Technical textiles: a target for the next decade

Technical textiles - one of the textile industry's business areas experiencing the most significant growth - is increasingly attracting the attention of Riopele. The company, which has already worked with the Portuguese army for the last 25 years, now wishes to reach security forces worldwide.

The military area will nevertheless be but one of the segments targeted. “We shall empower all of the knowledge acquired”, explained José Alexandre Oliveira, Riopele Chairman. “The technical textiles – continually – will represent a major target over the next decade. We operate an R&D department able to provide highly innovative solutions in addition to regularly collaborating with universities and benchmark centres of competence”. This reflects how the R&D team of Riopele has grown 23% in the last decade and currently employs 121 professionals, over 10% of the company’s 1,039 workforce.

From the technical textile development point of view, the company enables all of its installed capacity. “Riopele vertically integrates the R&D, Spinning Dyeing, Twisting, Weaving and Finishing sectors to provide a completely vertical textile production service”, the company Chairman noted. The company can currently produce 700,000 metres of fabric per month destined for over 35 external markets. In fact, Riopele now exports over 95% of its production.