They are entrepreneurs, startup designers, researchers, engineers,
generating or initiating R&D projects, inventors of new products...
All are members of Techtera, the innovation cluster
for technical textiles and flexible materials.
Portraits of these talents of intuitive, dynamic and confident innovation who, each in their own way, have revolutionised the industry...
1. Press pack
The innovation "success stories"
They are entrepreneurs, startup designers, researchers, engineers,
generating or initiating R&D projects, inventors of new products...
All are members of Techtera, the innovation cluster
for technical textiles and flexible materials.
Portraits of these talents of intuitive, dynamic and confident innovation who, each in
their own way, have revolutionised the industry
2011
Press contact: Techtera
Anne Masson 04 20 30 28 80
international@Techtera.org
2. INTRODUCTION
But what do they have in common? A small phrase that recurs as underlying theme: "a company that
does not innovate cannot survive!" And a belief: "nothing is impossible!". For some, a method:
"everyday, apply the principles of creativity: release the ideas that emerge, do not say no, find ways of
achieving". A way of life, also: "innovation, of course, and partnership". In fact, a network: they are all
members of Techtera, the innovation cluster for textiles and flexible materials, established in 2005 to
support and develop innovation in its sector.
Is there a typical portrait of an innovative entrepreneur? "No", replies Paul Millier, who teaches
innovation management at EM Lyon (business school). "I have observed those who innovate for years.
I have seen quite a number, and no, I cannot draw a typical portrait. They are all different. The only
thing they have in common is their conviction and enthusiasm".
This conviction is the theme of this second series of portraits of companies and research laboratories
conducted by Techtera. The selection is not exhaustive, not in order of importance, taken from among
the 120 members of the cluster:
- Raidlight, the race for innovation
- Centre Technique du Papier: the paper research centre for metapapers of tomorrow
- Schappe Techniques, the stretch-break experts
- Bel Maille, a universe of knitting
- Diatex, "Made in" Technical Textiles
- Denis & Fils, high fashion and high-tech
- Enveho, the thermal comfort specialists
- Ecole des Mines d'Alès: grey matter for industry
- ELyT Lab, the Franco-Japanese creators of smart materials
- Sofileta boosts innovation
- LGCIE, pioneer in the environmental monitoring of silicones
3. Raidlight,
the race for innovation
Turnover 2010-2011: €3.3 million
Growth: 25% per year on average for 10 years
Workforce: 30
Patents: 5
Products: backpacks, clothing, jackets for running, hiking,
climbing and mountaineering
Markets: Sport & outdoor recreation
Brand: Raidlight, Vertical, MadeinFrance
SMS: nothing stops the race forward of this small company founded in
1999 by Benoit Laval. In 12 years, this small specialist of clothing and
accessories for trail running has carved out its place, among the major
French brands in the world of sport & leisure, with a range of eco-
friendly products, among others. Making a decisive step, Raidlight notched up a fine performance in
2011 with the acquisition of Vertical - manufacturer of bags, suits and accessories for climbing and
mountaineering - a move to the heart of the Chartreuse nature park, the design and launch of the first
European trail station. Targets for 2012, new innovative "products", interactively developed with, and
for, users.
A
marathon year! Eleven months were Eleven months after the start of negotiations
enough for Benoit Laval, CEO of the with the village of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse
Raidlight company, to take a decisive in Isère, and here you can see the result, in the
turn for the company he founded in centre of this small mountain village in the
1999, with the June 2010 takeover of Vertical, Chartreuse nature park. A timber-framed
a brand well known by climbing and building, with photovoltaic roof and covering
mountaineering pros. 1000 m², accommodates a workshop for
A site for expansion designing and prototyping products, factory
With more employees and confirmed growth, outlet, mail-order office, a sport and relaxation
Raidlight felt cramped in its Saint-Genest- room. Since June 2011, the building is also the
Malifaux buildings in the heart of the Pilat meeting place for trail runners - more than
nature park, in the Loire region. Benoit Laval 500,000 adepts in France - who come to
was looking for a site that could allow him to discover the ten-or-so routes of 8 to 30 km
expand and complete the project near to his leading out from the trail station, designed,
heart. "We needed a plot where we could put tested and launched by Raidlight and its
up an eco-friendly building, to remain true to partners, the village, the Park and the
our company values. We also wanted to find a Chartreuse association of mountain guides.
natural area to set up our trail station and Half of the company's employees embarked on
partners to manage it with us. Finally, the the adventure. The dozen who could not move
living environment was an essential factor, for were replaced. "The hardest part is behind us.
the employees and myself. In 2009, we started It was not easy. Now, we have found our
looking in the Loire region but without success, signposts again".
until finding something here".
4. Among them, the company's motor long before hiking poles, etc, already winners of numerous
the explosion of this way of communication, is Innovation Awards.
interaction, an inherent characteristic that A new look for the Cardis jacket
marks out the path of Raidlight since its infancy "By joining Techtera, we seek to develop
in the early 2000s. "When I launched the innovation and sourcing. It should, for
brand, with a range of ten products sold at the example, help us to find new materials".
finishing line, I did it at weekends for the love In the coming months, Raidlight will market
of it. I had one goal: improve the equipment of sustainable trail shoes, offering the possibility
runners and respond to their needs. Users of replacing worn and "custom-built" parts of
reacted to what I proposed and gave me ideas the sole; together with a range of adaptable
and suggestions for improvement. I then accessories. New types of backpacks will come
decided to organise the customer-relations on the market. The little Isère brand will also
aspect by creating an interactive space on our relaunch the legendary jacket of Chamonix
website and a space for testing products here guides, trackers and sailors in the 70s: the
at the store". famous Cardis, with a design and materials
The "Raidlight team" updated to modern tastes.
Textile engineer and enthusiastic runner since Last but not least, the trail station should
the age of 9, with some fine victories to his gradually reach its cruising speed and its goal
credit, including the title of vice-champion of of receiving from 10,000 to 15,000 runners on
France, Benoit Laval holds all the cards needed its trails each year. Enough to satisfy the
for initiating a community spirit: "rather than leader of its adepts, Benoit Laval, who
go into sponsoring like most sport brands, we nevertheless continues to run five times a week
created a team open to all. This is the in the mountains. "A nice reward"...
"Raidlight team", which now has 3000
members. All our customers can join, Raidlight
regardless of their level, create a running blog Le Bourg - Chemin de Perquelin
on our website, and interact with other 38 380 Saint Pierre de Chartreuse
Tel: 04 76 533 555
runners. This is ideal for the company because
E-mail: information@raidlight.com
it allows us to understand and follow the More information: www.raidlight.com
expectations of our users every day".
Bamboo and recycled polyester
Working capital: around fifty products,
designed by the four R&D engineers, are tested
throughout the year. One sole condition:
complete the company's questionnaire. New
materials and features voted for by consumers
join the range of products sold. The others are
reworked or simply abandoned. Our key words
are "lightweight and eco-friendly". The clothes
we make are 80 to 90% bamboo and recycled
polyester. We have also launched a
MadeinFrance range with a dozen products
made in the region, at little extra cost to the
buyer".
The career of the company does not stop there.
In mind for 2012, is the development of mail
order in Germany and Spain, via dedicated
websites, and launch innovative new products
to complement the range of backpacks, shirts,
5. Centre Technique du Papier (CTP):
the paper research centre for metapapers
of tomorrow
Founded: 1957
Turnover in 2010: €11.5 million
Status: nonprofitmaking
Workforce: 135 (researchers and technicians)
SMS: in the heart of Cellulose Valley, in the Grenoble
area, the Centre Technique du Papier (CTP) has
revolutionised the paper industry and nonwovens through
process and product innovations. Among the most
promising successes of recent years is Metapaper, a
wallpaper that insulates buildings from Wi-Fi signals, or a hydrophobic paper obtained through
"chromatogeny", with many possibilities for the packaging industry. The development of biosourced
materials and product diversification are central to research and the study of new applications for
health and hygiene, future packaging, recycling, waste recovery, etc. This paper undoubtedly has a
great future!
