Lille region opens European Centre for Innovative Textiles (CETI)
The Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants (or CETI, the European Centre for Innovative Textiles) opened on 10 October 2012 in the Lille region (northern France). The opening coincided with the start of the third FUTUROTEXTILES innovative-textiles exhibition, highlighting the development of the long-standing textile industry of Lille and its region.
- (1888PressRelease) October 25, 2012 - As technical textiles develop, the functional and flexible nature of new fibres makes them the solution for countless innovative applications in a range of industries. The Lille Region (northern France) has long been associated with this industry and has made the sector one of its priorities.
Today, the region's textile industry is supported by cutting-edge facilities such as the new Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants (or CETI), i.e. the European Centre for Innovative Textiles, which opened on 10 October of this year in the city of Roubaix (part of the Lille metropolitan area). Such facilities will assist the growth of the Lille region's textile sector, which is forecast to expand by 21% between now and 2017.
The opening of CETI attracted some of the top players in the textile industry, including Mr Arnold Wilkie from US-based Hills Inc., along with Mr Hideki Hoshiro from the Japan Chemical Fibers Association. The event also included some top-level round tables, shedding light on the most innovative materials.
CETI is the most recently founded research facility and prototyping centre of its kind, which is dedicated to new textile applications. As the only such platform in Europe, CETI offers cutting-edge technologies to support the development of new intelligent-textile applications internationally. CETI is unique in its use of creative techniques in order to accelerate the innovation process, developing textile solutions by first identifying possible requirements or uses.
CETI is in Phase 1 of its configuration and is currently comparable to the Nonwovens Institute in Raleigh (USA), which combines contributions to innovation from over 60 major companies that develop new textile materials. Throughout this Phase, the focus will be on CETI's high-tech spinning tool (of which there are only four similar examples worldwide), supporting the development of the new, high-performance fibres of the future. Advanced fibres will be indispensable in relation to medical devices, but will also have applications in acoustic-insulation and ultrafiltration equipment.
Additionally, the centre's DRYLAID tool uses new combinations of technologies in order to develop high-tech industrial solutions, such as the Calander, which provides thermal consolidation of nonwovens by combining temperature and pressure.
Phase 2 of CETI's configuration, scheduled for 2013/2014, will focus on the manufacturing process, primarily for the composite- and technical-textile markets, including knitting, weaving and plaiting. The developments brought about by CETI's progression to Phase 2 will underpin the centre's originality in gathering such an array of technological equipment and cutting-edge research projects in a single location.
The opening of CETI coincided with the launch of the third FUTUROTEXTILES exhibition, allowing both textile-industry professionals and the general public to learn more about the sector. After touring the world for six years, from France to China, via Spain and Indonesia, FUTUROTEXTILES has come to CETI for its third event.
FUTUROTEXTILES is an exhibition that brings together science, technology, design, fashion and art, all based around innovative textiles. The event aims to raise public awareness about technical textiles, the latest innovations in the field, and the main challenges the sector faces.
The exhibition, which has focused, this year, on the theme of ultra-lightness, displays the results of juggling cloud-like materials and experimenting with fabrics made from coffee, while showcasing micro-encapsulated lace and never-before-seen materials. Helen Storey's Catalytic Dress, Elisa Strozyk's wooden garments, Jum Nakao's paper-and-lace dresses, and Janaïna Milheiro's Angel's Coat are exhibited alongside such objects as a violin made from flax fibre and an inflatable surf board.
About Nord France Invest
Nord France Invest is the publicly funded investment-promotion agency for the Lille Region. The agency helps businesses to develop and assists them in making the most out of their move to northern France.
Drawing on expertise across a wide range of fields, Nord France Invest and its network partners offer personalised and fully confidential services to investors, free of charge, from the initial decision through to the launch and follow-up. In pursuing these aims, Nord France Invest relies on the skills of its own staff, combined with expert input from an extensive network of regional and international partners.
For further information about FUTUROTEXTILES, please go to: http://www.lille3000.com/
For further information about CETI, please go to: http://www.ceti.com/
For further information about Nord France Invest, please go to: www.nordfranceinvest.fr
For further information, please contact :
Quote ref. : FTPB3784
Ms Katherine WOODS - Press Officer
UBIFRANCE Press Office in London
Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 3640
katherine.woods ( @ ) ubifrance dot fr
View other press releases at :
http://www.ubifrance.com/uk/
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam