(Microsoft PowerPoint - LILLE GP - ClubTex [modalit -

PLC5 – Szombathely june 2013, 12 th

“Support for SMEs clustering and internationalization”

CLUBTEX (Club of Technical Textile Companies In Nord-Pas-de-

Calais Region)

Description of the GP

The CLUBTEX association

� founded in 1989 by some pioneering

companies� 74 members: 63 manufacturers (micro-

business, SME, Major companies), 3

institutional members and 8 centers dedicated toR&D and training.

� Wide geographical area: mostly in the Northof Paris but also Belgium

� Most of Clubtex activities (and a majority of

members) are located in Lille metropolitanarea.

More than a philosophy… a creed: More than a philosophy… a creed:

“We do not need to compete with each other

anymore to gain market share but we need to work together to create new markets"


CLUBTEX offers a wide range of services to its members :

Information and business intelligence:

�‘Technological Days’ : workshops gathering researchers,

consumers, transformative companies of technical textile and

opinion leaders on technological innovation

�Monthly meetings about topics such as international market

research, product applications, new processes…

�Technological Intelligence: evaluation of the latest published

patents including scientific articles and sharing it on its web site

(in coordination with the centre of competitiveness UPTEX).



Business Hub: deals with 2 requests for products a day….

And dispatch those requests to the members

Development: �CLUBTEX organizes exchanges and meetings between its

members and representatives of other sectors (architecture, civil

engineering, aircraft and space travel, environmental

protection…).

�CLUBTEX facilitates and increases the relationship between

SMEs / SMIs, key accounts and public services (Through the

“Richelieu” committee)



Developing skills thanks to an employment exchange :

�CLUBTEX has a CV library and makes contacts between

job-seekers and Clubtex members

�CLUBTEX participates to local job forums

�CLUBTEX has close relations with the training centers

Promoting the sector of technical textiles :

www.clubtex.com

Developing the internationalization of members(companies), advising on export, organizing trips to foreignprofessional trade fairs…


Focus on the internationalization actions :

CLUBTEX helps towards developing export markets by pooling

resources and actions such as :

1. Collective booths at specialized fairsThis action is related to the international CCI and UPTEX

(competitive cluster).

� collective stand during events like : Techtextil in Frankfurt, JEC in

Paris…

Ex : Techtextil 2013 = 25 SMEs as exhibitor on the Clubtex stand

� aiming at enabling SMEs of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region to

access to foreign markets.


Focus on the internationalization actions :

2. Business and Technological Intelligence to access to foreign markets :

� Participating to international conferences and conventions such

as:

� MFC, seminar on fibers in Dornbirn (Austria),

� International business conventions : Citext in Troyes

(France)….

� Clubtex organizes afterwards restitution sessions for its members

about information collected within the framework of debriefing

meetings.

3. Advise related to export, on niche markets: an international

network of specialists and experts to provide business information

about foreign markets


4. CLUBTEX has initiated in 2005 the first International

Convention of Technical Textiles FUTEX

� more than 280 European professionals in the Technical

Textile sector: Industrialists, researchers, students…

representing 4 different nationalities.

� Each year, a new topic :

FUTEX 2005: Technical Textiles for Health and

Transportation

FUTEX 2007: Extreme Textiles

FUTEX 2009: Towards Textile Buildings

FUTEX 2011: Invisible Textiles

FUTEX 2012 : New fibers, Barrier effect


5. CLUBTEX has initiated the international exhibit, Futurotextile.

� FUTUROTEXTILES is a mobile exhibition module combining

science, technology and art on textiles.

� One part of the products presented during that exhibit, comes from

member-companies of Clubtex and from the Nord-Pas De Calais

region.

� This international exhibit has travelled afterwards around the world

since its first event in 2006 : Lille, Istanbul, Kortrijk, Bangkok,

Casablanca, Djakarta, Shanghai, Barcelona, Cordoba, Prato, Lödz,

Ronse, Paris…. For more than 500 000 visitors

Relevance of the GP

� Internationalization of SMEs is one of the main key missions of

CLUBTEX

� The beneficiaries of Clubtex actions in this field are mostly the

industrial SMEs for technical textiles of the Nord Pas de Calais region.

� Clubtex are partly funded by public local authorities (Lille Métropole

and Nord-Pas de Calais regional council) = an element of a public

policy aimed at supporting the development of companies in the

textile sector.

Tangibility : The Success factors

� A dedicated team (limited, 3 persons, but dynamic) for the

member-companies of the club

� An accurate knowledge of each Clubtex member-company’s

potentials in order to enable relevant advice and therefore a

maximum efficiency for each company

� A selection of trade fairs and conferences to be visited in

connection with the member-companies for a better effectiveness.

� The creation of a network composed of experts in different

countries than can pass on in-depth information on niche markets

Difficulties and Durability

� The variety of markets of technical textile use, (and the high

specialization of each company) = difficulty to offer efficient services for

all member-company’s (sometimes, Clubtex have to purpose a “à la

carte” service).

� The current economic situation (since 2008-2009… having worsened

since mid-2012)

� Providing feedback from companies about the economic results of

the CLUBTEX actions on their business

Durability and Added Value for

Lille Metropole

� A long-term and significant public support : to position / place the

Lille Metropolitan Area as the first European region for innovative

textiles.

� An important part of the « coordination plan of economic sectors»,

for Textile (but applicable also to other economic sectors), which is

the structural frameworks of Lille Metropole economic policy.

(Internationalization of SMEs through collective actions led by a

business club is something particularly important for the development

of companies).

� A contribution to the economic redevelopment strategy of Lille

Métropole, centered on industry and innovation

Transferability

An ability to expand and transfer its methods alreadyexperienced :

� Clubtex has spread in the other French region specialized in that

field, Rhône-Alpes,

� Clubtex has integrated among its members some Belgian

companies and others form French regions.

� Clubtex has established close relations with some other clubs of

technical textile companies in Europe.

Key points for the transferability of the Clubtex action :

� a coordination team composed of professionals accustomed to the

research of markets for international marketing;

�To have an accurate “mapping of know-how and skills” of each

member-company.

(Microsoft PowerPoint - LILLE GP - ClubTex [modalit -

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