P
aper is not dead, far from it! With paper in France. It devotes three quarters of its
" textiles, it is one of the fundamental energy to R&D, in the service of companies and
materials as old as time, or almost! groups of all sizes looking for technological
Today, it is highly innovative. solutions or breakthrough products for the
Moreover, in our business for a future. The centre has accompanied the
good ten years, we talk less of evolution in production processes. "The paper
paper and increasingly of cellulose substrate. industry has made tremendous progress. It
This term includes new products and uses for works virtually in a closed circuit. It treats and
paper. It is our personal role to open up these recycles its waste and limits its energy
new ways". consumption. Today, we continue to play a
Abundant on Earth leading role in process and product innovation.
Guy Eymin Petot Tourtollet is a director of the Moreover, the product part has expanded
CTP scientific and technical unit in Grenoble. greatly since the year 2000".
For him, as for all of these enthusiastic Wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi signals
defenders of paper gathered on the campus of Among the most spectacular inventions
Saint-Martin-d'Heres, no question, cellulose recently developed by its teams, and tested on
has a future. "It is the most abundant polymer pilot industries, metapaper is wallpaper with
on earth. It is infinitely renewable and patented patterns, printed with a conductive
completely recyclable. We are far from having ink, which filters out the Wi-Fi signals. It can
explored all its possibilities". be used as an underliner to be covered. It can
Founded in 1957 in the middle of the insulate a room or building for increased data
traditional papermaking area to support the protection, provide easier access to the
industry in its effort to rebuild after the war, network, and protect the health of users. "It is
the CTP is the only organisation of this kind for a major "first", which we have developed with
6. our industrial partner Alstrhom. Tests were major social questions that its industry is faced
carried out successfully in January 2011. The with: lignocellulose chemistry, biosourced
product is very innovative". materials, applications for hygiene and health,
A Gore-Tex paper or cardboard packaging of the future, printed electronics and
Other success of the year? A hydrophobic smart paper, waste recovery and optimisation
paper created through "chromatogeny" (green of industrial processes, etc. There is no
chemistry), clean technology for molecular shortage of areas to investigate. "Just like
modification of the surface of ligno-cellulosic textiles, paper can integrate many functions;
materials, developed by the CNRS. "The create new uses and non-traditional
problem of cellulose is that it is hydrophilic. If opportunities for its industry. Everything
you make a boat out of paper, it sinks. With remains to be invented, or almost!"
this breakthrough technology, we get a kind of
gore-tex paper or cardboard, which holds great
promise in very many fields: the press and Centre Technique du Papier
packaging, for example". Tests are under way Domaine Universitaire
for the food industry. They are carried out on Rue de la Papeterie
38 044 Grenoble cdx 09
the pilot line of the TekLiCell technology
Tel: 04 76 15 40 15
platform, which brings together 26
contact@webctp.com
manufacturers and Grenoble INP-Pagora, the More information: www.webctp.com
engineering school for paper science. All that
remains, is to move on to an industrial scale.
Sixty research projects under way * PEPS: printed electronics project for future secure
"The biggest challenge in innovation is to packaging
convince. We need demonstrators and must THID: tag development project for RFID, chip-free,
prove the feasibility of a product. Among our low-cost, tamper-proof
projects, 90% lead to improvements in
processes or products, which are then
marketed in France and abroad. Our job is not
only innovation; it is primarily to enhance a
product".
With 60 projects in 2012, including THID and
PEPS*, with the Techtera "approved" label, the
CTP continues exploring the issues, trends and
7. Schappe Techniques
The stretch-break experts
Founded: 1853
Turnover in 2011: €11 million (80% for export)
Workforce: 130
Patents: 12
Products: high performance technical and sewing thread
Markets: personal protective equipment, automotive,
aviation and aerospace, defence, industry (composites)
SMS: a very specialised firm, with technology developed in the 50s: stretch-breaking consists of
stretching the filaments of continuous thread until they break, in order to remove their weak points
and provide new properties, including strength. The target is niche markets in advance-technology
sectors such as equipment with high-level protection, aviation, aerospace and defence. Special
feature: performance. The high-tech threads created by Schappe regularly receive prizes awarded to
their users. One of the latest is a prestigious award presented as part of the European Days of
Composites (JEC) to the Latecoere aerospace equipment supplier. But, for Schappe, this was a modest
victory.
N
ot easy getting yourself talked about encircle the planet, and small-to-medium
when producing long-fibre yarns for enterprises specialising in technical products.
technical applications, even when you The latest, in March 2011, to cite just one
are a highly innovative leader. And yet... example, is the composite aircraft door
"If we had to summarise our company values, developed by Latecoere, the equipment
we would focus on innovation and discretion. manufacturer, which received one of the
Our goal is not to put ourselves forward. We prestigious JEC Awards 2011 in Paris. The
are technicians. We develop highly specific structure, with stitched pre-forms in which
thread on specifications often developed with high-pressure resin (RTM) is injected, is
our customers to meet the needs they express revolutionising the architecture and assembly
when they come to us. This is the essence of of aircraft structures by reducing the time and
our business". tools required for assembly. It uses a carbon
Customers: major international firms thread developed by Schappe, one of the
Manager of Schappe Techniques since the French partners of the project.
takeover of the company in 2007, nearly 160 Traditional, but not only
years after its founding, Serge Piolat divides his "We definitely have a true culture of
time between its two sites - the Croix-aux- innovation; in the past, of course, but not only.
Mines factory in the Vosges and the Blyes site Today, we reinvest more than 5% of our
in the Ain - and his customers. These include turnover in R&D". Result: an image of quality
major international groups, whose and increasingly efficient products dotted along
technological performance and innovation one and a half centuries of activity.
8. In fact, the Schappe story begins in the 19th Convinced of these advantages when he
century, already with"originality": the company arrived at the helm in 2007, Serge Piolat
recycled and recovered scrapped silk. In the decided to push forward and reinforce the
1950s, with the rise of artificial and synthetic upmarket position of the company in its core
fibres, it developed the stretch-break markets such as personal protection and
technology, intended for the traditional clothing composites. Thus, the business portfolio
and furnishing sectors. Mastering these skills profoundly changed with a 2- to 3-figure
makes it possible to have intimate blends of increase in some key sectors in 2011.
raw materials providing, for example, more Partner of Textilub
suppleness and comfort for clothing. To achieve these results, Schappe Techniques
Downstream of stretch-breaking, the spinning increased its efforts in R&D. The century-old
involves various operations: assembly, spinning business initiated projects with the
reaming, cabling, impregnation, scraping, etc, help of OSEO and became involved in many
giving it a stature and position and opening up collaborative projects, with "approved" labels
a variety of markets. "Schappe business grew from the innovation clusters. For example,
significantly in the 60s and 70s. The company within Techtera, it is a partner in the Textilub
was bought and then sold after the first oil project, led by SKF Aerospace and launched in
shock in 1973. In the 80s, it took a major 2008 for a period of 3 years. Objective:
turn", relates Serge Piolat. develop a new generation of self-lubricating
Focus on technical thread textile composite for aircraft articulations, the
Innovation, indeed, again before the 21st results of which could be known in 2012.
century, with the development of stretch-
breaking and spinning technical fibre yarn.
