The Institute for Textile Technology of RWTH Aachen University (ITA) is presenting its current research at Innovate Textile & Apparel through a series of videos on its virtual booth. Professor Dr Thomas Gries, director of ITA Aachen, explains more.
Why do you believe it is beneficial for the textile & apparel industry to engage in virtual events such as Innovate Textile & Apparel at this time?
In our opinion, it is extremely important to be present and to maintain at least a virtual cooperation, especially now in the Covid-19 era. We need to communicate with each other to identify and meet the challenges as well as requirements of the industry.
What is the focus of the ITA Aachen exhibition at Innovate Textile & Apparel?
We are mainly focusing on the needs of the present with our videos. Together with partners we are dealing with global requirements such as the move away from petroleum-based textile fibres (BIOTEXFUTURE), the reduction of CO2 emissions (Dress with CO2) and towards ‘green energy’ with offshore wind farms (Flotant). In addition, we are showing technical improvements, eg how reliable weaving machines for Industry 4.0 can be made fit for the future (presented in a video of the award-winning machine at ITMA 2019). Moreover, we are presenting how textile technology and photonics are revolutionising joining technology (CarboLase). Additionally, we are demonstrating how the Smart Textiles Micro Factory is bringing smart textiles into series production for the first time at Texprocess 2019 (Smart Textiles Micro Factory). To this end, we offer a wide range of opportunities for joint project planning in research groups together with industry (Industry Research Group Monofilaments), and in ITA Composite Reinforcements, we present the advantages that professional reinforcements can offer your company.
What else is ITA Aachen looking forward to at the event?
We hope to stay in contact with existing customers and partners and to gain new interested parties, customers and partners. Furthermore, we are looking forward to an exciting virtual fair with many seminars and roundtable discussions.
What important developments have you made this year in terms of R&D, industrial cooperation, and innovation?
We have been able to further expand our large research and industry network. Together with several partners, we have actively promoted research in the field of face masks, expanded our activities in carbon concrete, and successfully supported the first International Conference on Cellulose Fibres.
What have been the main challenges that ITA Aachen has faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? How did you respond to these challenges?
The Covid-19 pandemic sent our entire team to the home office and reduced the national and international exchange to video conferencing. This completely changed our communication behaviour. With existing partnerships it worked very well, but new business or critical exchange came almost to a standstill at the beginning. In the meantime, we had to learn what can and cannot be achieved with video conferences. We now address certain messages via video conferencing, such as the critical exchange in small, corona-like personal meetings, while observing all security measures.
What are the goals of ITA Aachen for the next one to two years?
ITA’s strategic goals are digitalisation and the bioeconomy for the entire textile value chain. We develop textile solutions for and with our stakeholders and partners. This means developing value-added textile products meeting society’s needs, which include innovative production processes and efficient machinery – based on sustainable fibre resources. Besides completing our comprehensive machine parks, we will invest in new processes for functionalisation. We plan to cluster all our machines with the vision to becoming an Industry 4.0 institute. Our simulation, product design tools and capability will be extended. New functions need new testing infrastructure.
