The white paper titled AI in the Textile Value Chain: A Strategic Guide to Artificial Intelligence for the Global Textile Industry, was published by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) and RWTH Aachen University’s Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) in October 2026.
Drawing on the ITMF and ITA’s AI in the Textile Value Chain webinar series, it argues the industry’s progress will depend on “coordinated, industry-wide capability-building”.
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RWTH Aachen University, Institut für Textiltechnik ITA director professor Thomas Gries explained: “Companies need a dedicated task force to embed data integration into their day-to-day and strategic technical and business processes. Partnering with external experts on a transparent assessment – a data or automation waste walk – and on effective implementation is not only decisive to future success, but essential to survive!”
The report describes textile manufacturing as “not under-digitalised, but digitally fragmented”, noting that decades of digitalisation have resulted in ...