Over the years, the company completed its Schappe Techniques
Parc Industriel de la Plaine de l’Ain
transformation to focus on technical thread,
Allée des Erables
and take the leading position in line yarn with a 01 150 Blyes
wide range of products. 04 74 46 31 00
"Stretch-breaking has many advantages: you sales.rd@schappe.com
can make very fine thread and blend it, in More information: www.schappe.com
precise proportions with raw materials
endowed with complementary characteristics.
It produces very long, strong and regular
fibres, even though they are discontinuous. It
can produce thread more swelling and ready
for impregnation".
9. Bel Maille:
a universe of knitting
Founded: 1956
Turnover in 2010: €17 million (45% for export)
Annual production: 4 million metres
Workforce: 100
Products: creation, development and manufacture
of knitted fabrics for clothing, lingerie and technical
mesh in the fields of personal protection, medical,
sport (functions of thermal insulation, moisture
transfer, non-flammable, cut-resistant, automotive,
3D mesh, breathable waterproof membranes).
Markets: clothing, lingerie, personal protective equipment (PPE), administrative and
institutional markets, automotive, medical, industrial, sport & leisure
SMS: the Riorges company, on the outskirts of Roanne, is an endangered species. It is currently one
of the few French companies, and the only one in the Rhône-Alpes, to be 100% specialised in mesh. In
fact, Bel Maille has been knitting for over 50 years: originally for ready-to-wear, today increasingly for
markets consuming high-tech products, which represents 25% of its turnover. Taken over in 2009 by
Stéphane Ziegler, the Roanne SME successfully continues to diversify its activities.
A
t Bel Maille, we have several lives and developed on request or specifications of
several trades. This company, based in customers from industry, personal protection,
Riorges near Roanne, is a fine example. medical, motor racing, defence, etc.
A showcase of its industry, its 11,000 m² Similarities between the two branches of the
is a condensed history of textiles over the last business are creativity, response and
50 years - a story in motion. adaptability, but also, and above all, the mesh
Starting from mesh for women's ready-to-wear and seventy circular knitting machines, which
- including lingerie and swimwear, spearhead run non-stop. Every day, three new meshes
of the 90s - it changed profoundly and are created...
developed a range of technical mesh, first for A very special trade
sport & leisure and image clothing, then for the "The knitting trade is very special. There are
automotive, health and increasingly diversified very few in France 100% specialised, like us.
markets. Everything is made here on site in the factory.
Seats in the A380 and gyms for the This is one of our special features". Former
London Olympics in 2012 executive of leading brands of clothing,
In the company today, fashion coexists with Stéphane Ziegler took over the business from
fire-resistant materials, designers with the Bel family in 2009. Since then, he has
engineers, creation with R&D, quality-control increased diversification and modernisation.
lab with the Parisian showroom. Every year, "This business has changed dramatically during
600 different fabrics leave the factory for the its existence. When Jacques Bel founded it in
manufacturers of the major brands of ready-to- 1956, it was knitting exclusively for French
wear. While 50 to 100 new meshes are women's clothes. With the arrival of his
10. children, he embarked on creation and In the factory, the production process must
developed technically into sportswear and include environmental requirements, notably
protection products, particularly for export. A associated with recycling and waste recovery.
fire destroyed the old factory in 1989. It was A lean management programme aimed at
rebuilt on the present site". developing best practice was implemented.
After this drama, and in the following years, Training for the 41 operators employed in
the change of orientation was definite: Bel production was streamlined.
Maille set up its design department, knitting its Sustainable derma-textiles
first seats for the Megane and Clio, and Upstairs, above the workshop, among the
designing fabrics for personal protection. The designers, marketing and R&D, no letup either.
finishing part was integrated: washing, The logo and graphics of the company were
bleaching, mechanical and chemical finishes, given a new look. The marketing policy was to
drying. An industrial waste treatment plant was become more aggressive. In the offices
installed. Sales of technical textiles doubled in dedicated to the technical mesh and on the
2006. The small Roanne company launched machines, we focus on very specific demands
into specialty performance products for shoes, of customers, proposing increasingly
helmets, gloves and suit linings. It invested in sophisticated tenders. With the leitmotiv: "Bel
a fleet of high-tech machines, with gauges to Maille is technology at the service of its
make all sizes of mesh, and 3D knitting customers' creativity".
machines. New, ecological, fair-trade materials
are used in production, with, most importantly, Bel Maille
the launch of an "eco-friendly" line in 2008. 32 rue Paul Forge
To survive, we must innovate ZI La Villette
42 153 Riorges
"On arrival, I was impressed by the industrial
Tel: 04 77 44 09 70
tool, no doubt about that, but also by the mix
Contact: tissumaille@belmaille.fr
of creativity and technology". Bel Maille had a More information: www.belmaille.fr
lot of potential; however, it needed to maintain
its place in a highly competitive world. When
he took over control of the small business,
Stéphane Ziegler was well aware of this fact.
To survive, we must constantly innovate and
create at all levels. In short, take up many
challenges.
11. Diatex
"Made in" technical textiles
Founded: 1986
Turnover 2010-2011: €12 million (including 40%
export)
Workforce: 25
Products: agro-textiles, filtration ducts and filters
for automotive, pharmaceuticals, water purification,
lightweight aerospace parts, parachute fabric and
air brakes, fabrics for balloons and airships, linings
of bulletproof vests, technical baggage, consumable
films and textiles supplies for vacuum-moulding of
composites, etc.
Markets: agriculture, aviation and aerospace, construction, industry, events, personal
protection, recreational boating and car racing, wind power, etc.
Turnover per sector: composites (50%), technical textiles (30%), agriculture (17%), light
aircraft (3%)
SMS: no silk industry past or weaving ancestor. From start-up in the 80s, the medium-sized firm from
Saint-Genis-Laval, in a suburb south of Lyon, focused 100% on technical textiles. Since then, it is
diversifying, not all categories, but in four key sectors: agriculture, aerospace, technical textiles and
composites, with outstanding achievements. Some examples: filtration for buildings at the Beijing
Olympic Games, the rear fuselage of the A380 and the fuel tank of the Ariane 5, etc. The weaving
factory, taken over in the Vercors around ten years ago, is turning at full speed seven days a week.
T
he story of Diatex begins with... fabrics for clothing or decoration. The company
mosquito netting! Yet, nothing very aimed at diversification, but only into highly-
exotic in the career of this small developed technical markets.
technical textile firm. "The company Light aircraft: the only French company
started with agro-textiles, fabrics for crop Diatex very quickly distinguished itself and
protection, such as anti-insect or windbreak invested in extremely specialist sectors. Its
netting, different mesh fabrics with an impact mission? Respond to the specifications of its
on plant pollination". When Philippe Gouthez customers or prospects, and develop new,
founded Diatex in 1986, he had one idea in often-complex products with them. At the end
mind: develop a new type of net, more of the 80s, it left the Lyon asphalt to settle in
effective, for agricultural protection. The larger premises in the heart of the industrial
challenge? Adapt the mesh to the requirements area south of the city. New address, new
of air porosity, durability and ease of market: light aircraft. Using a very tough
installation of protection systems. A 100% polyester fabric, the firm designed fins and the
technical challenge, to which the small rear of small aircraft - a niche market in which
debutant team, located in offices in central it is the only French player. "Our products are
Lyon, provided an innovative answer. lighter and stronger, which is of course
Right from the start, Diatex focused totally on essential. Our customers are airfields, small
technical textiles. No question of producing manufacturers and many individuals. It does
12. not represent high volumes, but it is one of the Rear fuselage of large aircraft
traditional divisions of the company". "We went for increasingly technical products,
Ducts for the Olympics including one of our key products, used in the
Traditional, and almost cultural, we would like design of the rear fuselage of the A380. To
to add because, after starting on the ground, work for Airbus, we of course had to obtain the
Diatex rapidly rose into the air. With three key very-demanding EN 9100 aerospace standard,
markets: filtration, events and aeronautics. but it has opened doors..." Diatex composite
At the end of the 90s, this Lyon SME developed consumables are also used in the design of the
its first textile ventilation ducts - again, from Ariane V fuel tank, and parts for the cars of the
parachute fabric. The products are lightweight, Paris-Dakar race.
