All the latest information from the textile world

Welcome!

In the first edition of the Groz-Beckert Online Newsletter for 2013 we deal with a topic that is already exciting the textile industry today, and has great potential for the future too: Smart Textiles. But what exactly are Smart Textiles? A general definition is difficult, and you can find out more about the topic in our lead article. Elsewhere in the Newsletter you'll see practice-based examples of Smart Textiles from the individual textile production and joining methods.

With the trade show overview, Groz-Beckert also gives you the latest information on the most important events in 2013. Discover the world of Groz-Beckert – there's no better time to do so!

"Smart" means a lot of things at Groz-Beckert

From heatable underwear with knitted-in polyamide threads to highly innovative tufting applications, you can find numerous examples of intelligent – that is, "smart" – textiles in the different articles of this edition. To create these products, in many cases our industrial machine needles, precision parts and precision tools are indispensable. With regard to the differentiation between "smart textiles" and other textiles, there are different definitions worldwide – and sometimes differing so-called "intelligence levels" and "integration levels" have to be taken into account. Find out more in the lead article of this edition.

Yet Groz-Beckert associates a great deal more with the term "smart" too. "Quickly", "skillfully" and "intelligently" – that's how we support our customers worldwide along the entire length of the textile value chain. Accordingly we do all we can to maintain our high level of innovation and to continuously improve the availability of our products!

Being smart of course also means planning and acting long-term. Our company's 150-year-long success story proves that we can do this. We have big plans for 2013 as well – not least of all for our employees at the company headquarters in Albstadt. As announced in edition 02/2012 of the Online Newsletter, we're currently building a generously-sized Social Center, consisting of an education department and a health department. The education department provides not only a day nursery and a kindergarten but also a private elementary school. The health department contains many more facilities: the Groz-Beckert health insurance fund as well as the company physician and also the company medics will all be based here, for instance. Construction work is going according to plan – so that the new Social Center will already be available in time for the start of the German school year. We're looking forward to the official opening!