From the Sector

• Formula 1 cars will be cheaper in future

Carbon is the stuff Formula 1 cars are made of, at least the bodywork. But until now, carbon has been expensive. It can be produced more cheaply and efficiently if artificial intelligence monitors the production processes. A camera system combined with artificial intelligence automatically detects defects in the production of carbon fibres. This makes expensive manual inspection of the carbon fibres obsolete and the production price of the carbon fibre can be reduced in the long term.

For this idea, the young engineer Deniz Sinan Yesilyurt received the second prize of the "Digitalisation in Mechanical Engineering" Young Talent Award on 6 December.

Carbon fibres are sought after because of their good properties. They are very light - they weigh up to 50 percent less than aluminium. The combination of low weight and good mechanical properties offers many advantages. Especially in times of the energy transition, lightweight materials like carbon are more relevant than ever before. At the same time, carbon fibres are as resistant to external stresses as metals. However, achieving these good properties of carbon fibres is very complex.

Up to 300 individual fibre strands - bundles of individual fibres - have to be monitored simultaneously during production. If carbon fibres tear, it costs time and money to sort out the damaged fibres. This is just one example of various defects that can occur in the fibres during production.

Therefore, Deniz Sinan Yesilyurt attached a camera to the carbon fibre line that takes pictures of various fibre defects during production and collects them in a database. The artificial intelligence in the camera's information technology system evaluates the fibre defects by assigning the images to predefined reference defects. In doing so, it recognises various fibre defects with a classification accuracy of 99 per cent. The process can also be used in other areas that produce chemical fibres.

Deniz Sinan Yesilyurt received the prize from the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He is a Bachelor's graduate at the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University. The full title of his bachelor's thesis is: "Development of a Kl-supported process monitoring using machine learning to detect fibre damage in the stabilisation process". The VDMA awarded the prize to a total of four theses from different universities. The prize is awarded for outstanding theses and was offered in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

At each edition, Maison&Objet names a Designer of the Year, celebrating the work of the most outstanding talents on the international design and decoration scene. Having been unable to present his installation on receiving the accolade in September 2020, Franklin Azzi will now take centre stage at the March 2022 edition with RETRO FUTUR, an immersive exploration of his creative process. Working out of his Parisian agency created in 2006, Azzi develops a cross-disciplinary approach that draws on a potpourri of perspectives and disciplines. By relentlessly
sparking a dialogue between architecture, interior design, design and modern art with the backing of his dedicated endowment fund, he hones a talent for design and creation that embraces all scales and all spaces.

From the kind of urban microarchitecture embodied by the Eiffel Kiosque and its prefabricated structure to towers in Dubai and Paris, not forgetting the refurbishment of existing structures
such as the Alstom warehouses in Nantes, his work is underpinned by a quest for sustainability tailored to meet users’ needs. Turning his back on formal style, Azzi develops architecture that is both minimalist in its aesthetic and maximalist in its multi-faceted functionality and environmental quality, resolutely advocating a return to ‘common sense’. He walks firmly in the footsteps of philosopher and urban planner Paul Virilio, the exploratory thinker and creator of whom he was once a student.

• HIGHER, FASTER, FURTHER ! During the first physical Frankfurt Fashion Week in January 2022, PREMIUM GROUP will show more novelties than ever.

The anticipation is rising! With the actual move to Frankfurt in January 2022, Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the teams will not only present further developed versions of the PREMIUM and SEEK fashion fairs, but will also celebrate a major B2C festival for the first time with THE GROUND.

More than ever, the Berliners‘ passion for people and fashion, but also for business and trading, is at the heart of all their events. And where better to combine all this than in the power metropolis of Frankfurt am Main.

„No city in Germany - no city in Europe - stands for business relevance and trading power as much as Frankfurt am Main,“ explains Tillmann. „We now have a unique opportunity to actively shape the future together. PREMIUM GROUP provides the industry with the platform, the brands with the creative content. In addition, we do what we do best, introduce the right players to each other and connect them. We bring together the movers and shakers who have the same drive as we do. With this new mix of location, entertainment, creative industry and trading focus, we are creating a unique momentum after the pandemic - January is when the big deals are made and the c ourse is set for the future.“

To achieve this goal, the PREMIUM GROUP teams have also given the proven successful formats PREMIUM and SEEK a new coat of paint. More space, new areas and shorter distances provide visitors with a completely new trade event experience. Trends, brands and events can be discovered together with new and well-known partners - for the first time all in one place!

And PREMIUM, which is already entering its 19th year in January, is also showing a new side in Frankfurt. Instead of being spread out like in Station-Berlin, in Frankfurt all brands show their collections in one big hall. „We are so excited to finally unite all exhibitors in one hall. This way we create a universe with many different worlds - colorful and exciting,“ says Wiebus. „We are in close exchange with all the protagonists throughout the year and continue to develop the concepts together. The entire industry is positive about coming together in Frankfurt. Everyone is keen to experience and create something completely new! We offer the framework for this - that is our strength.“

And the Berliners have another surprise in store for the Frankfurt debut: With THE GROUND, they are organizing a large fashion festival for young end consumers for the first time. Responsible for the event concept, in addition to Tillmann, Arntz and the PREMIUM GROUP- team, is B2C expert Kai Zollhöfer, who already made the Bread & Butter by Zalando a crowd puller. “THE GROUND is a B2C festival aimed at a young, purpose-driven generation. This new generation has a strong stance on current social and environmental challenges and expects brands to reflect them. The overriding themes at THE GROUND are therefore sustainability, diversity and equality”, said Zollhöfer.

The 3-day event offers brands the opportunity to interactively exhibit purpose-driven stories and products. In addition to the thematic focus on fashion, brands from the fields of wellbeing, beauty, mobility and technology will also present innovative products and solutions.

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas, representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, issued a statement welcoming the reported selection of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel, Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade Representative.

“We applaud President-elect Joe Biden’s expected nomination of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel, Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade Representative. This selection is welcome news to the U.S. textile industry, which has worked closely with Katherine on several critical trade issues over the years.  She is an exceptional candidate to serve as the next USTR, having dedicated her career to enforcing our trade laws, and, most recently, serving as a key lead negotiator in the House securing key improvements in the USMCA agreement.
 
She will be a powerful and thoughtful advocate on behalf of American workers and our environment.  The U.S. textile industry looks forward to working with her on our top trade priorities.”

• Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

Liang will manage mill relations, technical support and distribution at HeiQ Taiwan. She brings close to 20 years of experience in textile and garment production supply chain focusing on sales, material innovation and development, sourcing and production. Liang holds a Bachelor of International Trade from the National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan, speaks Chinese, English and Spanish and has lived in both Taiwan and Argentina. And will be based in the new office in Taipei (瑞士海屹科有限公司).

HeiQ continues to increase its global footprint with the creation of HeiQ Shanghai and HeiQ Taiwan. In addition to HeiQ Hong Kong, these offices aim to provide dedicated technical support in the Greater China area, further broaden its geographical reach in strategic locations and support HeiQ’s brand partners’ manufacturing activities in the region.