A new three-day multi-stream conference for business and technology leaders will explore the advance of digitalization in the textile and apparel industries and its implications for business strategy.
Innovate Textile & Apparel, to be held in Amsterdam from November 6th to 8th, 2018, will also introduce product developers to the latest smart materials, and will host the 4th edition of the Future Textile Awards, recognizing innovation in everything from novel fiber to smart manufacturing technology.
Organized by World Textile Information Network (WTiN), Innovate Textile & Apparel expands on last year’s successful Textile 4.0 Conference, which remains a key element in the event, now complemented by:
- Textile Business Futures, a high-level conference for strategic decision-makers, developed in partnership with leading sector-specialist consultancy Gherzi;
- Re:Think Materials, which will focus on application possibilities of the latest e-textiles and the ‘wonder material’ graphene.
Innovate Textile & Apparel events will take place at the Novotel Amsterdam City and the adjacent Holiday Inn Amsterdam. The three complementary conferences, each exploring a different theme with innovation at its core, have been designed to deliver vital insights into the most important areas of business and product strategy in textiles and apparel. Launch sponsors are Oerlikon and Softwear Automation.
Textile 4.0 Conference (November 6th and 7th) will explore emerging digital business models and introduce the latest application opportunities in smart factory development, including robotics, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and virtual or augmented reality.
Re:Think Materials (November 7th and 8th) will provide expert technical insights for product developers, including market opportunities in connected textiles; conductive fiber and yarn; textiles for energy harvesting and storage; printed textile electronics; and the application possibilities of graphene and other ‘2D’ materials.
Textile Business Futures (November 8th) is an intensive one-day introduction for C-level executives, and will examine digital business strategy, risk management, return on investments, leadership and culture change.
The winners of the 4th Future Textile Awards will be announced at a special reception on the early evening of November 7th.
WTiN Managing Director Mark Jarvis says, “The advancing influence of digitalization can be seen across all areas of the textile and apparel industries, with profound implications for business strategy and supply chain relationships. Innovate Textile & Apparel takes account of both the business and the technical aspects of Industry 4.0, with additional focus on the cutting-edge materials that are likely to offer some of the most exciting market opportunities.”