#Associations

2019-12-11

Top young talent for a technologically strong industry

Caption: Chairman of the foundation and the winners (from left to right): Heinrich, Kaluza, Elbayoumi, Elser, Pötzsch, Dornier, Eckert. (Source: ©ITM/TU Dresden)

At the end of November, the chairman of the Walter Reiners-Stiftung (Foundation) of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Peter D. Dornier presented awards to six successful young engineers in Dresden. The award ceremony took place as part of the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference.

The focuses of the award-winning works of the young engineers reflect the strengths of German textile machinery construction: the sector is particularly strong where high-quality applications and products are concerned.

Janina Elser, TU Chemnitz, Abdelrahman Elbayoumi, ITA Aachen and Hendrik Pötzsch, ITM Dresden, were honoured with creativity awards for the cleverest bachelor or project work. The prizes are endowed with 3,000 euros each.

Ms. Elser's bachelor thesis dealt with the prototypical development of circular knitted knee bandages. The subject of Mr. Elbayoumi's bachelor thesis is a feedback control system for an over-braiding process. Mr. Pötzsch's project work deals with the production of carbon fibres using solvent wet spinning technology.

Tim Kaluza, ITM Dresden and Julia Eckert, ITA Aachen, were awarded two promotion prizes in the category diploma / master thesis with prize money of 3,500 euros each. Mr. Kaluza's diploma thesis deals with the automated production of mesh-free multiaxial fabrics.

In her master thesis, Ms. Eckert developed an environmental assessment system for the production of jeans.

This year, the promotion prize of the German Textile Machinery Industry in the dissertation category was awarded to Dr. Stefan Heinrich, TU Chemnitz. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros. The result is a fundamental work on gear requirements in textile machines, which will make a greater contribution in engineering practice.

Walter Reiners Foundation - Recruiting and promoting talent

Through its Walter Reiners-Stiftung (Foundation), the VDMA Textile Machinery Association is actively involved in promoting young engineers. Every year, the foundation awards prizes for the best dissertation, diploma or master's thesis and creativity prizes for clever bachelor's and semester theses. Through financial support for university excursions to VDMA member companies and to the leading trade fair ITMA, it provides students with regular insights into practice. The Internet portal talentmaschine.de and the homepage of the Textile Machinery Association txm.vdma.org (under the heading Young Engineers) provide information on the occupational field of textile machinery, the activities of the foundation and excursion reports by students.

VDMA Textile Machinery with new Executive Board

At the general meeting of VDMA Textile Machinery held in Hanover at the end of September, Dr Janpeter Horn, Managing Director of A. Herzog Maschinenfabrik, was re-elected as Chairman of the trade association. Regina Brückner, managing partner of Brückner Trockentechnik, and Verena Thies, managing partner of Thies Textilmaschinen, will once again serve as vice-chairs for the next four years.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

Young researchers recognised for cutting-edge work in recycling, fibre technology and textile mechanics

At the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference held in Aachen at the end of November, Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, honoured five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses that develop solutions for resource-saving products and technologies, for example, are eligible for the sustainability awards.

VDMA members at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Singapore

With 69 exhibiting member companies, ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 is once again marked by a strong presence of VDMA companies. Altogether 82 companies from Germany will exhibit at the show, covering about 3,500 square meters of exhibition space, topped only by China and Italy. VDMA initiated a German Pavilion with two group stands (spinning in hall 4 and finishing in hall 7) with a total of 30 exhibitors.

EURATEX urges Member States to prioritise competitiveness in the next EU budget

Ahead of crucial discussions among EU Member States on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, EURATEX, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation, calls on European leaders to safeguard ambitious funding for industrial competitiveness and ensure that these resources translate into concrete investment support in European companies.

Data and skills, not algorithms, hold back AI adoption in textiles, finds ITMF and ITA white paper

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) and the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA) have published a new white paper entitled AI in the Textile Value Chain: A Strategic Guide to Artificial Intelligence for the Global Textile Industry. The study concludes that the main barriers to artificial intelligence adoption in the textile and apparel industry are not technological limitations, but poor data integration, skills shortages and gaps in governance. According to the authors, further progress will depend on coordinated efforts to develop capabilities across the industry.

Brazil: The Italian textile and textile-machinery sector takes centre stage at two workshops

From 19 to 24 October 2026, Brazil will host a mission showcasing Italian excellence in the textile and textile machinery sectors, with two workshops scheduled for 20 October in the state of Santa Catarina and 22 October in São Paulo. The initiative will bring together Italian companies specialising in textile machinery, yarns, fabrics and clothing accessories, with the aim of strengthening commercial and industrial ties between the two countries and opening up new opportunities for collaboration.