DuPont™ Nomex® Garment Innovation Awards brought innovation to the forefront at A+A 2013

Recognising the importance of innovation, quality and authenticity, DuPont, leaders in personal protection, displayed a range of its partners products that have received the respected ‘DuPont™ Nomex® Innovation Award’ at this year’s A+A show.

The DuPont™ Nomex® Innovation Award commends companies within the DuPont™ Nomex® Partner Program that are demonstrating excellence and meet strict four-point criteria. In order to receive an award, the product must be notably different from existing solutions, addresses specific customer needs, is innovative in terms of design or system integration and provides added performance or functionality.

The winning products, which also demonstrate the numerous ways the Nomex® fibre has been used by DuPont partners, were on display throughout the show with a total of six products chosen across the two segments.

Winners in the firefighter category were:

• SHARC 1 by Consultiv SB GmbH – 100% Nomex® fire-fighter station uniform for technical work/utility. Described as “comfortable and lightweight” by the judges.
• 825 FLUX by SIOEN NV – Turn out gear and trouser using the new outershell made with DuPont™ Nomex® 3DP the fabric with Flux technology. Judges commented: “Aesthetically appealing with optimised ergonomics. The combination of this innovative outershell fabric with the special garment assembly structure gives excellent protection at a high level of comfort”.

Winners in the thermal industrial category were:

• Multifunctional Garment “Stadtwerke Bielefeld” by ALWIT GmbH – A solution for utility companies using DuPont™ Nomex® Comfort 265g/m2 and Nomex® ProVis. Judges commented: ”A truly multi-functional garment with detachable isolation jacket and certified for a multitude of norms”.
• Floeire Fall X Suit by Dale Techniche Ltd – Patented innovative design combining significant fall protection and the versatility of regular coveralls. The garment is made with DuPont™ Nomex® Comfort 220g/m2. Judges commented on the garments ‘integration of the fall arrest system’, highlighting the integration system, the garment being lightweight, its high comfort in wear and its washability (no need to remove any items for washing).
• Heat-resistant set “Energo” by FPG Energocontract – Summer electric arc protective set and raincoat, Part of the collection “Energo®”, made with DuPont™ Nomex® 220g/m2. Judges commented on its design, aesthetics, and the compatibility of both elements.
• S-GARD® ARCGARD by Hubert Schmitz GmbH, S-GARD® Schutzkleidung – Comfortable, light-weight protection for utility workers using the double-layer Ibena Arc fabric made with DuPont™ Nomex®. Judges commented on the high level of protection, comfort level, and the nice design of the garment.

The DuPont™ Nomex® Partner Program was developed as part of the commitment DuPont holds to quality and protection. It is a carefully-selected network of customer-oriented and progressive weavers and garment manufacturers whose fabrics and garments pass the rigorous quality controls of DuPont.

Potential innovation highlights were critically assessed by a technical team from DuPont on the basis of the four criteria. Frederique Favier, Application Development Leader Nomex® Personal Protection and one of the judges, explained “We were inundated with high-quality submissions from our partners which really is testament to the success of the Nomex® Partner Program. The winners across the firefighter and industrial sectors showed real innovation, pushing the boundaries when it comes to wearability, comfort, design and aesthetics. After careful consideration we chose the six key products displayed on our stand at A+A that we considered worthy of the DuPont Nomex® Innovation Award 2013.

For more information about DuPont and its commitment to innovation, please visit www.dupont.com or www.nomex.co.uk/solutions.