washable, colourable and customisable, Storage space of 1500 m2
endowed with a whole range of properties: Today, composites represent more than 50%
antistatic, antibacterial, etc. Result: Diatex of sales. Yet this is not necessarily the only
ducts, now the French leader in 2008, were sector in development. Now aged 25, Diatex
fitted in some of the Beijing Olympics reception continues to diversify and consolidate its
buildings. strengths: strong export presence through a
Four years earlier, in 2004, the company network of distributors of consumables, large
launched membranes for balloons and airships, product storage capacity, cutting department,
which also become one of its specialties. The etc. The adventure continues with, amongst
requirements for these complex textiles: the latest, a textile covering for casting
resistant to UV, helium, tearing and, finally yet concrete parts to give them special forms.
importantly, not turning yellow. Goal achieved, Planned for 2012: even better textiles for
using lamination and coating techniques personal protective equipment and parachutes,
designed by the Lyon teams of weavers. followed by the long-awaited entry into service
The climb continues - in 2009, new entry in the of Airbus A 400 and A 350...
range, with airbrakes for fighter aircraft.
High-tech innovations
Nevertheless, it is well before these successes Diatex
that the technical textiles expert really took off. 58 chemin des Sources
The year 1994 marked a turning point, with the ZI La Mouche
69 230 Saint-Genis-Laval
start of a totally new activity: film and textiles
Tel: 04 78 86 85 00
consumables used in the vacuum moulding of Contact: info@diatex.com
composite materials. The process is complex. More information: www.diatex.com
The company provided high-tech innovations,
designed and tested on site, on small pilot
moulds. Markets concerned: pleasure and
racing boats, wind turbines, motor racing,
electrical boxes, etc, and above all, aviation.
In just over 10 years, from the late 90s and
the purchase of a weaving factory in the
Vercors, Diatex has not stopped developing,
has quadrupled its workforce, and continues to
rack up significant achievements.
13. Denis & Fils, high fashion and high-tech
Founded: 1956
Turnover in 2010: €5.5 million
Workforce: 38
Products: textiles for clothing, optical-fibre textiles
Markets: clothing, furniture, building, transport,
communication, health
Annual production: 840,000 metres
SMS: what is common between a top-of-the-range sari and a luminous fabric made of optical fibre? At
first glance, not much. Nevertheless, there is indeed. In the Loire region, a small family business
weaves for both the luxury market and for high-tech textiles; it is one of the few - perhaps the only
one - in France to master the technique. At the controls, the second and third generation of the Denis
family perpetuate the family tradition of the business and fight successfully to maintain local industry.
The result: a "gem" to be discovered in the village of Montchal, an SME that is full of treasure.
Y
ou will probably not believe this, but broche cut velvet, silk crepe, etc and, of
Christian Denis could have a place in the course, natural silk form the "evening" lines,
magazines of the popular press. Yet, he lingerie, jacquard, furnishings and tweed,
is not that sort of chief at this small-to- which will make the rounds of international
medium textile firm located in the small village shows and will be proposed to buyers,
of Montchal in the Loire region. No, his motto particularly for export to the Gulf, but also
was more innovation and sustainable India, China and South Korea. If necessary, the
development - no glossy paper. At Denis & Fils, samples presented are reworked to suit
for example, all stages of textile production are customers' requirements; or recreated from
integrated - from silk thread to the finished zero according to specification.
product and verified in the laboratory -and all High precision
checked locally. "Textiles are creation, of course. Nevertheless,
Fashion models and stars above all, it is innovation. I have lived with this
Nevertheless, in the corridors of the company, since childhood, and it is obvious. If we had
the walls have some beautiful photographs of tried to make everything, we would not be here
models and celebrities wearing haute couture now! Our job is very demanding and high-
clothing and lingerie created with the fabrics of precision", says Christian Denis.
this small family business in the Loire region. As proof, the other "specialty" developed by
"One of our specialties is natural silk. So we the company in early 2000: optical-fibre
are very active in the luxury market through weaving. The Montchal business is one of the
partnerships with major brands, some of which few French companies - perhaps the only one -
date back more than 20 years", says Christian to master this technique, which it has
Denis. But hush, no question of giving names developed in partnership with the leader for
or revealing trade secrets! In the fashion luminous textiles from Lyon, Brochier
design studio, we are preparing the 2012-2013 Technologies, also a member of Techtera.
winter collection. "Around fifty new models A real challenge - optical fibre is fragile! It took
every season", declares Françoise Faure, the months of trial and adaptation of the jacquard
company's fashion designer. Chiffon, satin,
14. weaving machines to manage, position and In the 90s, Denis & Fils bought a small
work it without damage or breaks. drawloom firm and acquired a stake in the
A 6-tonne prototype Hugo Soie silk-finishing firm. In 2007, here we
Today, of the 48 looms that the factory has go again! Anxious to preserve the textile chain,
nestled in a hollow in the village of Montchal, the company acquired 35% of the shares in
one of the machines - a unique prototype Moulinages de Riotord specialising in twisting
weighing six tonnes - weaves optical fibre full- fibre, including silk. From fibre to finished
time, for future applications in transport, product, the overall industrial process has been
construction, communicating clothing, health, integrated. The plant has five warping
etc. High-tech is side-by-side with high fashion. machines for unwinding reels of thread before
The company's past meets its present. In weaving. Sampling is done on site. The quality
charge since the mid-2000s, the third control of finished products is performed in the
generation of Denis remains true to the lab.
philosophy and history of a totally family- Trademark: family
owned firm. "The future, now, is Bruno and Fabienne!" The
Cycling between looms third generation of Denis is a duo: consisting of
A story that begins in 1956: André, Christian's Christian's nephew and daughter. One is
father and artisan weaver, decided to set up on responsible for developing new high-tech
his own and took over a workshop weaving for innovations; the other, for nurturing a range of
the Lyon silk industry. The village of Montchal scarves, created and made on site, and two
still had nearly a hundred looms in homes. The annual collections, which are presented in the
Denis firm very quickly expanded. The eldest factory's showroom. "One of the hallmarks of
son, Jean-Paul joined the team formed by his our company is the family! Not just the Denis
parents and two employees. The limited family, but all the employees, who are very
liability company was founded in 1969. The loyal to us. We are sure this has helped us to
first factory was built in 1984. It was equipped be successful, even if it was not always easy!"
with the most modern looms. The following
year, Denis & Fils launched its first range of
products. Denis & Fils
"I joined the firm in 2000. We had developed a Le Bourg
lot. I was supervisor at the public works 42 360 Montchal
department. I spent my free time helping my Tel: 04 77 28 60 21
brother. But that was not enough!" Christian is www.denisfils.fr
not a little Denis for nothing. Like his
ancestors, textiles are in his blood. "As a child,
I cycled between looms!" Like them too, he is
determined to fight to keep the industry and
local expertise in their region.
