

What is the Sourcing Hub project?

The headline innovation sits inside the programme rather than on the stands. On September 9, CAITME hosts the TextileExpo Uzbekistan Sourcing Hub Project — the first time, according to the organisers, that Uzbek textile manufacturers and buyers from retail chains, factories and specialist companies will hold direct business-to-business negotiations in a digital format using artificial intelligence.

Confirmed Uzbek participants in the negotiations include:

• UzTex Group
• Artatex
• Balabi Textile
• Bakan Tex
• Tashkent Cotton Textile

The format targets a practical bottleneck in regional sourcing: connecting international buyers directly to Uzbek fabric and garment capacity without intermediated, multi-leg travel.

Why it matters for sourcing desks

Uzbekistan has been building a vertically integrated textile base from its raw cotton position upward, and machinery exhibitions of this scale are a leading indicator of where spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing capacity will come online next. The exhibitor mix — European premium machinery alongside Chinese, Turkish and Indian suppliers — reflects buyers at every investment tier.

The sourcing decision the news forces is straightforward. Buyers assessing Central Asian supply options, and suppliers targeting the Uzbek upgrade cycle, should register before the September dates and decide whether to book participation in the September 9 AI-mediated Sourcing Hub negotiations. Registration is open at caitme.uz.