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WHAT IS A CLUSTER?

 
A cluster is a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in particular fields, linked by commonalities and complementarities.

Michael Porter. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. 1990

 
Clusters enable “open innovation”, the creation and refinement of new ideas in networks of cooperating companies and institutions. They also lower the barriers for transforming new ideas into businesses and capturing the benefits of globalisation.

Clusters enable in particular SMEs to take advantage of the new opportunities in the global economy and they become key factors in attracting capital, people, and knowledge.
 

WHAT IS AEI TÈXTILS?


AEI Tèxtils is a non-profit association, which has the aim of joining all Catalan companies and organizations related directly or indirectly to the technical textiles sector and which form a specialized productive area with competitive advantages.

The group formed by companies and organizations which support their innovative potential, set up the technical textiles cluster of the region, to which the Textile Innovative Business Grouping gives legal status.

It is not an association with new objectives, but an adaptation to the current legislation and to the philosophy and praxis of the new structures which have come up in our European environment.


Mission To promote innovation with the aim of improving the competitiveness of its members, as well as cooperation, complementarity and communication among themselves.

Vision To achieve a critic mass of innovative companies and organizations of the region enough to facilitate the innovating practices which allow the improvement of their competitiveness and international renown.

Strategic objectives

  • To promote innovation in a wide sense, improving the abilities of its members and combining them by means of horizontal or multidisciplinary collaborations.

  • Commercial worldwide presence by means of promotion and internationalization.

  • Management and productivity improvement of companies to generate added value and to face up the current environment.
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    STRATEGIC LINES


    AEI Tèxils works on four strategic themes:

  • R+D+i : Promoting cooperation amongst its members, increasing the taking on level of innovation support initiatives; promoting the participation of the Catalan technical textiles sector in technological cooperation European projects and increasing their productivity in the territory promoting the implementation of new technologies and the development of new products and processes.

  • Internationalization : Improving access to international markets; improving access to knowledge through international R&D and technological and commercial partners and improving access to research and key production infrastructures in third countries.

  • Skills : Increasing the training of current employees in the sector and improving the level of qualifications; promoting development and knowledge of career opportunities in the sector and providing unique and specific training on technology and market in the technical textiles sector.

  • Marketing : Promoting the exchange of best practices amongst local enterprises; improving the image of the sector in Catalonia; promoting its strengths and capabilities to other manufacturing sectors of the territory to increase globally business opportunities and creating dialogue between industry, scientific community and public administration.