press information | ‘documenting individual core ... textilveredlungsunion gmbh & co. kg in...

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Press information | 22.11.2012 | 2094-EN

OEKO-TEX® Association | Genferstrasse 23 | P.O. Box 2006 | CH-8027Zurich | Phone +41 44 501 26 00 | [email protected] | www.oeko-tex.com

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‘Documenting individual core competencies and gaining new customers’

In addition to the basic entry in the OEKO-TEX® Buyer's Guide, certificate holders will infuture be able to independently provide detailed information about their company or theirproducts using a new Self Service Portal.

The online Buyer's Guide is the central content of the completely revised and restructured websiteof the International OEKO-TEX® Association. At www.oeko tex.com interested visitors are guidedspecifically to the desired information about certified products and the companies involved accordingto the requirements entered. For detailed recording and listing of their OEKO-TEX® certifiedproducts, all companies have access to a new form with a simplified structure which can nowwe downloaded from the OEKO-TEX® website. Current certificate holders also have the optionof providing additional detailed information about their company, such as a company profile orproduct and brand names, using a Self Service Portal which is also new. This helps them to presentthemselves to potential customers in even greater detail. Anita Schrenk, management assistant atTVU Textilveredlungsunion GmbH & Co. KG in Leutershausen, Germany, has already tested thenew Self Service Portal and has started to make entries.

Ms Schrenk, you have been something of a ‘pioneer’ in testing the new Self Service Portal ofthe OEKO-TEX® Buyer's Guide. What was your impression when you used it?

As certificate holders we primarily appreciate the possibility of influencing the information shown inthe Buyer's Guide itself. This enables us to add more details to the basic master data of companyaddress and the general item description in the certificate.

So you do see an added benefit?

Of course, a great one even. Our daily activities with regard to environmental protection, employeeresponsibility and quality assurance can be explained in the company description. Our existingcertifications according to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 for our yarns as well as OEKO-TEX®Standard 1000 for our textile finishing are shown in the labels displayed. For us as a company forthe sale and finishing of yarn it is very convenient to be able to use an additional platform for publiclydocumenting our individual core competencies – and free of charge as well. This is a great benefitregarding our position within the textile supply chain.

How is that?

Well, our existing customers as well as potential new customers looking specifically for companieswith an OEKO-TEX® Standard 1000 certificate do not just see the ‘bare’ data in the online Buyer'sGuide but also receive significantly more information from the entries supplemented through the SelfService Portal, such as a short company portrait or additional specifications about certified productsand brands. This allows them to get a quite good impression already while searching the guide. The




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interactive fields in the Self Service Portal enable us to personalise the entry and leave our personalcalling card in the system, e.g. through the choice of language.

What did you like most about the Self Service Portal?

There is an option for placing one or several brand logos. This greatly improves spontaneousmemorability. We also liked that every certificate holder can independently define by which targetgroups of the OEKO-TEX® website they want to be found in the Buyer's Guide – whether in the endconsumer area and/or on the retailer pages and/or in the area for manufacturers/certificate holders.This makes searching the Buyer's Guide much more targeted and more individually tailored to everyuser.

What is your assessment of the handling during editing?

The clear structure of the Self Service Portal allows very simple and intuitive handling. Even if theentries are set up in different languages the area does not seem too overloaded. Owing to theinternational interdependences especially in the textile industry, however, certificate holders wouldbe well advised to also publish their contributions at least in English.

So the effort required is within reasonable limits?

Definitely. But one should invest a little bit of time to benefit from this opportunity for additionalpublicity. Most companies already have information such as a company profile anyhow, e.g. fortrade fair registrations. Basically all that remains is to paste it. As for maintaining the data afterwardswe expect our efforts to be rather small – after all, relevant changes do not occur every day. But onprinciple changes can be made to the individual entries at any time.

Thank you very much for the interview.




