The International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, held in Frankfurt from 11 to 13 June, attracted 15% more visitors than the previous edition.

Boosted by seven new participants, the representatives of the Nord-Pas de Calais textiles industry exhibiting in the halls devoted to materials and fibers/filaments/yarns also benefited from the increased interest in the fair.

Of the 1568 stands representing 56 countries, around 75 were exhibiting under the French Ubifrance banner, and 33 were members of the UP-tex cluster and CLUBTEX business network. All firms said they were highly satisfied by the contacts made over these 3 days, particularly those seeking a particular type of expertise. Our network functioned well once again, as each participant was able to meet future partners for developing new innovations. This positive feedback heralds some promising partnerships!

 DEVAN CHEMICALS was awarded a prize for innovation in the "new materials" category.

Member of both CLUBTEX and UP-tex, DEVAN CHEMICALS was one of two French firms to receive the Techtextil Prize for Innovation in the "New Materials" category. It has developed a new formulation that allows polypropylene (PP) to be dyed in fibre form.

To be finally able to dye fibre using conventional processes is a major revolution. Up to now, PP has been pigmented as part of the fibre extrusion process; this process is suitable for very large quantities, but lacks flexibility for smaller qualitities or where the choice of colours can not be defined beforehand.

Devan's formulation allows PP fibres to be dyed thanks to a process that opens up the fibre and adheres the dye molecules to it. This award not only put the work of DEVAN CHEMICALS in the spotlight but brought a constant stream of visitors to its stand!

THREE HIGHLY PROFITABLE DAYS FOR THE AMBASSADORS OF THE NORD-PAS DE CALAIS AT TECHTEXTIL 2013

COUSIN TRESTEC is setting out to conquer several export markets with its wide range of ropes and cables.

COUSIN TRESTEC already makes 40% of its turnover from exports, mainly to the Far East and the Gulf region. Its R&D investments and development of new products has allowed it to penetrate many new markets such as extreme sports, sailing and climbing, construction, events organization and aeronautics.

One example of its achievements is its new extra light, extra strong jammer CONSTRICTOR  2013, with which it has set out to conquer the Pacific and the USA. It is sure to be a winner in the America's Cup!

Its new patented, aerodynamic FUSION  ropes designed for kitesurfing, are braided and drawn hot and have a polymer core which gives the lines increased stiffness and makes them easier to untangle. Able to resist loads of 330 daN, the Fusion lines are indestructible. There is a reference fibre, such as polyamide, polyester, aramide or high modulus polyethylene (HMP) for each sport, to meet its particular demands and performance requirements.

Transportation of water reinvented by Delannoy Frères

150 years ago when the company was founded, this firm was THE name in fire hoses. Delannoy Frères hoses now convey fluids and powders over long distances, over land and under water thanks to their woven tubular construction.

In view of the geopolitical issues surrounding the supply of water, this lightweight material that is resistant to high tensile stresses and pressures and adaptable to different diameters ensures the firm an enormous potential market in the transportation and supply of fresh water.

Delannoy Frères is working in particular on the projects developed by Via Marina, the engineering and construction project led by VINCI, using its patented Submariver system to transport large quantities of water over long distances using a flexible underwater hose.

CETI, the European Centre for Innovative Textiles, participating for the first time in the trade fair, made some excellent contacts.

All in all, its first-ever trade fair has been a huge success. Inaugurated as recently as October 2012, CETI totalled around one hundred visitors to its stand and recorded around fifty potential contacts who showed just as much interest in spinning as in nonwovens technologies.

Further to some specific requests, tests will soon be underway. Some large accounts in various applications markets have already scheduled a visit to our research centre and new multi-sector technology platform. The fair also provided an opportunity to meet suppliers of raw materials and equipment for CETI's second development phase.

A leap forwards for the Textiles Recycling Valley, set up on 5 June and managed by UP-tex.

Competitive cluster UP-tex, present in the shared space organized by the Nord de France CCI, was able to test the interest of new operators for the Textile Recycling Valley in the Nord Euro-region.

During the three days of the fair, it gained a broad outlook of such issues as characterization, sorting, use and processing of resources, offcuts from textiles production and scraps. A special day will be organized at CETI early in 2014 for discussing and offering ideas for recycling textiles other than for energy use or landfill.

CLUBTEX who organized our participation in the trade fair confirmed that it was a very exciting three days most conducive to making contacts. Its industrial members, both old faithfuls and new recruits, who export near to 50% of their production, were delighted with the contacts made, some of which concerned some precise needs, which perhaps heralds an upturn for the industry in 2014.

"We hope that the technological advances made by our members will be accompanied by increased competitiveness and lead to some firm orders" underlined Jean-