Photo: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH/ Pietro Sutera.

The European innovation cluster of the French textile industry, Techtera, is exhibiting at Techtextil this week (Hall 3.1, B72), with 35 industrialists from the sector from the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region. Exhibiting in a ”‹”‹450 m² area dedicated to the innovations and know-how of its members, the region will be particularly well represented, constituting more than 50% of French textiles industry industrialists at event.

In 2017 the French textiles industry generated sales of € 13.4 billion, of which € 8.9 billion was exported. Its 2150 companies, 548 of which are in the field of technical textiles, employ 60,300 people with recruitment prospects for 2022 estimated at 15,000 jobs (source Union des Industries Textiles).

The stakes are high for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which concentrates 626 companies, and 30% of the tricolour textile employment and 45% of French production of technical textiles. “It is a question of reinforcing the competitiveness of the companies to reinforce the place of excellence of the sector at the world level. This includes a sustained effort in terms of research and development. With the active support of Techtera, more than 210 collaborative R & D projects have been conducted, since 2005, by the actors of the sector for a total budget of approximately 545 million euros,” Techtera said in a press statement today.

“With their spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, their strong interest in sustainable development whether environmental or societal, our 35 companies, will be ambassadors of choice to promote French and regional excellence this week in Frankfurt.”

The following companies will take part:

AJ Biais, Alpex Protection, Art Martin, Azur Textiles/SNTC, Balas Textile, Bertheas, Blanchard-Société du Caux, BMI-Sofila, Carlhian, D2P Billion, DFD, Diatex, Elkem, Europrotect, Euveka, Fibroline, Fontanille Scop, France Découpe, IFTH, JTTI Group, Massebeuf, MDB Texinov, Moulinage du Solier, Payen, R-Stat, Sasytex, Satab, Schappe Techniques, Solvay, Stevtiss-Tisstech, TDV Industries, Techni Sangles, Texti Sonics, Thimonnier et Toptexcube.

Techtera is the European innovation cluster of the textiles sector. The cluster runs a network of more than 195 members (companies, research laboratories, technical centres, universities and schools), with the main objective of boosting competitiveness through collaborative innovation.

Members of the cluster are thus accompanied on:

• Innovation and collaborative R & D projects, from the idea to the dissemination of the results
• The increase of the levers of innovation, with keys of reading on the current scientific and economic environment
• Strategy, creation and anticipation of trends in clothing and decoration
• French and international events and shows: collective spaces, communication, regional financial support
• Business development in France and abroad, through monitoring and collective missions and support on the market of innovative products

The cluster is also involved in structuring actions, for the textile industry and in connection with related sectors and application markets, through interpolated partnerships or European projects. Since 2005, more than 200 collaborative R & D projects labelled and supported by Techtera have been funded, for a total budget of nearly € 540 million.

www.techtera.org