PROGRAMME
Conference Chairman: Roshan Shishoo, Shishoo Consulting,
Keynote paper 1: How to use technical textiles to position your company for the future
Professor Roshan
Shishoo (Shishoo Consulting)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the keys to success for a technical textiles manufacturer?
How do companies prepare themselves to take advantage of the end of the recession?
How do companies transform themselves and why should they?
What are the lessons learned from those companies
that have already transformed themselves?
Session 1:
Fundamental issues for transforming your company
1.1 Addressing the skills crisis
Vladan Koncar (ENSAIT, France and AUTEX)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
For the successful future of the textiles and
clothing industry in
How many
graduates and postgraduates do companies need?
What
types of graduates are required in this evolving sector?
What
types of skills are required of graduates by companies?
What are the requirements of companies for Continuing Professional Development courses?
How will these needs be met?
1.2 How and why to test
Rob Croskell
(SGS)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
Why is good quality control a positive rather than a negative to manufacturers?
How do manufacturers minimise the costs and maximise the benefits of testing?
What are the key trends in legislation and how will they affect us all?
Why must companies start to think about these issues from the earliest stages of development?
1.3 Technical Textiles - an Indian company's perspective
Neeraj Karhade (Polycrest Innovations)
1.4 How to protect your investments in innovation
Richard Paalman
(European Patent Office)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
Why protect your investments in innovation?
How does your competitor use Intellectual Property Rights?
What are the trends and key innovations in patents so far in 2008/2009?
What are the latest updates on filing numbers?
1.5 Funding opportunities in the EU and
Stephen Kay (NWTexnet)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
How do
What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting grants?
Is it all too bureaucratic?
What schemes offer the most practical help?
1.6 Lessons learned in the start-up of a new company
Guillaume Tiberghien
(Tibtech Innovations)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
Apart from a purely consulting or trading company, is
it still possible to launch a new technical textile company in
What kinds of motivation, specific focus and differentiation are needed to enter niche markets?
How do we exploit information technology (IT)?
How does an small and medium enterprise (SME) organize its factory for small volume production?
How does an small and medium enterprise (SME) develop partnerships and networks?
How to overcome the problem of extended product
development times caused by the requirements of testing?
Workshop 1
Session 2: Market prospects: views from around the world
Chair: Stephen Kay (NWTexnet)
Keynote paper 2: World markets - a year of turmoil
Michael Jaenecke
(Techtextil)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
How much is the technical textiles market and its players affected by the financial crisis and recession affecting all industries worldwide?
How are the industry’s customers being affected?
What are the key trends in the technical textiles
industry and their markets worldwide today?
2.1 North America: The
Stephen Warner (IFAI)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What is the state of the
What are the long- and short-term factors shaping it?
What does the future hold?
What are the key emerging market sectors?
2.2 North America: The view from
Jacek Mlynarek (CTTG)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the keys to the future of
What are the roles of educational institutions, associations and para-governmental organizations?
What is the thinking behind the Technology Roadmap for Canadian Textile Industry?
2.3 The European view:
Werner Zirnzak
(IVGT)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the prospects for the German industry?
What are the key barriers to growth?
Where are the key export markets?
2.4 The European view:
Karine Wallois (Clubtex)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the strengths and weaknesses of French industry?
How does the French industry organise itself, and why?
What are the lessons learned in
What is the role of an association in aiding small and medium enterprise s(SMEs)?
2.5 The European view:
Aldo Tempesti (TexClubTec)
Workshop 2
Session 3:
New opportunities offered by growing end-use markets
Chair: Jacek Mlynarek (CTTG)
Keynote
paper 3: The Active ProtectionSystem
two years on: new learnings, new challenges, new
opportunities, two new technology platforms
Liz Mallen
(Dow Corning)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What is the Active Protection System?
What has Dow Corning learned since the products was launched?
How have new opportunities been identified and exploited?
Why have the new technology platforms been developed?
3.1 Artificial (sports) surfaces
Albert Prisse
(European Synthetic Turf Organisation/EATP)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the applications for synthetic turf beyond sports?
What are the challenges for developing future products?
What has been achieved to date?
3.2 The medical textiles market
Curt
White (Aegis)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
How can we add value to medical textiles?
How do we position those products in the market place?
Why is validation and quality assurance so vital in distinguishing these products?
How do we bring value to the users?
3.3 Military textiles
Anton Luiken (TNO Defense, Safety &
Security, Director of Alcon Advies)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What are the major textile applications in the military domain?
What are the special needs and demands made by military textiles?
What innovations have recently been introduced?
What developments can be expected in near future?
3.4 Nanotechnology and smart textiles
David Lussey (Peratech)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
How and why is nanotechnology being applied to textiles?
What are the latest developments with carbon nanotubes?
How and why are electrically active nanocoatings being applied?
What are the latest breakthroughs with sensors?
3.5 Technical textiles and the environment
Mike Rushforth (Beyond Surface
Technologies) (TBC)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
How is concern for the environment impacting on product development?
Why is sustainability so crucial?
How do we advance innovation for textile finishes?
Workshop 3
Session 4: New opportunities offered by emerging technologies
Keynote paper 4: Small is beautiful - flexibility in innovation
Rule Niederstadt
(Ecoatech)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
Why is flexibility such a crucial part of innovation?
Why is it difficult to initiate cooperation?
What helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to successfully innovate?
Why is technology transfer so important?
4.1 Multifunctional coating technologies
John
Almond (Alexium)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What is the Alexium Reactive Surface Treatment technology?
How is it able to permanently graft multiple functions on a wide range of military textiles and to provide protection against chemical and biological threats?
Which materials can it be used with?
What other markets can it be applied to?
4.2
Experiences
in developing plasma technology
Stephen Coulson (P2i)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
Why are focus and vision so critical?
How do you find the right partners?
What is the role of communication?
How does a start-up raise funding?
How does a company hire the right staff?
4.3 Digital printing
Marcus Timson
(FESPA)
Key questions to be addressed in the
presentation
What is provoking change in the textile printing sector?
How has technology pulled a marketplace in an entirely new direction?
How is the print community benefiting from this technological revolution?
How are the customers benefitting?
Workshop 4
and Chair's concluding remarks