Textile production in Germany: “Inventing Industry 7.0” at Textile Factory 7.0

The German government-funded future project, “Textile Factory 7.0” (T7), launched almost a year ago. It is a collaboration between the University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) and other stakeholders from research, business and local authorities. The ambitious goals were announced in July 2025 already: Production and business processes are set to become digital; robotics will be introduced and production will become circular.

Supply chains will also be made resilient, while the shortage of skilled workers and the need for an adequate energy supply will be addressed. In other words, the aim is CO2-neutral, circular and economically viable textile production in Mönchengladbach, a central location between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border that has textile production in its DNA.

Over a period of ten years, the HSNR will receive a total of 25 million euros in funding from the German government. Different institutes, universities and local associations are involved as project partners and have already founded a joint company, the T7 Management GmbH, to manage and structure the project after the funding period ends.

The project officially started in October 2025 and focuses on four core modules: On-Demand Manufacturing, MicroFactory Engineering, Digital Textiles and Biosphere. Workshops were held with various representatives of the textile industry at the official kick-off on 19th March 2026 on site, at business park Monforts Quarter.

Industry insiders shared their needs and wishlists so that these could be considered during planning and implementation and to find sustainable and economical solutions jointly. The project is now entering its operational phase. This means that the currently empty factory hall will be filled with most of the required machinery over the course of the year.

In the future, the creation of 3,000 jobs is planned in conjunction with a proposed industrial park. What specific knowledge and skills should potential employees possess? How will the integration of automation and human labour function? Where will artificial intelligence be used? FashionUnited discussed these and other interesting questions with Prof. Dr. Maike Rabe, who as head of HSNR's Research Institute for Textiles and Clothing is also in charge of the Textile Factory 7.0.

To begin: What is the current status of the project?

The project officially started in October 2025, and our “Technology Centre” at Textile Factory 7.0 is open since 1st January 2026. It consists of an area of approximately 2,000 square metres at Monforts Quarter in Mönchengladbach. This is an old industrial building that is now undergoing innovative reuse as part of the project. This is the first unique feature: moving away from new construction and soil sealing, and towards sustainable industry with its own power supply.

This is the site of the former C&A FIT jeans factory in Mönchengladbach, which had to close at the beginning of last year.

Textile Factory 7.0 is an independent project and not a continuation of the C&A FIT jeans factory. The Monforts Quarter was chosen as a historically significant location. As a former centre of textile machinery production, it is closely linked to Mönchengladbach's industrial textile history. The project's aim is to find CO2-neutral, circular economy solutions. This was also a factor in the choice of location, which is why an existing factory hall was deliberately selected and will be upgraded accordingly. Most of the machinery is scheduled to be procured by the end of this year and fully installed in 2027.

Up to 3,000 new jobs are planned. Could you elaborate on how these will be distributed across the various project phases and areas?

An industrial park is planned in addition to the technology centre at Monforts Quarter. It will have its own energy supply, optimal connectivity and digitalisation, and will use sustainable raw materials. A development team will continue to support and advise companies not located in the industrial park, carrying out application-oriented developments for them.

The industrial park is currently still in the planning phase. This is where the 3,000 new jobs will be created. The findings from the emerging Textile Factory 7.0 technology centre will be used to realise this industrial park. It will also continue to exist in the future to create new applications with the industry and strengthen the location's competitiveness. Around 50 jobs will be created in the technology centre itself.  

What specific knowledge and skills should employees have? Are entirely new job profiles emerging?

The project is developing solutions for the megatrends of defossilisation, robotics, automation, AI and biotechnology. The T7 team is already qualified to combine knowledge of textile and clothing technology with the ability to handle cross-disciplinary topics. In the future, people with interdisciplinary training will be needed. The traditional engineering profession will change; knowledge of AI, programming, robotics control and microbiology will be required.

Is this development also taken into account in training and further education modules?

The Textilakademie NRW is also a project partner, so there is a close exchange with vocational training, where the new job profiles can be applied in the future. Passing on the knowledge gained is also part of Textile Factory 7.0. The “Academy” module plans to transfer this knowledge into practice through workshops and training courses.  

How will you ensure that the workforce perceives increasing automation as a support rather than a threat?

The goal is high value creation through excellence in work. Demographic change, in particular, necessitates the use of robotics and automation to maintain economic output and thus jobs, even if certain manual tasks can no longer be performed. This will require qualifications so that employees can control the complex machines and monitor quality. Here, too, the “Academy” module is of central importance. Through early communication about the project, it will ensure that technological developments are perceived as progress and not as a threat.  

Regarding technology and digitalisation: in which specific process steps is artificial intelligence already being used productively?

Artificial intelligence will be used primarily in production planning, quality assurance and process optimisation. This includes AI-supported planning tools for micro-factory layouts, machine-vision systems for real-time fault detection and intelligent assistance systems for employees. The aim is to make production processes more flexible, efficient and data-driven, especially for small batch sizes and on-demand manufacturing. AI is also playing an increasingly important role in design, which we will not neglect in the project.  

