SALTEX as an interdisciplinary contact and network forum

With 59 exhibitors, coming mainly from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, SALTEX has achieved the desired target, says the project manager Katharina Schulz. A balanced mix of industrial companies, research institutes, trade associations and service providers along the entire value-added chain promises the visitors a good insight into the sector’s innovation status. The Smart Textiles Symposium of the Smart Textiles Plattform Austria, which is already being hosted successfully in Vorarlberg for the fifth time, is taking place at the same time as SALTEX. With its interesting topics, it is sure to be a magnet for visitors. The first day of the symposium, 05 October, is dedicated to intelligent textiles, and the 06th of October will focus on fibre composites and textile lightweight construction in the architecture, automobile and medicine sectors. Online registrations for the symposium are still possible until 30 September 2016. Registering on site is not possible.

Incentives for active networking
As an interdisciplinary contact and network forum, SALTEX has the objective of initiating new cooperations and business transactions with complementing partners in the attractive Vorarlberg economic region, “right on your doorstep” so to say. Apart from an exhibition area and symposium, the varied supporting programme offers additional possibilities and incentives for active networking.

The B2B cooperation exchange is one of these components. During breaks at the Smart Textiles Symposium, and after prior registration, short individual talks can be arranged with speakers or other preferred partners. Participating in the cooperation exchange is included in the exhibition entrance fee. It is hosted by Wirtschafts-Standort Vorarlberg GmbH (WISTO) with support by Smart Textiles Plattform Austria and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), as well as numerous cooperation partners. On Wednesday, 5 October, from 12:30 to 17:00, within the framework of the Austrian cluster conference, the National Cluster Platform provides information on the topic of “Global Megatrends and the Role of Clusters”. 

The nanotechnology workshop is organised by the cooperation partner nanoNet Österreich association, and is taking place from 10:30 to 14:30 on the second event day. What is more, five research institutes will be presenting the latest research results on a shared surface as well as prototypes and product ideas revolving around the topic of Smart Textiles and fibre composites. At SALTEX, Etos, the self-propelled concept car by the Swiss think tank Rinspeed can also be viewed for the first time in Austria. Every day, from 10:30, Wolford AG in Bregenz can be visited. Transport from the exhibition grounds is guaranteed. We kindly request timely registration as the number of seats are limited.

Smart sport textiles
True to the mindset of SALTEX and, as it were, an example regarding the sector’s innovative strength, is a project that is accompanied in the Advisory Board by Günter Grabher, owner of the Grabher Group. The Styrian start-up sanSirro (founding 2014), which focuses on the topic of personalised sport clothing, started a crowd-investing project on CONDA, Austria’s largest platform, in August. Already within the first two hours a six-digit amount could be raised. “The first truly sustainably washable smart sport textile is to be developed with the current project,” says Hannes Steiner, CEO and owner of sanSirro GmbH. With the planned development, the innovation is the generation of biometric indicators and geodata directly on the user’s body, without the use of additional hardware. The technologically mature sensor technology was developed by embroidery companies in the highly innovative and globally-connected Vorarlberg economic region in Austria. The sensor-supported data is transferred directly to an integrated smart chip that communicates via the Cloud. “The technology is a special nanoplasma coating that protects both the fabric and the chip against external damage. We are convinced that we will lay a cornerstone with this new fibre technology. Numerous top-ranking athletes have confirmed this.”

Tickets are available at:

https://saltex.messedornbirn.at/ticket/