Commencing yesterday, the Hohenstein Institute will be combining its Clothing Physiology and Textile Services & Innovations sections to create new Function & Care department which will provide research and testing services to the textiles industry.

The department will be managed by Dr. Andreas Schmidt who will be succeeding Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Umbach. Dr. Umbach will be retiring from his active role as Director of the Clothing Physiology department as he celebrates his 65th birthday in October. However, he will continue to assist the Hohenstein Institute in an advisory role. Dr. Jan Beringer will assume the role of scientific manager at the new Function and Care department starting in October, and will hence be responsible for the largest research area at Hohenstein.

According to Hehenstein, the restructuring will not affect any of the research projects and service products of the previous departments, and they will be continued in the usual manner. In the future, the Function and Care department will combine physiological comfort measurements of textile materials and manufactured articles as well as activities in the area of functional innovative textiles, commercial laundries, textile leasing, textile finishing and colour measurements under one roof.

The new department will also be responsible for the comprehensive services offered to member operations of the Gütegemeinschaft sachgemäße Wäschepflege e.V. and for the practical seminars which are offered to laundries and textile service providers. The department will also be responsible for conducting the testing and certification for personal protective equipment.