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Mid-year 2025, the promising model project, known as Textile Factory 7.0 (T7), is being established and seeks to demonstrate how future textile production can become simultaneously digital, automated, circular and economically viable.
The central venue is the historic German textile city of Mönchengladbach and home of the globally renowned Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology – the largest department of the forward-thinking Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR – University of Applied Sciences).
The institution is highly regarded for its practice-oriented education and an extensive focus on application-driven research and development. By collaborating closely with regional and international industry partners, HSNR bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world commercial application. HSNR positions itself not merely as a research center, but as the implementation of consortium designs for a living laboratory of a new industrial paradigm.
Ambitious aim of the T7 research project
Put simply, it is the transfer of innovative and sustainable processes and products from research into industry. What makes it sound promising? The established close cooperation with the industry and the fact that forward-looking concepts are being developed in the technology center across four core modules: On-Demand Manufacturing, Micro Factory Engineering, Digital Textiles, and Biosphere.
As one of several elements involved, the Biosphere module advances textile processes by combining biotechnology, material flow analysis, and recycling.
Biotechnological materials such as bacterial cellulose and methods for biodegrading polyester will be developed from sources like used textiles and textile wastewater using mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, and microbiological methods.
Based on microbial products, processes are being developed in line with green textile finishing. Additionally, the focus lies on identifying and quantifying microplastics in water, and on preventing them through low-microplastic-emission textiles and improved wastewater treatment.
In a nutshell
Through a presentation and talk with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Zoell, Professor of Clothing Assembling Technology at the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology for Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, aside the recent Texprocess trade show in Frankfurt, the author was able to gain in-depth insight into the detailed concept and structure for the eco-system and the foreseen six layers to achieve it – plus the status quo for possible first tangible results – about twelve months after launch.
“The heart of the project is the new Textile Technology and Development Center in the Monforts District of Mönchengladbach. Kerstin Zoell explains: Rather than functioning as a conventional research institute, at some point in the foreseeable future the center is intended to serve as a demonstration and pilot environment where companies can test emerging production technologies before commercial deployment.”
Here, the application of key technology areas already includes and will include even more in the future:• Automated Manufacturing: Advanced robotics, intelligent sewing systems, and AI-supported production planning are expected to reduce dependence on manual labor and improve European competitiveness • Digital Factory Models: Digital twins will simulate products, processes, and production systems, enabling manufacturers to optimize operations before implementation. • Circular Textile Systems: The project places particular emphasis on closing material loops through improved recycling technologies, material tracking, and circular product design concepts. • Climate-Neutral Production: The long-term vision is an industrial environment operating under near-zero-emission conditions with CO₂-neutral manufacturing processes and sustainable energy concepts.
Beyond a Factory: T7 a Future Textile Industrial Park
Perhaps the most ambitious element is what comes after the initial development phase. The consortium involved plans extend beyond a demonstration facility toward the creation of a full-scale industrial park of the future – “The T7 Park”.
According to project documentation, this next phase shall host advanced textile production facilities such as innovation centers, corporate R&D units, start-up units, pilot manufacturing operations, plus collaborative development environments. The objective is to create a regional ecosystem where research, development, and industrial production are physically integrated.
Together, achieving the ambitious goals.
Defined for the “T7 Park,” a consortium of stakeholders joined their forces and expertise Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB) at Niederrhein University collaborates with the Institute of Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University, the association Verband der Nordwestdeutschen Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie, the association Verband der Rheinischen Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie, the academy Textilakademie NRW and WFMG for the city of Mönchengladbach in the large-scale project T7 to jointly establish a technology center for the textile and apparel sector.
Editor’s comment:
Chances for Reinvention of textile & garment manufacturing for the circular age?
Whether Textile Factory 7.0 ultimately becomes a globally replicable model remains to be seen. Yet few current initiatives in the textile sector attempt to address climate neutrality, circularity, workforce transformation, regional economic development, and advanced manufacturing technologies within a single integrated framework.
In that respect, the R&D+A(pplication) project resembles innovation ecosystems found in the automotive and semiconductor sectors, where suppliers and manufacturers collaborate closely during actual technology development.
Also, the first industrial participation is apparent for T7. But there is definitely room for progress in this essential aspect for success for any application-oriented research.
T7 needs academia as much as industry.
For that reason alone, Mönchengladbach's Textile Factory 7.0 is likely to be watched closely by manufacturers, brands, and policymakers far beyond Germany. The crucial question will be whether embedded technologies can operate economically under industrial conditions – and then receive the chance to prove it.
Provided insights into research project to an international industry audience at Texprocess Forum: (f.r.t.l.:) Prof. Dr.-Ing Kerstin Zoell, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (HSNR), along with Julia Schröder and Clara Hermsen, Research Assistant Assistants at the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing, affiliated to the Hochschule Niederrhein.
Furthermore, as an industrial early-stage and validation user, the leisure and sportswear brand TRIGEMA is on board, demonstrating, through its multi-stage production process located in Burladingen in southern Germany, that local production remains possible under certain conditions. Their operational experience offers valuable insight into workforce requirements, automation opportunities, energy consumption, and production economics. The Textile Factory 7.0 project is receiving 25 million euros in public funding at the federal and state levels in Germany.
Automation is imperative
Buzzword “achievements”: At TRIGEMA W. Grupp KG, for example, an impressive automation solution has already been implemented in T-shirt manufacturing. With the southern German startup Robotextile GmbH on board, dedicated to the challenging task of separating fabric layers, along with its partner, the conveniently nearby robotics and machinery manufacturer Erler GmbH, the T7 team is sailing in solid tailwinds toward imminent technological advances. As one result, TRIGEMA T-shirt sleeves are already being separated, positioned, and fed into the automatic sleeve-hemming machine fully automatically and without distortion - and with 100% process reliability, as we can verify for ourselves.