Industry News
2022 Innovation Awards by Messe Frankfurt — Impulse Provider for Numerous Branches
by Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Senior International Correspondent
After a Corona-related break of three years, the leading trade fairs Techtextil and Texprocess once again presented the renowned Innovation Awards. Remarkable and underlining the seriousness of the evaluation work by the initiator Messe Frankfurt.
Non-exhibitors could also apply with their innovations. The assessment of each application was conducted by two international panels of experts – eight of them for the Techtextil segment and seven for the Texprocess segment. The award-winning new developments covered areas such as New Products, Sustainability, and Automation. Thirteen winners from seven categories were honored at a public awards ceremony at Techtextil and Texprocess on June 21, 2022.
Texprocess Innovation Awards
In the “New Technology” category of the Texprocess Innovation Award, as many as three winners received the prestigious award this year.
- The cold gluing robot is set to revolutionize seam bonding: The welding and sewing machine manufacturer Vetron Typical Europe GmbH from Kaiserslautern, Germany, was honored for a new type of cold gluing robot. For the first time, it performed the sealing of seams with adhesive tape on the reverse side completely automatically.
- The reinvention of the embroidery head: The second award in the “New Technology” category went to ZSK Stickmaschinen GmbH from Krefeld, Germany, for a new type of embroidery head for single- and multi-head embroidery machines. According to ZSK, the "R-head" is designed to achieve embroidery speeds of up to 2,000 stitches per minute. According to this, a productivity increase of approximately 80% can be achieved.
- Increasing productivity and reducing fatigue of sewing machine operators: The third winner in this award category was Juki Central Europe (Poland), which has developed an AW-3S automatic bobbin thread winding and feeding device.
- Advancing digitalization in the sewing industry: The industrial sewing machine manufacturer Dürkopp Adler received the Texprocess Innovation Award in the category “New Digitalization” for its software module “QONDAC Guided Working”. The company from the German city of Bielefeld, since 2005 affiliated with the Chinese Shang Gong Group Co. (SGG), aims to take digitalization in the sewing industry to a new level.
Level of innovation and digitalization, technical quality, and economic and ecological quality are criteria evaluated for the Innovation Award. “Quality improvement, design quality, material selection, and the overall concept come on top”, explains Michael Jänecke, Director of Brand Management
Photo: Thomas Fedra, Messe Frankfurt
Techtextil Innovation Awards
- First woven heart valve without post-fabrication: In the “New Product” category, the Techtextil Innovation Award went to the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) at the Technische Universität Dresden.
- Reuse of waste from a natural source: In the “New Material” category, RBX Créations (France) received the Innovation Award for a novel cellulose fiber made from hemp waste.
- Fiber shielding technology for hospitals, electric cars, and server farms: The Techtextil Innovation Award in the “New Technology” category went to Aachen-based FibreCoat GmbH and Deutsche Basalt Faser GmbH from Sangerhausen (Saxony-Anhalt /Germany) for the joint development of an aluminum-coated basalt fiber. It combines the strength of basalt with the electrical conductivity of aluminum.
- More sustainable hygiene products such as diapers: Kelheim Fibres GmbH from Kelheim in Bavaria and the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI) in Chemnitz received the Techtextil Innovation Award in the “New Concept” category for the development of novel, thermally bonded nonwovens based on cellulose for the production of reusable products with high absorbency.
- Waste from the automotive industry as a resource: Another Techtextil Innovation Award in the category “New Approaches on Sustainability & Circular Economy” honors a process that uses natural leather waste from the automotive industry to produce innovative textile coatings. It was developed by CITEVE, the Technology Center for Textile and Clothing in Portugal, and partners ERT Têxtil Portugal, CENIT, and CTIC (all Portugal).
- Compostable textile coating: The Techtextil Innovation Award in the category “New Approaches on Sustainability & Circular Economy” went to the textile research institute Centexbel (Belgium) for a bio-based and compostable dispersion for textile coatings and printing inks.
- Fashion from pineapple peel: The Italian company Vérabuccia is honored in the "Performance Fashion Award" category for an innovative production process for the fashion and design sector. The patented process is designed to transform fruit waste into fashion highlights.
- 100 percent compostable binder for nonwovens: In the “New Technology” category, the company OrganoClick (Sweden) received the Techtextil Innovation Award for the development of a 100 percent bio-based binder for nonwovens applications that is made from waste components and is therefore said to be fully compostable. The innovation is designed to replace plastic-based binders.
- Formaldehyde-free & bio-based coating system: The third award in the category “New Approaches on Sustainability & Circular Economy” went to Deutschen Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung Denkendorf (DITF) from Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and the company TotalEnergies - Cray Valley (France). Together, they have developed a novel, formaldehyde-free coating system.