The 51st Dornbirn Man-made Fibers Congress (DORNBIRN-MFC) is to be held from 19th - 21th September 2012 in Austria.

On occasion of the 50th DORNBIRN-MFC the changes in the fibre world were clearly noticeable and visible. The future challenges are already accounted for in the choice of main themes for 2012 showing a more accentuated character of innovation and relevance.

The plenary session will start on the opening day with a lecture including a discussion on the topic: “Mobility 2050 – Trends an Scenarios” held by the Zukunftsinstitut Kelkheim/Germany, followed by a study of the Hochschule Niederrhein/Germany together with a Consultant Company from Germany on the topic “Effects of a Sustainable Procurement of Textiles and Garment on the Purchase Behaviour of Consumers”.

With more than 30 individual presentations during all 2 ½ days “Fiber Innovations (Sustainability)” is leading, followed by some 20 on “Fibers and Textiles in Automotive (Mobility)” due to a strong participation of car manufacturers and their suppliers. The topics “Unconventional Fiber Applications” with more than 15, “Man-made Fibers for Environmental Protection”, “Medical Applications” and “Technical Nonwovens (Filtration, Membranes)” will be represented with some 10 presentations each as well as “EU Research Projects” with 4.

A strong Japanese delegation, consisting of representatives from leading fibre manufacturers will present its newest developments in the various main themes. These regional focuses will also be found in the congresses of the coming years.

New Challenges Need New Solutions
The last year’s findings serve as a basis for a realignment of the congress. Visionary studies as a new way of thinking, the addressing of future challenges (communication, mobility, health care, energy supply, environmental aspects) as well as the monitoring of new (BRIC) and existing markets are part of the continuous evolution of the communication platform. The meeting point of the global man-made fibres’ world with lectures from academic research, industry and the processing chain is designated to convey knowledge, create innovation and ideas, to shape the future in a positive way.

The objective of the visual translation of the “fit for the future” realignment after the 50-year jubilee includes is to show a new, modernised promotional appearance that reflects the future oriented organisation of the congress. In a first step a new logo has been developed that reflects the claim: meeting point of the international man-made fibre world, more dynamics, information and innovation. This new logo will be used for advertisements and the (preliminary) programme folder, too.

Europe has the densest network of research institutes and universities in the world. MFC want to make better use of this potential because a lead in knowledge is the (only) source of sustainable advantages in competition.

Since a few years the share of younger visitors of the DORNBIRN-MFC is increasing. This trend has been supported by academic research and industry. For the first time MFC is going to have a so called poster-session at the end of the plenary meeting, whereby 6 students will have the opportunity to present a short version of their research work. Space for posters will also be dedicated in the foyer of the Kulturhaus to allow sufficient time for a detailed discussion with the students.

The session of the working group “Textiles in Automotive” will take place in Dornbirn one day prior to the opening of the 51st DORNBIRN-MFC. This offers an excellent opportunity to obtain latest information on the topic of use of man-made fibres in this lead industry and their suppliers. MFC are planning to bring more events of this kind to Dornbirn.

For registration until 31st May 2012 an early bird bonus will be offered. Make use of this bonus and simply register online at: www.dornbirn-mfc.com.