Magazine July 2010

All the Latest Information from the Textile World

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Welcome.

Around three months after the introduction of the Groz-Beckert Online Newsletter, we are now happy to present you with the second edition.

This time, too, you can expect a great variety of interesting reports and up-to-date news. The topics in the Newsletter are so varied that you are sure to find something that reflects your own special interests.

Discover the world of Groz-Beckert - there's no better time to do so!

We've made very active use of the time between our first Online Newsletter and now - and the improvement in the global economy was beneficial in this regard. The worst of the international economic and financial crisis now seems to be almost over. Even though the market situation in some sectors of textile production still seems rather gloomy, order books in other sectors appear to be as full as ever. Two important achievements mark milestones in the company's development: the official opening of our new Technology and Development Centre (TEZ), and the completion of the textile-concrete bridge in Albstadt-Lautlingen.

On July 16 and 17 the Technology and Development Centre (TEZ) was officially opened at our headquarters in Albstadt. There was a very positive response from professional visitors and employees as well as from the public at large. The numerous guests were especially impressed by the generous amount of space, state-of-the-art equipment, and attractive architecture. Personalities from the worlds of industry, science and politics, including Baden-Württemberg's Minister-President Stefan Mappus, made sure they attended the opening ceremony. It was clear that expectations for the TEZ far exceed the bounds of the textile industry, and the guided tours were very well attended - as were the expert lectures. The TEZ has a total of 25,000 square metres of usable space for training, further education, research, development, and sustainable and stimulating innovation. Groz-Beckert's objective is to shape the textile future here, together with machine producers and machine users.

In the meantime, a further construction project has been successfully concluded. Together with Mr. Rainer Mänder, senior planning officer for the municipality of Albstadt, the textile-concrete bridge in Albstadt-Lautlingen was officially opened for public use. Responsibility for the planning and construction of the bridge was assumed by our company in close consultation with the municipal authorities. The additional expenses in comparison to the conventional style of construction using steel-reinforced concrete, and with regard to the warranty, were also borne by Groz-Beckert.

The new 100-metre-long bridge consists of a fiberglass construction impregnated with epoxy resin on the upper and lower sides of the bridge slab as well as a lateral reinforcement in the bridge ribs. The connection consists of a poster pillar in warp-knit technology. This innovative solution offers significant advantages over conventional materials: primarily, less weight and longer service life. The citizens of Albstadt and numerous visitors will thus hopefully enjoy their new landmark for a long time to come. With our commitment to this textile-concrete bridge, we at Groz-Beckert are not only demonstrating the capabilities of today's textile production but also our strong identification with the locality and the region.

I hope that this second edition of our Online Newsletter contains lots of stimulating new material for you. Your opinion is important to us. We welcome any praise or criticism from you, and look forward to a shared dialogue.