TEXTILES.ORG
A consortium of companies led by Dutch protective fabrics manufacturer TenCate has received a €1.5 million ($1.9 million) subsidy from the Province of Overijssel for the development of “The Factory of the Future,” a high-tech innovation center to be established in eastern Netherlands.
The total cost of the factory is forecast to be around €6 million ($7.6 million). It will house digital printing and finishing through inkjet technology to make the production of advanced TenCate materials, such as protective fabrics, even more efficient and sustainable in what is termed “smart production.”
The new technologies will also make it possible in the near future to produce innovative materials, known as “smart materials.” Digital inkjet technology has the added advantage of being able to respond to individual customer requirements (mass customization and on-demand delivery) and of enabling processes to be read digitally by linking the production process to a range of customer networks through the Internet.
TenCate (Royal Ten Cate) is a multinational company that combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics.