A New Future of Textiles with the European Technology Platform
April 14, 2005
BRUSSELS, Belgium — At the close of 2004, the European textile and clothing industry, represented by the European Apparel and Textile Organization, Euratex, launched the "European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing." Eurotex aims at setting up a permanent network of experts to develop scenarios and a strategic development agenda, based on research, technology and innovation, to boost the long-term competitiveness of this sector.
"With the launch of the Technology Platform, we can make a big new step in boosting the competitiveness of the European Textiles and Clothing Industry," said EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik.''
The group prepared a 2020 Vision Document, an initiative aimed at bringing together all interested stakeholders: the textile and clothing industry itself, related industries and service providers, the research and education community and public authorities at all levels in a joint effort to map out long-term visions and a strategic research agenda. The document outlined how the stakeholders can support the transformation of the industry into a knowledge-based, innovation-driven sector.
The first of the three visions outlined in the Platform is that the industry has to go from commodities to specialty products.
Due to advances in technology, the traditional processes of manufacturing textiles need to gain in speed, resource efficiency, flexibility, reliability and quality control to achieve an economically viable level, the document said.
Recently new, promising technologies to manufacture fiber and textile surfaces have been developed—coatings, micro encapsulations, enzyme, plasma, laser, ultrasound, ultraviolet treatments, spraying and ink jet techniques, processes on the nanometre scale, digitalization and low or remote maintenance and continuous process and quality control. All these advances should enable textile companies to produce highly specialized multi-functional fiber, but they need to make a big step from the lab to the full industrial scale.
The second vision deals with new textile applications.
"Technical textiles" include almost half of total textile production in Germany, Belgium and Nordic countries, and constitute a significant number in Italy, Spain and Portugal. These non-conventional applications of textiles represent a growing opportunity for high value products in Europe.
The third vision is that "we have to proceed from mass production to customization," said the document. Today, the consumers` demands require individual attention and expression, so both clothes and interiors should be inspiring and personally identified, it said.
In order to make its document functional, the European Technology Platform set up a Governing Council made up of industrial representatives of EU countries and businesses as well as key stakeholders. Secondly, it set up permanent "thematic expert groups" of cross-sectoral industry, services, academia, and authorities under the three visions pillars. Each group will work on its focused vision and strategic research.
A small number of supporting task groups from fields of education, training, standardization, regulatory and financial issues will be created on horizontal topics of research and innovation. A specific horizontal structure will deal with Innovation Management, and another with funding. The European Technology Platform`s mission is to revive the traditional innovation partnership between textile companies and machine manufacturers, so they are inspired to work together on new machine concepts to help Europe stay ahead of the competition in the Far East.
These initiatives could comprise a breakthrough in textile manufacturing technology which is represented by the LEAPFROG project—the strategic approach towards flexible, short-run oriented, fully integrated systems for conventional textile technologies—and initiate the global introduction of new high-tech technologies at micro and nano scale, the document said.
"I believe to make a success of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing could be this industry's key contribution to the EU's Lisbon Strategy and Knowledge for Growth initiative," concluded Belgian Euratex President Filiep Libeert. "Growth, competitiveness and employment through increased research, development and innovation is as high on our agenda, as it is on that of the EU."
"With the launch of the Technology Platform, we can make a big new step in boosting the competitiveness of the European Textiles and Clothing Industry," said EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik.''
The group prepared a 2020 Vision Document, an initiative aimed at bringing together all interested stakeholders: the textile and clothing industry itself, related industries and service providers, the research and education community and public authorities at all levels in a joint effort to map out long-term visions and a strategic research agenda. The document outlined how the stakeholders can support the transformation of the industry into a knowledge-based, innovation-driven sector.
The first of the three visions outlined in the Platform is that the industry has to go from commodities to specialty products.
Due to advances in technology, the traditional processes of manufacturing textiles need to gain in speed, resource efficiency, flexibility, reliability and quality control to achieve an economically viable level, the document said.
Recently new, promising technologies to manufacture fiber and textile surfaces have been developed—coatings, micro encapsulations, enzyme, plasma, laser, ultrasound, ultraviolet treatments, spraying and ink jet techniques, processes on the nanometre scale, digitalization and low or remote maintenance and continuous process and quality control. All these advances should enable textile companies to produce highly specialized multi-functional fiber, but they need to make a big step from the lab to the full industrial scale.
The second vision deals with new textile applications.
"Technical textiles" include almost half of total textile production in Germany, Belgium and Nordic countries, and constitute a significant number in Italy, Spain and Portugal. These non-conventional applications of textiles represent a growing opportunity for high value products in Europe.
The third vision is that "we have to proceed from mass production to customization," said the document. Today, the consumers` demands require individual attention and expression, so both clothes and interiors should be inspiring and personally identified, it said.
In order to make its document functional, the European Technology Platform set up a Governing Council made up of industrial representatives of EU countries and businesses as well as key stakeholders. Secondly, it set up permanent "thematic expert groups" of cross-sectoral industry, services, academia, and authorities under the three visions pillars. Each group will work on its focused vision and strategic research.
A small number of supporting task groups from fields of education, training, standardization, regulatory and financial issues will be created on horizontal topics of research and innovation. A specific horizontal structure will deal with Innovation Management, and another with funding. The European Technology Platform`s mission is to revive the traditional innovation partnership between textile companies and machine manufacturers, so they are inspired to work together on new machine concepts to help Europe stay ahead of the competition in the Far East.
These initiatives could comprise a breakthrough in textile manufacturing technology which is represented by the LEAPFROG project—the strategic approach towards flexible, short-run oriented, fully integrated systems for conventional textile technologies—and initiate the global introduction of new high-tech technologies at micro and nano scale, the document said.
"I believe to make a success of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing could be this industry's key contribution to the EU's Lisbon Strategy and Knowledge for Growth initiative," concluded Belgian Euratex President Filiep Libeert. "Growth, competitiveness and employment through increased research, development and innovation is as high on our agenda, as it is on that of the EU."
