09/06/2026 – Digital tracking for technical textiles — auf Deutsch lesen
STFI presents low-code tracking system
In the production of technical textiles, customised products in small batches with ever-shorter life cycles are an ongoing trend. To contribute to the development and manufacture of such future products, companies not only need production expertise but also a reliable, stable and transparent production chain. Small and medium-sized manufacturers in particular face these requirements when it comes to tracking and tracing.
At STFI, research was conducted into how a tracking and tracing system should best be designed for adaptable processes with flexible, order-based staff and machine allocation, for both modern and existing machinery, and how this can be adapted. © STFI
At the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI) in Chemnitz, researchers therefore investigated how a tracking and tracing system should be designed for adaptable processes with flexible, order-based staff and machine allocation, both for modern and existing machinery, and how such a system can be adapted to different production environments.
Assistance system built on Industrial IoT
Based on this research, STFI has developed a tracking and tracing assistance system that combines technologies from the Industrial Internet of Things, mobile computing, wireless communication and graphical low-code programming. The solution is built on established open-source software technologies and is designed to support the manufacture of textiles and semi-finished textile products through a flexible, adaptive assistance system for order management.
The system enables automated production registration via radio-based personnel identification and optical machine registration. Structured user guidance supports familiarisation with new process steps. Order picking can be precisely tracked using a scanning glove and location technology. Material detection at the manufacturing workstation is camera-based and complemented by sensor-based and smartphone-supported process monitoring. The underlying model-based low-code technology ensures that the overall system can be adapted to changing requirements.
Showcase at the BMWE Innovation Day
Together with other development highlights from STFI, the research project "Adaptive tracking and tracing system", implemented in collaboration with update texware GmbH, Kulmbach, has been selected as a successful cooperation and will be presented at the BMWE Innovation Day for small and medium-sized enterprises. On 11 June 2026, STFI will showcase the system in Berlin and looks forward to inspiring discussions and new ideas.
As a practical partner, STFI has been supporting companies in the development of market-ready innovations for more than 30 years. With a clear focus on sustainability, digitalisation and the circular economy, STFI offers forward-looking research, reliable textile testing and certification of personal protective equipment. The institute is a leader in nonwovens and mechanical recycling and plays a pioneering role in the circular economy for high-performance fibres. Technical woven and knitted fabrics, functionalisation and the digitalisation of textile processes further expand STFI's technological spectrum. Since 2006, STFI has been an affiliated institute of Chemnitz University of Technology and is an active member of the German Industrial Research Association Konrad Zuse and the Saxon Industrial Research Association (SIG).