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The Buyer's Guide on www.oeko-tex.com/productsThe online Buyer's Guide is the central content of the website of the International OEKO-TEX®Association. It helps manufacturers to find certified suppliers or helps retailers to find OEKO-TEX®certified products, structured according to e.g. product class or material. Entries in the Buyer'sGuide of the International OEKO-TEX® Association are voluntary and free of charge for certifiedcompanies.The basic entry is created using a new form which was also restructured and simplified inconnection with the redesign of the website. Together with the certified companies' master datawhich result from the certification process and are verified by OEKO-TEX®, these details form thebasis for the entry in the Buyer's Guide.In addition, certificate holders now receive the access data for the interactive Self Service Portaleither automatically after successful certification or on request from their relevant OEKO-TEX® testinstitute. This is where they can independently provide additional information about their companyand products. If required, changes can be made to the individual entries at any time.The specific product and brand search which is of particular interest to consumers is still underconstruction. The International OEKO-TEX® Association will accompany the start of the newlydesigned Buyer's Guide with a competition from 01 January 2013.Certificate holders can have the relevant access data for using the Self Service Portal sent to themby the relevant institute.

TVU Textilveredlungsunion GmbH & Co. KGThe roots of TVU go back to the year 1922. In 1947 the company moved from the Sudetenland toLeutershausen, Germany. Since then the now third-generation family business has grown into oneof the largest yarn finishing operations in Europe with a yearly capacity of about 6,300 tons. Around140 employees who work in three shifts, a complex organisation, numerous highly specialisedprocessing steps, 86,000 dye mixtures as well as in-house development ensure a successfulposition in the global market. An additional key element for the success of the TVU Group is thewell-functioning symbiosis between the two company branches TVU Textilveredlungsunion andTVU Garnvertrieb which in its turn is one of the leading yarn traders in Europe. TVU Garnvertriebwas founded from the existing yarn trading business of TVU Textilveredlungsunion in 1996. Theysupply high-quality yarn to industry customers all over Europe. In the course of global economicstructures, TVU Garnvertrieb cooperates with spinning mills all over the world and is able to flexiblyreact to customer requests thanks to a large yarn stock. The customers are companies from theyarn processing industry such as weaving mills for home textiles, circular knitting mills, flat knittingmills and manufacturers of medical and technical textiles.




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Anita Schrenk, management assistant at TVUTextilveredlungsunion GmbH & Co. KG inLeutershausen, Germany ©TVU

In Leutershausen in Middle Franconia, TVUTextilveredlungsunion GmbH & Co. KG is a third-generation family business which has grown intoone of the largest yarn finishing operations inEurope. ©TVU




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Certificate-holders now also have the option ofusing a Self Service Portal to complete the datafrom the certificates with relevant informationsuch as company portraits, detailed productdescriptions, brand information, contact datathrough to information about supply sources etc.

An input form can be used to quickly and easilyupload and edit the own company logo as well asadd additional contact addresses.




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In addition to master data the companies can forexample enter a company profile in text form.

The company profile can be stored in differentlanguages (1). Once the data is entered it can beformatted (2) and saved (3) using a convenientweb editor.




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Companies can store any number of brandnames and brand logos in the Self Service Portal:(1) Create data set for new brand (2) Enter brandname (3) Insert and upload brand logo (4) Insertcorresponding web address or marketing address

Last but not least the certificate holders candecide for which target groups (manufacturers,dealers, consumers) the data in the Buyer's Guideshould be visible on the website.

About OEKO-TEX®With 25 years of experience, OEKO-TEX® leads the world in empowering and enabling consumers andcompanies to protect our planet by making responsible decisions. OEKO-TEX® provides standardisedsolutions which optimise customers’ manufacturing processes and help deliver high quality, more sustainableproducts. All of the products within the OEKO-TEX® portfolio are used to strengthen our customers’ systems,processes or products and, ultimately, they help create more sustainable companies.To date, 10,000manufacturers, brands, and retailers in almost 100 countries are working with OEKO-TEX® to ensure thattheir products are tested for potentially harmful substances and millions of consumers around the world lookfor OEKO-TEX® labels before making buying decisions. OEKO-TEX® certified products and suppliers can belocated in the OEKO-TEX® Online Buying Guide at www.oeko-tex.com/products. Connect with OEKO-TEX®on Facebook, on LinkedIn, and on Twitter.

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