Adidas director wants to see solutions to automation’s shortcomings
Organiser of the Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitions, Messe Frankfurt, has hosted a preview event to highlight what visitors can look forward to from the 2026 editions of the events. Both shows will take place concurrently in Frankfurt from April 21-24.
The centrepiece of the preview event was a panel discussion. Participants were Messe Frankfurt’s vice-president for textile industry events, Olaf Schmidt, the managing director of industry association VDMA, Elgar Straub, the senior sirector of advanced creation at adidas, Walter Wählt, and the general manager of textile research institute CITEVE, António Braz Costa.
Panel members agreed that innovation needs to be the textile industry’s response to economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and continued restraint in investment.
They also agreed that innovation can accelerate the transformation of the textile sector and suggested that many of the new ideas on show Techtextil and Texprocess in April will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable materials and new production models.
However, Mr Wählt also said that his experience of incorporating new technologies into garment design at adidas has left him in no doubt that gaps remain. He said: “You bring in innovation because there is a problem that you want to solve. Right now, we have automated systems for pattern-making, but the systems do not know if they are looking at the pattern for a sleeve or for the back of a garment. This system still needs you to position all the pieces manually. This is ridiculous and needs to be automated.”
He also called for greater automation in systems for separating different materials from garments when they go for recycling.
“When you talk to suppliers about these problems, they always say that they are working on it and that they have something that is almost ready,” he said. “I hope to see some solutions at Techtextil and Texprocess.”
Discussion panel, left to right: Merle Becker (moderator), António Braz Costa (CITEVE), Walter Wählt (adidas), Elgar Straub (VDMA), and Olaf Schmidt (Messe Frankfurt).
CREDIT: Messe Frankfurt.