15. Enveho: the thermal
comfort specialists
Founded: 2007
Turnover in 2010: €196,000
Workforce: 3
Trade: service provider (laboratory, R&D); expertise, research and
development of textiles for personal protection and comfort
Markets: clothing, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), sport &
leisure, building, furniture, industry
SMS: installed right in the Doua campus, in the heart of the science cluster of
Villeurbanne (69), Enveho - the clothing environment of people - is a young
company providing testing and R&D services. With a specialty all its own:
protection and thermal comfort. Founded in 2007 by two women, the small
firm has developed software for measuring thermal comfort, CASETO®, which allows its customers -
mostly small-to-medium businesses - to identify the specifications of their products and adapt them to
their targets.
"
T
hermal comfort is a subjective formed with Amandine Souply, textile engineer,
concept, which takes into account heat which is behind the project and development of
transfer between people and their the firm.
environment and each person's Thermal conductivity and radiation
perception, including psychosocial factors. properties
Research into this is new. It only started in the Conceived around a very specific theme, the
70s with a precursor, Fanger, a Danish small firm has several trades: testing and
researcher who was one of the first to analysis, conducted in the laboratory in Feyzin,
mathematically model the human body. This is in the southern suburbs of Lyon, the
the reference in our field". Sabine Varieras, development of new products, together with
aged 40, is a specialist in thermal comfort. industry, and establishing the specifications of
With a Ph.D. in energy and heat transfer, she thermal comfort, which is still quite new.
devoted her thesis to heat exchange in In the lab, the Sabine-Amandine duo evaluates
vehicles, then her early professional life to the the performance of work clothing or equipment
development of textile products, taking for firefighters and military personnel, and
protection and comfort into account. checks them for compliance with standards.
Tailor-made They also perform tests on the thermal
In industry, where she held a position in the conductivity and radiation properties of
R&D for 3 years, the young scientist noted a textiles.
lack; namely small responsive organisations Rating thermal comfort
offering advice and personal services to Their technology base, consisting of specially
companies wishing to test and provide developed measuring equipment and test
specifications for their products or develop new benches, enables them to function as an
ones. In 2007, she decided to set off on her external R&D centre working on innovation
own and start a business: Enveho. The with the textile industry and other sectors such
company name is an acronym for the clothing as construction. To help them in this, they
environment of people; an idea worked out by partly rely on the thermal comfort
both of them. In fact, it was the duo that she
16. specifications software, which they launched in In 2009, Enveho expanded its small team and
2009: Caséto®. recruited a young researcher preparing a thesis
"The initial problem was to rate the thermal on the ergonomics of physical activities and the
comfort. Comfort means not being hot and not engineering-design of products. Over the
being cold, not feeling uncomfortable drafts. months, the small firm has invested in new
However, there are no standards similar to fields of application, including the building
those for protection. We therefore had to industry through insulation and furniture.
define measurement indicators such as heat, "People are always at the centre of our
the characteristics of the textile, moisture concerns. We protect persons, whether this be
management, the person's activity and at home, or why not, when travelling",
environment, etc. That's the basis of our Amandine Souply concludes, before adding,
software" and the starting point of the firm. "Our role is important because we work on the
Sales pitch based on reliable information product design. We started six months before
In front of the computer screen, the user the crisis; to move forward, we had to build
enters the required information: textile our credibility! Sometimes it's sport, but it's a
characteristics (water vapour resistance, great adventure". Witness at the entrance of
thermal resistance, recovery rates, etc), the firm, a quote from Aristotle, posted on the
activity, environment (ambience, wind, etc). door: "There is no genius without a touch of
Within seconds, the software provides accurate madness!" Talking about the future, no?
data on thermal sensation and its variations,
depending on environmental parameters and Enveho
activity (skin temperature, temperature of the Centre d’Entreprises et d’Innovation
material, radiation, moisture). "This allows our 66 boulevard Niels Bohr
clients to establish their position and product 69 100 Villeurbanne
sales pitch based on reliable, verifiable Tel: 04 72 70 84 99
scientific and technical information, which is Contact: amandinesouply@enveho.com
supported by full-scale tests. This is More information: www.enveho.com
increasingly important for the public", says
Amanda Souply. For manufacturers, too, since
it allows them to validate their actions and/or
adapt their products to their targets.
Ergonomics of physical activities
Caséto® has been running at full speed for two
years, with key improvements. Developed from
single-layer clothing models, the software now
includes multilayer clothing. In 2012, it will
include the female variable and propose
calculations designed for each gender. "Each
step takes a fair time to set up. Since start-up,
our firm has evolved a lot. Our project is to
complement this research with aspects of
product ergonomics and diversify into other
sectors".
17. Ecole des Mines d'Alès:
Grey matter for industry
Founded: 1843
Workforce: 376
Number of students: 813
Number of engineering graduates: 181 (2010 figures)
Budget: €31.4 million
Turnover through research partnerships: €2.7 million
Number of research contracts: 127
International publications: 43
SMS: the Ecole des Mines d'Alès, or EMA, is one of the oldest of seven French schools for mining.
Founded in the 19th century to meet the labour needs of a booming mining industry, it has followed the
evolution of history and has succeeded in accompanying industrial change. It now accommodates 800
engineering students, most general, and ranks in the top tier of French engineering schools. At the
forefront of innovation, its three research centres work on advanced materials, environment and risk
management, and new technologies of information and communication. The psychosensory properties
of materials - smell, colour and touch - are screened for industrial applications, particularly in the
textile sector, but not only.
A
fter the 2011 summer holidays, 260 des Mines d'Alès. It began to change. In over a
new recruits joined the prestigious Ecole century and a half, the transformation was
des Mines d'Alès, in initial or continuous radical.
training, 166 years after their elders, Engineer-entrepreneurs
who made up the ranks of the promotion- Today, the Ecole des Mines d'Alès offers its
baptism of the School of Masters-Workers- students engineer-entrepreneur courses lasting
Miners in 1845. three years, open internationally, with a
The Ecole des Mines d'Alès is one of the oldest number of options and routes within the five
of seven French mining schools with whom it departments of the institution allowing them to
also forms a large family: the group of mining orientate themselves to their choice of
schools, historical, like its little sister in Douai, profession: civil engineering, mechanical and
which opened in 1878... The royal order to materials engineering, risk and environmental
create the Cévennes establishment was management, production engineering systems,
enacted in 1843 to address the shortage of and information systems.
personnel in the Languedoc mines. Objectives: "We could say that our trademark, or oldest
firstly, fulfil the labour needs in a growing activity, is civil engineering and construction.
industry by training master-miners with This is what attracts most students. Our results
theoretical and practical skills; secondly, are very good: 94% of our graduates have a
enable young experienced workers to climb the job four months after gaining their diploma;
ladder of social advancement - a promise kept one third of them in the building sector. This is
right into the 60s. Affected by the decline of more important to us than our ranking in the
French coal, the school then became technical, twenty to thirty top schools". Responsible for
changing its name to Ecole Nationale Technique relations with the innovation clusters, Mireille
18. Fouletier is a professor in a discipline that is themes, in a way, our warhorses. As regards
one of the jewels of Alès: mass-market materials, we work a lot on sustainability, life
materials. "Our students receive a broad cycle and recycling of polymers. One of our
education that will allow them to evolve specialties is also the behaviour of fire. Some
throughout their working life and come out of our work focuses on the mechanical
with a double profile: technology and trade, properties of textiles: elasticity, strength, etc.
