At the recent Techtextil exhibition in Frankfurt, Monforts and its French representative Monel Industrie Services celebrated 30 years of a highly successful partnership.
“Working with Monforts over these years has been terrific and I have so many good memories of collaborating with many members of the Monforts team on some extremely interesting projects,” says Christophe Monel, head of the French agency. “Of course, the textile industry in France has changed a lot over this time and with the end of quotas in 2000 the market was very badly impacted. Happily, however, it has bounced back and the emphasis is now very much on technical textiles in France.”
His observations are borne out by the latest figures from Techtera, the French innovation cluster, which reveal that since 2010, the French textile industry has returned to growth, with a turnover of €14 billion in 2022 and exports of €9.94 billion. All told the French industry today comprises some 2,164 companies, of which 85% are SMEs, with a workforce of 62,500 people.
According to Monforts area sales manager Manfred Havenith, the French textiles industry has significantly repositioned itself, with an emphasis firstly on high performance smart materials and composites and secondly on the circular economy.
“Bio-sourced and alternative materials, along with recycling and the establishment of eco-efficient processes and short supply chains are currently propelling the French market forward,” he says. “As the developer of advanced finishing technologies, we are responding to many new market demands with the emphasis on resource efficiency and niche production and Christophe continues to provide invaluable liaison and support for us across France.”
“French companies have reorganised and diversified to focus on activities with high added value and this is now leading to some very interesting projects in the pipeline, which will draw on all of the accumulated expertise of Monforts,” Monel concludes. “I’m very much looking forward to what we will achieve together in the next few years.”
French Renaissance for Monforts and Monel
