NC State's Nonwovens Institute Helps Launch and Scale Products

Summary

MANN+HUMMEL partnered with NC State to establish a North American research and innovation presence. After evaluating universities with expertise in fibers and filtration, the company selected NC State’s Nonwovens Institute (NWI). The partnership combines university research, company expertise, product testing, and small-scale manufacturing to help move ideas toward market.

Business strategy and operating model

• Choose a specialized research partner: MANN+HUMMEL assessed universities across the country and selected NC State for NWI’s capabilities in fibers and filtration.
• Build an on-campus innovation center: The company brought staff to NC State and established an innovation center, gaining access to campus infrastructure, research resources, students, and interns.
• Connect research to product development: Company teams use NWI equipment to experiment, test technical limits, and refine product concepts before asking suppliers to produce them.
• Bridge the gap to market: NWI’s manufacturing incubator supports initial, small-volume production, allowing companies to create samples and assess market acceptance before scaling.
• Use the partnership as a talent pipeline: MANN+HUMMEL has hired former graduate students supported by the institute, connecting research and education to industry employment.
• Benefit from diverse perspectives: The company cites interactions with students and interns as a way to bring different viewpoints and curiosity into innovation work.

Key metrics

• NWI supports more than 45 PhD students working on industry-relevant research, with funding from institute members such as MANN+HUMMEL.
• MANN+HUMMEL employs more than 3,000 people in North Carolina.
• The partnership began several years ago. No exact start date, revenue figures, or product-launch results are provided.

Actionable takeaways

• Select research partners based on technical strengths that match company needs.
• Co-locate innovation teams with university research and talent to improve access to expertise and resources.
• Test products on relevant equipment—and push that equipment toward its limits—before committing to supplier production.
• Use an incubator or pilot-production capability to create samples and test market acceptance before scaling.
• Treat university partnerships as both an innovation channel and a source of future employees.

Presenters and sources: Unnamed representatives of MANN+HUMMEL and NC State’s Nonwovens Institute.