making them operational quickly. Our mission For example, we have developed a highly
has not changed all that much, despite the innovative photomechanical device that allows
historical upheavals. Our function is always to us to monitor the deformation of textiles and
meet the needs of industry; as much in training establish laws of behaviour. The LGEI has a
students as in research". large team investigating smells and volatile
Colour and tactile properties of textiles organic compounds, and is developing organic
At Alès, Nîmes and Pau, where the school has filters for the decomposition of smells. We also
its three sites and research centres, the motto have a big team working on natural and
is indeed unchanging: listen to the needs of industrial hazards," sums up Mireille Fouletier.
companies, considered as partners. The EMA is The oldest French technology incubator
member of eight innovation clusters and full The EMA is partner of the Doseless R&D
participant of the Carnot Institut, which project, which has the Techtera and Trimatec
includes the seven schools under the name "approved" labels for developing more efficient
M.I.N.E.S. It puts applied collaborative personal radiation protection equipment for
research and economic development at the those working in the medical and nuclear
heart of its concerns. sectors. The EMA is undeniably noted for its
Witness to this, are its three research centres: close relationship with industry. "The school
the CMGD (centre for mass-market materials), distinguished itself very early through its
the LGEI (laboratory for the industrial and teaching oriented towards entrepreneurship.
natural environment) and the LGI2P Each year, our students have field missions in
(laboratory for computer science and firms established locally, throughout France
production engineering). They started their and even abroad".
activities in the 80s, around themes related to Attesting to the strong links between the
new technologies, the industrial environmental campus and industry, the EMA is the leading
and materials, and including textiles with highly French business incubator. Founded in 1984, it
specific features. was extended with the creation of the Science
Sustainability, life cycle and recycling Park business centre on the Alès site, whose
Thus, among others, the CMGD studies the first stone was laid in late 2010. Objective:
psychosensory properties of materials, the first accommodate up to thirty new companies,
of which is... colour. "We began by studying which will benefit from the proximity of the
the colour of mineral powders and then incubator and laboratory equipment. To be
expanded our research to other properties and continued...
other materials. We were interested in the
formulation of colours and visual effects in Ecole des Mines d’Alès
order to develop a predictive model of the 6, avenue de Clavières
visual aspect of materials. It's very innovative". 30 319 Alès cdx
Tel: 04 66 78 50 00
Also, very strategic for the manufacturers
More information: www.mines-ales.fr
concerned, ranging from the building industry
to cosmetics, among others. Psychosensory
too, are the tactile properties of textiles, for
example, on which a dozen researchers at the
Centre are working with the University of Pau.
With 127 current contracts, the list of activities
and fields of investigation in the school's three
research centres is long. "We have several
19. ELyT Lab, the Franco-Japanese
creators of "smart" materials
Founded: 2008
Workforce: around 150 (students and researchers)
Status: International Associated Laboratory (IAL) of the CNRS
Institutions involved: INSA Lyon, Lyon Ecole Centrale, Tohoku University (Japan)
Research areas: biosciences and engineering, sustainability and reliability in energy and
transport, nano- and micro-materials, fluid dynamics, heat transfer and micro-fluids,
tribology
Application areas: health, industry, transport, electronics, energy, environment, etc
SMS: ELyT Lab - meaning Engineering and Science Lyon Tohoku Laboratory - is a unique example in
France of a public research laboratory associating two countries, France and Japan. Founded in 2008
after over 20 years of varied collaboration between the three schools and universities involved, the
Franco-Japanese laboratory is noted for its many fields of study and the number of researchers and
students participating in this bicultural adventure. Results expected? Progress in basic research on
smart materials and multi-functionality (tribology - the science of friction and wear -, reactivity,
mechanical and thermal properties) giving the possibility of many applications; closer relations
between the two countries. In March 2011, the two Lyon schools mobilised to help their Tohoku
colleagues in Sendai, in the north of the archipelago, the region most affected by the tsunami.
"
F
or me it was a sign, an extraordinary and this is what makes it a success story - an
coincidence. In 2007, the Lyon Ecole original bias: a multidisciplinary approach.
Centrale celebrated its 150th For three years, ELyT lab has been noted for
anniversary, Tohoku University its 100th the number of students and researchers
anniversary and INSA Lyon, its 50th involved in its projects, the variety of topics
anniversary. We were then thinking deeply and vitality. Success was almost immediate.
about the work areas for our future joint A deeply-rooted history...
laboratory established in 2008. So, we all "In fact, our history goes back 25 years. It
participated in the festivities, in Lyon and began with the previous generation. Our
Japan! The Japanese researcher, Prof. Tetsuo laboratories, whether in France or Japan, have
Shoji, quoted here, is one of the three joint always been very active in the field of tribology
head scientists of the ELyT Lab, the French- and smart materials. At the time, four of our
Japanese research laboratory set up under the internationally renowned professors regularly
auspices of the CNRS, by the Tohoku met each other in symposia. They got on well
University, which he represents, INSA Lyon and with each other scientifically and became
the Lyon Ecole Centrale. He, together with his friends. Those were the beginnings of ELyT
colleagues Jean-Yves Cavaillé and Philippe Lab", recalls Jean-Yves Cavaillé. At the time,
Kapsa, designed, built and manage this unique this researcher, specialising in the science and
laboratory. A laboratory without walls and engineering of materials, was a member of the
without its own equipment, like all the team of Professor Gobin, at INSA Lyon, one of
International Associated Laboratories (IAL) of the original four musketeers. In a few years,
the CNRS, based on joint work teams and the the quartet set up the first collaborations,
energy of several laboratories recognised in exchanges of PhD students, and increased the
their fields on both sides of the planet. With - number of contacts. In 1997, it organised the
20. first Franco-Japanese Symposium on smart Five workgroups federated around five themes:
materials, supported by the CNRS. The bioscience, sustainability and safety in energy
laboratory teams involved were mobilised. The and transport, micro- and nano-materials, fluid
bicultural adventure really began. From that dynamics, tribology. In three years, they
moment, the number of participants has became the fertile ground for 21 joint research
continued increasing. projects on various subjects.
Their rallying point? The liaison office is on the An example? In the medical sector, the
INSA Lyon campus, in Villeurbanne, on the first development of innovative biomaterials for
floor of the MATEIS laboratory. In these 20 m², catheters in the Biocat project, based notably
was born the ''embassy'' in 2004 through a on the tribology expertise of Lyon researchers,
formal agreement between the three or innovative alloys used in hip replacements,
institutions. Within these walls, are received endowed with special microstructures
students preparing their double degree. It was developed by metallurgists at INSA Lyon.
opened in 2006 and, since late 2008, receives The projects, mostly focused on fundamental
Japanese researchers of ELyT Lab on mission research, generate international publications
to Lyon. 10,000 km away in Sendai, the signed by ELyT Lab in scientific journals.
configuration is identical: like in France, the Nevertheless, they arouse the interest of large
liaison office is the place for physical groups such as Total and EDF on the French
representation of the agreements linking the side, the lab's first industrial partners, but not
French schools and the Japanese university - the only ones...
the place where researchers and students meet A first ELyT School
to work. "In our three establishments, this laboratory is
The beginnings of a joint adventure... now by far our most important international
However, the first joint research projects did collaboration," says the trio in chorus. "For its
not wait for dedicated buildings and formal scientific advances of course, but also because
agreements before starting. Work began long it demonstrates that we are convinced from the
before the creation of ELyT Lab. In 1990, start: the meeting of cultures is a source of
students from the Ecole Centrale joined the innovation. It is necessarily creative".
