Industrial thread manufacturer Coats has completed the opening of its series of three Innovation Hubs around the world, which will enable to company to collaborate more closely with customers, brands, suppliers, universities and start-ups.
Today (4 April) the group’s CEO Rajiv Sharma officially opened the new EMEA site in Bursa, Turkey, following the opening of its Asian counterpart in Shenzhen, China, last week. The Coats Innovation Hub – America, the first of the series, is in North Carolina and opened in October 2018.
The dedicated centres are aimed at developing pioneering new products and processes in apparel and footwear and hi-tech products for end uses in automotive, oil and gas, protective wear and telecommunications. They are designed to provide “creative and inspiring spaces” where an innovative idea can be developed collaboratively and rapidly worked up into a prototype design which is then manufactured in a stand-alone pilot factory.
Each of the Coats Innovation Hubs has distinct areas of focus, with China due to concentrate on creating a sustainable product portfolio in apparel and footwear. Bursa, meanwhile, is at the centre of the automotive industry in Turkey but will also be key to developing products that take personal protection garments to the next level in terms of comfort, fit, look and safety.
“Coats is a pioneering company and innovation is crucial to our success,” explains Sharma. “To help structure our approach to innovation we are developing Innovation Hubs at key locations around the world. These are centres of excellence where we can develop new and potentially industry disrupting ideas. Our EMEA and Asia Hubs coming online is an exciting step in our new approach.”
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Coats adds it expects the two latest Hubs will follow the success of the one in America, which has been in “constant use” since opening and has collaboration partner meetings booked six months in advance.
Coats’ new sustainability strategy released last month saw the company set out seven “ambitious” targets for 2022 across five priority areas in order to accelerate the company’s progress towards a more sustainable future.
