TEXTRANET (Textile Transfer Network)
is a non profit making association.
Its head office is established at Paris 13^ème — 14 rue des Reculettes.

Its following objectives have been defined :

• provide technical and commercial benefit by participation for all of its members;
• promote the exchange of information between its members;
• facilitate the establishment of trans-national projects, with particular emphasis on those receiving European funding;
• develop and maintain co-operative links with professional and textile associations, particularly those having a pan-European activity;
• provide a forum for the promotion of technical progress within the European textile industry.

The Association is composed of four types of members
Full, Associate, Transitional and Supporting members.

Full Members: Textile Research and Technology Organisations deriving the majority of their income from commercial operations who are registered within the European Union or EFTA.

Associate Members: Textile Research and Technology Organisations deriving the majority of their income from commercial operations who are registered outside the EU or EFTA.

Transitional Members: Organisations who have served a minimum of two years as an Associate Member and whose countries are in the active process of becoming a member of the EU or EFTA.

Supporting Members: EU or EFTA registered associations or companies.

TEXTRANET is managed by an Executive Council (also called Bureau) composed of up to six members drawn from the full members organisations :

President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, two others to fulfil specific requirements.

Organisations involved in TEXTRANET are listed below.

In matters of research, very few companies, including large ones, can provide themselves with sufficiently technical resource, SME's less than others.

This is where textile Technical Centres come in. Present in every European country, they are true partners accompanying and guiding companies through their paces. Partners which muster new technologies, permanently follow innovations in the field and place their capabilities and competence at the service of companies in the textile sector. Collective, associative or contractual projects, technical assistance, counselling, reports, certification, standards, information, training… their activities are greatly diversified and concern both the general and collective or individual interest.

Their position within the various networks allows Technical Centres to multiply their ability to face problems and to better serve the companies concerned.
This is the spirit behind the creation of TEXTRANET.

Connected to this spirit, TEXTRANET means :

• a performing scientific infrastructure available to all the textile chain;
• a scientific and technological environment;
• a mine of knowledge;
• a synergy of competencies;
• a wide range of activities and services;
• willing and determined co-operation;
• an easy accessibility;
• a spirit of service.

TEXTRANET is developing a dynamic strategy articulated on two axes: Reinforcing the member's own activity and organising concerted actions.

Reinforcing the member's own activity

Everyone can benefit from the experience, success, organisation and strong points of others. It is an enrichment in the true sense, from which each member can thus benefit in its own right and also for its own region.

Organising concerted actions

Actions requiring large intellectual investments, both to attain results and to enhance them, usually require a common pooling of efforts, experience and know-how. This is the case, for instance, in setting up data banks, their follow-up, their updating and exploitation. It is also the case in activating research projects — formulation, execution, finalisation — on specific themes. Technical Centres must then be selected according to their infrastructure, competence and the specialisation of their experts. These centres, associated through TEXTRANET, bring their scientific and logistical support to these various actions and thereby guarantee the best execution of the projects.

On the verge of the third millennium, many challenges are facing the European textile industry, TEXTRANET has thus focused on a priority objective: constantly providing the technological answers to such challenges so that European companies might profit from them

A corollary effect

TEXTRANET is in a position to contribute a building stone towards European integration. Its objectives and actions actually fall into the more fundamental movements for the construction of Europe. It is thanks to the multiplication and conjunction of initiatives such as TEXTRANET that one will avoid scattering resources and dispersing efforts and that one will speed up the establishment of standards, rules and regulations that will lead to the elimination of trade barriers. This is also the way to reinforce national and regional activities. And, most of all, change the image of a simple co-operation into a true integration of formulations and actions.

All information and a Textranet brochure may be asked to:

Textranet secretariat

14, rue des Reculettes — 75013 PARIS
Tel.: (33) 1.44.08.1900 - Fax (33) 1.44.08.1939
e-mail : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www: http://www.textranet.net