Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020 - 46

FOCUS

WORLD VIEWS

Multiaxial fabric composite
with fibers are positioned
to optimize strength in this
rear floor vehicle shell.
This approach provides
strength and rigidity only
where needed, reducing
overall material use and
weight. The technology is
an initiative of the Active
Research Environment
for the Next Generation of
Automobiles (ARENA2036).
Photo: Marie O'Mahony.

German advancements
in textiles
Developments in technical textiles in Germany grow from industry
and international partnerships.
BY MARIE O'MAHONY

The benefits of
international trade
Germany is the largest of the United
States' trading partners in Europe
and the sixth largest for the country's
exports, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mary Lynn Landgraf, formerly with the U.S. Department
of Commerce and now a senior international trade specialist and independent
consultant, is unequivocal in her view
on international trade benefits.
" Our first obligation to the American
people is to be on the cutting edge
of technology, " she says. " Many government agencies have programs to
stimulate and support innovation as
do our state agencies. If some of the
complementary or advanced R&D were
being carried out in another friendly
country, why would you want to reinvent
the wheel? "

lobalization " is already behind us, " according to Michael O'Sullivan, author of The
Levelling: What's Next after Globalization (2019). O'Sullivan sees the future as a multipolar
world dominated by large regions such as the United States and the European Union.
However, the ability to dominate may be less important than the ability to form partnerships
with companies across industries and borders for mutual benefit and advancement. German
companies have found synergies across the advanced and technical textiles industry, in some
cases with North America-based firms. With the growth of a virtual approach to doing
business, such relations are set to increase.
NEXT-GEN VEHICLES
The Active Research Environment for the Next Generation of Automobiles (ARENA2036)
is a German transdisciplinary initiative looking at work, mobility and production in the
digitized future of 2036, which also happens to be the 150th anniversary of the automobile.
Supported by the German government, this initiative is based in Stuttgart, close to both
automotive and textile manufacturers.
Bringing together expertise from automotive, aerospace, textiles and materials segments as
well as industrial science, ARENA2036 partners include Daimler AG, Siemens AG, KUKA AG,
BASF SE, Royal DSM, Bosch, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf
(DITF) and German research organization Fraunhofer. As part of the program, DITF has
partnered in the development of a composite designed as a subfloor module equipped with
a battery box, integrating a number of functions so that the work steps are reduced to achieve
efficiencies amid complexity. Further developments with ARENA2036 partners include a
fiber-reinforced plastic composite featuring precise fiber orientation for strength and rigidity
only where needed, reducing material use and weight in other areas.
CLUSTERING INDUSTRIES
The German clustering approach to research and development has directly benefited
North America, with the BMW plant in South Carolina a case in point. Opened in 1994
in Spartanburg, the mammoth facility has helped revitalize the local textile industry and

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Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020