Tohoku teams working on the durability of No doubt, beyond the scientific aspects, ELyT
video tapes. In 2003, a larger project was Lab is a cultural and human adventure. In
launched by the CNRS and its counterpart the 2009, the laboratory held its first summer
TSPS. The markers of the joint laboratory were school: ELyT School, held each summer for
in place. The idea caught on. In March 2008, three years. For around thirty participants,
INSA Lyon and the Ecole Centrale submitted a alternately French side and Japanese side, it
file to the CNRS for an International Associated allows students and researchers to immerse
Laboratory. In Japan, the administrative themselves for ten days in the culture of their
procedures were begun at the same time. The partner country, with a programme of scientific
official agreement for the birth of the IAL was lectures, visits and exchanges and awareness
signed on December 8, 2008 in Sendai. It was of the cultural aspects of the host country.
followed by a scientific symposium organised "It has taken a lot of time, but we see that our
for the first time, with the name ELyT Lab. ties are becoming stronger". Witness to these
An example: innovative biomaterials ties, is the solidarity of INSA and the Ecole
"In fact, we went ahead quickly, despite the Centrale towards Tohoku, in the first hours of
administrative aspects," recalls Philippe Kapsa, the earthquake on March 11, 2011. The INSA
from the LTDS (laboratory of tribology and foundation donated to Haru, the association of
system dynamics) of the Lyon Ecole Centrale. Japanese students, to help reconstruct
One year of scientific brainstorming was in fact laboratories damaged or destroyed by the
enough to define the laboratory research tsunami. The Lyon Ecole Centrale received a
subjects, with the underlying theme: small group of students deprived of premises.
multidiscipline, and objective: link up the With 40,000m² of buildings damaged, the
mutual excellence to start totally new projects.
21. Japanese University had to work extra hard to
restore its infrastructure and continue its work.
Beyond scientific exchanges...
A major event, the March 11 tsunami is
probably also a turning point for ELyT Lab. An
international scientific programme, bringing
together researchers from the laboratory and a
much wider network of expertise in North
America, Asia and Europe, will be launched in
2012 at Tohoku University. Objective: to
explore new solutions to prevent damage due
to tsunamis, using information gathered after
March 11, working in particular on the
dissipation of sea energy. Students of the
department of Science and Material
Engineering at INSA Lyon are already working
on innovation projects concerning the
prevention of tsunamis; the first workshop
devoted to this research is scheduled for late
2012. Techtera will be closely involved.
Elyt Lab – Bureau de liaison
INSA de Lyon
69 221 Villeurbanne cdx
Tel: 04 72 43 81 84
More information: www.insa-lyon.fr
/Laboratoires/GEMPPM/ang_index.html
22. Sofileta boosts
innovation
Founded: 1911
Workforce: 235
Turnover in 2010: €55 million
Trades: warping, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing, coating, laminating
Products: jacket textiles for firefighters, racing driver suits, protection against electric arc,
functional textiles for sport, refreshing and energizing textiles, components for aerospace, etc
Markets: sport, lingerie, fashion clothing, bags and luggage, personal protection, aerospace,
automotive and medical
SMS: Sofileta is part of a family Group, which from preparing the thread to the final finishing of mono- or
multi-layer fabrics, masters many textile trades. When the Group began, just 100 years ago, their trade
was the work of dyeing for the Lyon silk industry. Today Sofileta has an industrial organisation with
several production sites in Isère, where the Bourgoin-Jallieu SME prepares the thread, weaves, knits, and
finishes... And, every year, launches a significant number of innovative products in its preferred markets:
sport and personal protection. Growing, despite the crisis, this model company applies its expertise to
new horizons, including aviation.
U
nique: this could summarise the profile the Isère family Group factories do beaming,
of Sofileta, the family-owned firm. weaving, knitting and finishing, and have sites
Situated in Bourgoin-Jallieu, about fifty in other parts of the region. "We made a
kilometres east of Lyon, it is based on choice… We could have relocated at any time.
an industrial organisation incorporating almost We have done the opposite and prefer being
all the textile trades on several Isère sites. Full successful with French industry. This took, and
industrial integration in less than 100 years. still takes, a lot of courage and tenacity".
What could be better? Seventy percent for export
An industrial heritage Totally French, the SOFILETA company is
"In France there are very few textile companies organised around business units for the
like us, who combine the two techniques of markets: Sofileta Advanced Textiles for
weaving and knitting, with a good balance personal protection, Sofileta Advanced
between the two". Chairman of the board since Materials for industrial applications and Sofileta
2007, Benoit Bouret is the third generation of ActiveWear-Bodywear-Fashion for sport,
the family. Today at the helm, along with his lingerie, ready-to-wear and bags. These are
father, Jean-Claude Bouret, the young separate units, each with their line manager,
manager, graduated from HEC in 2007, is well their R&D and sales teams. Objective: simplify
aware of being at the head of an industrial and clarify the organisation and activities of the
heritage. "Sofileta condenses the whole history company management, particularly as regards
of textiles. The company has followed textiles, international customers. In 2010, Sofileta
and adapted, from the outset. We are achieved 70% of its turnover from exports.
centenarians and have been faithful for many It is difficult to portray all the products sold in
years to our strategy of integration and Europe, particularly the East, Asia and South
diversification. First and foremost, our Group is America. Two of the company's specialties have
a powerful industrial tool." become famous: sport and personal protection,
The Sofileta trade is to design, develop and areas where Sofileta has contributed major
market technical and functional textiles. Also, innovations. One of the latest? Sofileta Cooling
23. Fabrics®, a technology exploiting the subcontractors. The company designed and
refreshing properties of a revolutionary sold finished products - only to the clothing
polymer: it absorbs moisture from the body sector at the start. Our flagship product at the
during physical activity and provides freshness time was acetate lining, of which we were one
in exchange. This product, developed in of the largest European producers". But, no
partnership with the Belgian company Luxilon, question of resting on our laurels. In the early
manufacturer of the filament, won an award for 90s, Sofileta added a first knitting unit and
innovation in May 2011 during the prestigious launched new lines of product, before
Techtextil international trade fair in Frankfurt. developing textiles increasingly complex in
"What is also very innovative, is the their properties and functions.
specification work done on textiles using this A brand new factory
polymer. Comparative tests have been Next rendezvous: in 2013, 102 years old, the
conducted on a laboratory model simulating Group will offer itself the luxury of celebrating
the human body with its heat and moisture its centenary and, above all, writing a new
exchanges. A temperature difference on the chapter in its history. If administrative
surface of the skin between 1.4°C and 3°C was obstacles do not excessively delay the project,
measured after 60 minutes of physical effort, a brand new factory will open in Isère. High-
compared with existing fabrics on the tech and "clean", it will focus on new more
sportswear market. This is not mere sales energy-efficient technologies, optimised
talk". processes, more environment-friendly, and
Aerospace, automotive and medical technologically advanced. Without doubt, this
Other examples of star products: the will boost the success of the Isère SME. Among
Sofil'Arc® range for the electrical industry, those coming in 2012: Sofileta Energizing
providing protection from electric arc, the Fabrics®, a technology that could, if ongoing
Diamond Technology® innovation, which trials confirm, confer slimming and stimulating
through its special weaving, functions and new properties to lingerie or clothing worn close to
performances, provides fire and heat resistant the body. This just shows, concluded the young
textiles, or SofiShield® technology, which is head of the company, "there is always
about to be marketed in Europe after two years something to invent". Listening to him, we
research, gives treated textiles outstanding have no doubt that this is true.
resistance to abrasion without compromising
breathability and flexibility. Sofileta
Two years ago, Sofileta added another string to 25, Petite Rue de la Plaine
its bow, with the development of technologies 38 311 Bourgoin Jallieu
Tel: 04 74 43 55 00
inducing new functional processes in textile
Contact: contact@sofileta.com
products. The hundred-year-old company
More information: www.sofileta.com
invests in new markets: aerospace and
medical. "Our culture is diversification. What
marks our history, are the technical challenges
to which we have responded. We are therefore
consistent with our past".
