Coats, a leading industrial thread manufacturer, has opened the first of three Innovation Hubs. These are dedicated centres around the world for collaboration with a range of partners including customers, brands, suppliers, universities and start-ups.

Coats Innovation Hub – America, at its Sevier manufacturing site in North Carolina, has been formally opened by Mike Clasper, Chairman; Rajiv Sharma, Group Chief Executive; and members of the Coats Board. Innovation Hub – EMEA, in Bursa, Turkey and Innovation Hub – Asia, in Shenzhen, China will be opened in early 2019.

The Innovation Hubs will develop new products and processes in apparel and footwear and performance materials, which encompasses hi-tech products for end uses in automotive, oil and gas, protective wear and telecom. They are designed to provide creative and inspiring spaces where an innovative idea can be developed collaboratively and rapidly worked up into a prototype design which is then manufactured in a stand-alone pilot factory.

“Coats is a pioneering company aiming to deliver further revenue growth from higher performance and value enhancing new products that do not even exist today. To facilitate that we are developing three dedicated Innovation Hubs at key locations around the world. Customer centric innovation is an important part of our future growth strategy and the inauguration of the Innovation Hub – America is a key milestone,” commented Rajiv Sharma, Group Chief Executive, Coats.

Coats Innovation Hub – America comprises three zones. The Innovation Gallery features a video wall, display pods of most recent product developments and a timeline tracing Coats from its origins in Paisley, Scotland to the FTSE 250 global manufacturing company it is today. State-of-the-art technology showcases Coats as a pioneering manufacturing company that is reinventing itself for the digital age.

The Materials Lab is where customers are able to collaborate directly with R&D technologists in the idea generation and creation processes. The Prototyping Area is where ideas and prototypes can be created. It includes a pilot factory with a full range of manufacturing machinery that can used to fine tune production processes in a controlled stand-alone environment.

To support the opening, a 360 virtual tour of Innovation Hub – America has been created to provide an idea of what collaboration partners will experience.

www.coats.com