Does the project use an open data format for the digital twin of textiles, allowing information to flow seamlessly between different stakeholders in the value chain?

Our aim is to connect the physical and digital worlds. We will cooperate with our partners on this to find the most practical solutions possible. The Textile Factory does not conduct basic research but rather tries to transfer good ideas from research into practice. What we consider suitable will be passed on through the academy to create the easiest possible access to the information.  

What does the energy concept for the planned T7 industrial park look like? Is the aim to cover production entirely with local renewable energy sources?

In the T7 technology centre, we are focusing on the electrification of heat processes, such as heat pumps for high-temperature processes, generating electricity from solar and wind energy and, of course, energy efficiency. In our technical centre, all systems and processes are controlled so that energy requirements can be recorded in real time and matched with the energy provided. This opens up new possibilities for industrial processes.

The T7 industrial park will, of course, be powered entirely by renewable energy. The specific implementation is part of our planning work. Our goal is for the T7 park to have its own energy concept, making it independent of large suppliers.  

What about competitiveness? How will the T7 concept compensate for Germany's high energy and ancillary wage costs, so that on-demand manufacturing can compete on price with imports from low-wage countries?

We assume that regulations in the European Union will change the conditions in the textile industry. The global, highly distorted supply chain will be transformed, at least in part, into a value-added cycle. This is precisely where technological and qualitative offerings are needed. On-demand with digital concepts, but without long delivery routes by air and social disruption, would be a step forward.

Society is currently flooded with a kind of “push demand”. Even if Chinese direct sales are presented as innovative and needs-based, they are in no way so. We will use automation to help keep production costs low in order to provide European solutions. The developed recycling processes and green fibre production will also help to save costs and simultaneously become more independent of international supply chains, creating a competitive advantage.

As part of science communication, consumers must also be reached to encourage more sustainable consumption and achieve a higher willingness to pay. The Textile Factory focuses not only on clothing but also on technical textiles, for example. These are not in direct competition with imports from low-wage countries, but their competitive conditions are to be strengthened through new production methods.  

How is the topic of recycling being addressed? Are there binding guidelines for material blends in the “Biosphere” module to ensure that the textiles produced can be recycled as a single material at the end of their life cycle?

Binding guidelines are not planned; we see ourselves as enablers, not preventers. The “Biosphere” module will recycle mixed materials and investigate various blend ratios. Based on these findings, recommendations can then be made for optimal material compositions with regard to recycling possibilities. At the same time, we are working to increase recyclability and the proportion of recycled fibres through technical and qualitative improvements. Legislative demands can only be met with limitations according to the current state of technology.  

What about market access and scaling? Are the micro-factory modules developed in the real-world laboratory already standardised enough for a medium-sized company to integrate them into its existing processes as a “plug-and-play” solution?

Plug-and-play is a good question – we should answer with plug-and-knit/weave/dye. Micro-factory concepts for fabric production and dyeing are already quite advanced, and we are building on that. We must also move away from conventional processes: away from piece goods and towards moulded parts.

What is the first, smallest step a traditional textile company can take today to become part of the 7.0 world? How does one get in touch?

Manufacturers and retailers can contact the development team directly by email with a brief description of the topic and their contact details: t7-factory@hs-niederrhein.de. The next step is to classify the request into one of the working areas of Textile Factory 7.0.

At present, we can address issues related to the project's objectives. Scientists are already on site to take on these tasks. These individuals are also setting up the technology centre. The project team selects and prioritises the topics.

What specific offers and forms of cooperation are available for interested companies?

The services offered include research, consulting, the planning of trials and, where appropriate, the execution of trials, up to the development of demonstrators or a maximum of a small series. The terms are discussed on a case-by-case basis. Textile Factory 7.0 is not conceptualised to manufacture products Therefore, there is no competitive situation. On the contrary, the focus is on supporting companies from industry and retail.  

As part of T7, are you working on a counterfeit-proof digital product passport that guarantees the sustainability of production to end consumers?

Not at the moment, but we are developing approaches to link product data, for example for digital product passports, with production data for end-to-end traceability. We first want to ensure that reliable data can be found in the DPP; this starts with a realistic ecological footprint.  

Last but not least: are there plans to transfer the findings from the Monforts Quarter to other textile clusters in Germany, such as the Swabian Alb or Saxony?

Yes, the findings should be transferable to other textile clusters. A transfer to other industries is also planned. For example, the findings gained in the area of microplastics are not only relevant in the textile context. Another field of application could be microplastics in connection with tyre abrasion. In summary: We are inventing Industry 7.0 in Mönchengladbach and thus the industry of the future. This vision needs to be propagated.

The interview was conducted in written format.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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