When Grandfather Benoit Bouret joined
Sofileta, shortly after the founding of the
company in 1911, and took over management,
the little firm had only one trade: dyer for the
Lyon silk industry. It mutated in line with the
great transformations in the sector, with the
advent of artificial and then synthetic fibres,
and expanded rapidly in the 60s, until the key
date: 1969, when it bought a major weaving
factory. "From then on, we ceased to be mere
24. The LGCIE, pioneer
in the environmental
monitoring of silicones
Founded: 2007
Staff: 88 teachers-researchers and administrative staff, about 50 Ph.D. students
Research domains: civil engineering and urban planning, environmental analysis of
processes and industrial systems, urban hydrology, treatment and recovery of waste, soils,
polluted sediments
SMS: here, in this Villeurbanne laboratory on the INSA Lyon campus, the science of waste treatment
took its first steps in the early 70s, led by visionary chemist professors - Alain Navarro and John
Véron. The initial chemist approach was then enriched by the addition of process systems researchers.
Then, in January 2007, the team collaborated with other separate institutions, INSA and UCBL Lyon1,
to form the LGCIE (laboratory of civil and environmental engineering). Thereafter, research made
significant advances. Today, one of the team's flagship topics focuses on the anaerobic digestion of
organic waste and energy recovery from the biogas produced. Thus, the team conducted the first work
in France on the deterioration of silicones present in countless consumer products.
D
id you know? Every French person uses planning and environmental analysis of
an average of 1 kg of silicon per year, processes and industrial systems.
found in cosmetics, health, household "We started from nothing. Our knowledge was
products, shampoos, paint, zero! What pushed us into this was a problem
repositionable adhesive, bathroom joints, encountered in the field by the biogas energy
kitchen moulds, electrical insulation, mobile recovery sector; the gas (over 50% methane)
phone shells, etc. A recent but exponential produced by the fermentation of waste.
development: since their post-war discovery, Unexplained deposits of silica (abrasive) on the
these chemical products derived from silicon energy-recovery engine pistons were likely to
and silica (sand) continue to procreate. Their damage them. We analysed these deposits and
applications are endless. No wonder: their went up the chain to discover that they came
properties, resistance in particular, put them in from the deterioration of silicones in waste.
the first rank of performance polymers. Current This is how our work started". Seven years
global growth is 6-7% per year. In short, they later, Patrick Germain, professor and head of
are everywhere, and their future is assured. the environmental, industrial and urban science
Starting from scratch... degree from 2005 to 2010, gives an
Silicones are central to the work done by the enthusiastic report. "Here in our laboratory,
LGCIE (laboratory of civil and environmental around ten researchers are involved in
engineering) of Villeurbanne on the LyonTech methanisation, biogas and silicone! It must be
campus of Doua. said that since 2004, the general context has
The groundwork began in 2004. The teams evolved a lot. The interest in these subjects is
from INSA Lyon and the Claude Bernard Lyon I greater now". The first world thesis on the
University, came together in 2007 under that relationship between the deterioration of
name to pool their respective fields of silicones, and the technical and economic
investigation in civil engineering, urban problems engendered, was continued by the
LGCIE in 2008; another topic followed in 2011.
25. A patent was filed on a method for analysing most common material on the planet. But, we,
biogas. A purification process was developed the researchers and manufacturers, know what
and field-tested. Today, LGCIE is the only is needed to get that far".
French laboratory successfully working on the Hydrology, environmental engineering
deterioration and environmental impact of Examining environmental issues to improve
silicones. their consideration when preparing building
"We are different because of our plots and provide better control over pollution:
multidisciplinary approach. When we started such could summarise the overall definition of
talking about the science of waste in the 70s, the work done by the LGCIE. With a strong
only chemists were interested. Then we presence on the ground for sewerage,
recruited biologists, geologists, statisticians. purification or waste treatment plants (from
Our research on silicones combines many skills. which researchers regularly take samples), the
This gives us another outlook. For us, 1 + 1 lab works on a variety of subjects in
equals 3". partnership with local communities and waste-
Global benchmark in the sector treatment and construction companies.
The equation shows the value of adding talent. Its role? Identify, analyse and study recovery
Manufacturers quickly understood this. Hence, possibilities. For this, the teams employ all
of course, the global benchmark in the sector - their expertise: hydrology, environmental and
Bluestar Silicones, one of the leading silicone civil engineering; the examples abound. Thus,
manufacturers, first-class leaders in markets in the Lyon area, the LGCIE continuously
such as elastomers for paramedics and the monitors the many physical-chemical
automotive industry, anti-adhesion for parameters of wastewater and surface water in
packaging, adhesives and textile coating for the sewers. It also takes specific samples for
airbags, technical textiles and lingerie. From its its research into the impact of weather
birth in 2007, and the takeover of the silicone conditions or human activities. Our teams also
business by the Bluestar Group from the work on the transformation of household
Rhodia chemist, the new unit formed a closer rubbish into materials usable for sub-layers of
relationship with the Villeurbanne lab. roads or in the building industry.
Objective: measure the impact of its products The long-term aim is greater recovery and
in the waste treatment sector. European recycling of waste. "Today, we only reuse 30%
regulations require the silicone industry to of biogas production. With the explosion of
review its production processes and use new renewable energy, this percentage will increase
types of catalysts free of tin or mercury dramatically. We need to work on, study and
compounds. Bluestar Silicones took up this eliminate the technological blocks in these new
environmental and economic challenge and waste-recovery sectors".
launched a collaborative research project:
ECOMAT, approved by Techtera in 2009, with LGCIE – Laboratoire de Génie Civil et
four manufacturers and three research d’Ingénierie Environnementale
laboratories, including LGCIE, as partners. One Tel: 04 72 43 82 76
Contact: patrick.germain@insa-lyon.fr
aim of this project, supported by the French
lgcie@insa-lyon.fr
government, was to assess the environmental
More information: http://lgcie.insa-lyon.fr
impact and study the deterioration of silicone
products with this new generation of catalysts.
Conclusion? Too early to tell; the research is
still going on but the outlook is attractive.
"ECOMAT is expanding our areas of
investigation, allowing us to better understand
the decomposition of silicones. Possibly even,
to eventually control it with super-bacteria and
move towards biodegradable silicones. If all
goes well, the silicone will finish as sand, the
26. TECHTERA: FACTS AND FIGURES
Techtera is the innovation cluster for textiles and flexible materials in the Rhône-Alpes
region. A network of manufacturers, researchers and persons in higher education gathered
around one aim: to develop R&D partnership projects (involving at least two firms and one
laboratory). Focused on its mission, innovation, the cluster offers its members a range of
services dedicated to the development of new products, processes and technologies:
Innovation Workshops, "project" workgroups, search for partners and funding, monitoring of
funded R&D projects, international communication and development, etc.
Founded: July 2005
Number of members: 110, including 80% manufacturers and 70% small-to-medium firms
(2010 figures)
Number of projects supported by the cluster: 204
Number of projects with the cluster's "approved" label: 110
An average of 4.5 partners per project (manufacturers, research laboratories, technical
centres)
R&D budgets for all projects funded since the cluster's creation: €137 million.
Fifty-five percent of the cluster's manufacturing members are partners of one or more
projects.
To do this, they invested more than €11 million in R&D from their own capital in 2009.