INTERNATIONAL

Smart solutions for textile care is expected to be one of the main themes for Texcare International 2016, which takes place 11 – 15 June in Frankfurt.

According to Friedrich Eberhard, president of the German Textile Cleaning Association (DTV) digitalisation is set to be the future driver of the textile-care industry. This requires a comprehensively networked data communication system but will allow companies to respond to customer requirements in a more personalised manner. At the same time, the processes involved in the factories will be smarter, more transparent and safer.

"We are just at the beginning of what we can do with the technology that is available to us at the moment," says Eberhard. "If we manage to link all the machines and systems completely and organise the data properly, then, in future, we shall be able to respond to customers in real time as their work is being processed."

The new smart approach will have a positive impact on the efficiency of the laundry and its competitiveness, adds Dr Frank Ryll of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation.