Global Industrial Company ABB Selects North Carolina For Major Expansion: Invest Up To $39.9 Million In City Of Mebane

RALEIGH, N.C.— July 10, 2019 — ABB Inc. — a global supplier of electrification products, robotics, and industrial automation — will expand in Orange County and create more than 400 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest up to $39.9 million to upgrade equipment and increase the size of its current facility in Mebane.

“Companies like ABB expanding their manufacturing operations means jobs and investment that benefit communities well beyond the walls of its facility,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolina will work to grow our education programs and improve workforce preparation so that companies continue to choose to grow and invest across our state.”

ABB Inc. is a pioneering technology leader serving customers around the world with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, and its U.S. headquarters in Cary, the company is known for its customer-focused, globally leading businesses in the areas of electrification, industrial automation, motion, robotics and discrete automation, and power grids. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees worldwide.

“ABB is a global company with a strong, local footprint. That means we think globally on a strategic level and hire and grow locally,” said Greg Scheu, president Americas region, ABB. “With our U.S. headquarters in Cary, North Carolina is strategically important to ABB. In fact, ABB employs more people in North Carolina, well over 3,000, than in any other state. This expansion in Mebane is further proof of our commitment to the region.”

“North Carolina is committed to remaining a leader in manufacturing and companies recognize our potential to grow with them,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland.  “Leading our list of strengths is the North Carolina workforce, which provides the skills companies need for advanced manufacturing operations.”

The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. (EDPNC) led the state’s support for the company’s decision.

Although wages will vary depending on position, the average salary for all the new positions could reach up to $70,789. The current average wage in Orange County is $46,112.

ABB’s project in Orange County will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by more than $1 billion. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the 403 new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $4,369,500, spread over 12 years.  State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

Because ABB chose a location in Orange County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving as much as $1,456,500 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 3 county such as Orange, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state. More information on the state’s economic tier designations is available here.

“ABB is a major employer in our region and we welcome this expansion,” said N.C. Senator Valerie Foushee.  “People here really appreciate the company’s contribution to our community and we look forward to the growth that’s on the horizon.”

“Many people and organizations worked together to help make today’s announcement possible,” said N.C. Representative Graig Meyer. “We’re committed to help ABB continue to thrive in our state.”

Among the partners N.C. Commerce and the EDPNC worked with to secure this project are: the North Carolina Community College System, Orange County, the City of Mebane, and Orange County Economic Development.

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  North Carolina Office of the Governor

TPI Composites Announces Acquisition Of Engineering Team In Berlin, Germany

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — July 12, 2019 — TPI Composites Inc., (TPI), the only independent manufacturer of composite wind blades with a global footprint, announced today that it has acquired a team of engineering resources from the EUROS group, based in Berlin, Germany. EUROS has been owned by Senvion since 2016. The Berlin-based team of approximately 20 technical experts focuses on blade design, tooling, materials and process technology development.

William Siwek, TPI’s President commented, “TPI is pleased to announce the addition of the experienced and skilled engineering team at EUROS. The EUROS transaction helps strengthen our technical capabilities in support of our global operations and growth.”

Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, TPI’s COO added, “The experience and skills of this engineering team will enable us to offer complete blade solutions. The technical know-how in blade engineering and mold design can now be applied on a broader scale.”

TPI Composites, Inc. is the only independent manufacturer of composite wind blades for the wind energy market with a global manufacturing footprint. TPI delivers high-quality, cost-effective composite solutions through long term relationships with leading OEMs in the wind and transportation markets. TPI is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and operates factories throughout the U.S., China, Mexico, Turkey, and India. TPI operates additional engineering development centers in Denmark and Germany.

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  TPI Composites, Inc.

UniFirst Celebrates 18th Annual Founder’s Day

WILMINGTON, Mass . — July 15, 2019 — Founder’s Day is the day each year when the 250-plus locations of UniFirst Corporation across North America celebrate the memory and business values of company founder Aldo Croatti. The company’s 14,000-plus employee Team Partners took a break from their busy schedules on July 12 to honor the man who started the $1.8 billion uniform service and supply company on the same day in 1936.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst is a provider of customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products to businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. Together with its subsidiaries, UniFirst also provides first-aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries.

Founder’s Day has been an annual event since Mr. Croatti’s passing in 2001. Annual festivities held at each UniFirst facility include barbecues, speeches, fun-filled activities, employee awards, and more. The day also recognizes Mr. Croatti and his founding Core Values that remain the foundation of the company’s corporate culture today—Customer Focus, Respect for Others, and Commitment to Quality— with Team Partners renewing their annual commitment to the company’s Essentials of Service and pledging to keep customers the focus of everything they do.

This year’s companywide events also recognized some of UniFirst’s “unsung leaders”—employee Team Partners who work behind the scenes or on their own to positively influence peers, customers, or others in their communities without seeking recognition for their accomplishments. These individuals were nominated by their peers at UniFirst locations from coast to coast by submitting videos describing in detail the nominees’ “unsung” leadership qualities.

“It’s seemed fitting to honor my father’s legacy by celebrating the unsung leaders who are readily found throughout our locations at every job level. They’re the lifeblood of our company,” said Mr. Croatti’s daughter and UniFirst executive vice president Cynthia Croatti. “Aldo always led by example without seeking a lot of fanfare or attention, and simply did what was right for UniFirst, our customers, and his community.”

It is in this same spirit on Founder’s Day that each of the 250-plus UniFirst locations also named its Employee of the Year (EOY)—the person who best exemplifies the company’s Core Values. Each EOY was presented with an award and a special recognition gift, as well as a bonus paid day off. The EOYs also have their names engraved on commemorative plaques that are on permanent display at their local UniFirst locations.

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  UniFirst Corporation

Xaar Celebrates 20 Years Of The Xaar 128 Inkjet Printhead

CAMBRIDGE, England — July 15, 2019 — Xaar is celebrating the 20th birthday of its ever popular Xaar 128 printhead. Initially conceptualized for use in desktop fax machines, in fact, at launch the Xaar 128 proved to be better suited to other sectors due to its combination of reliability, ease of integration, speed and quality of print. This ensured it quickly became a firm favorite in the coding and marking and wide-format graphics markets.

Launched in 1999 the Xaar 128 was the driving force behind the first industrial inkjet revolution in wide-format graphics. Its compact footprint and light carriage weight of only 16 grams, combined with its simple electronic interface, enables quick and easy integration into printers by OEMs.

Whether printing outdoor or indoor graphics, barcodes, outer case carton coders or poster printing, the Xaar 128 and its compatibility with many ink types positioned it as the leading 17 mm piezoelectric drop-on-demand printhead. This has been maintained over the last 20 years and recently developed into new applications. With its ability to handle printing of fluids with a range of viscosity, reactivity and conductivity the Xaar 128 is also now proving ideal for certain uses in the latest Advanced Manufacturing and 3D market sectors.

With over 1.5 million Xaar 128 printheads in the market, the success of the Xaar 128 is being officially marked with the cutting of a ‘birthday’ cake at Xaar’s factory in Huntingdon, UK, where the Xaar 128 is manufactured.

“The longevity of the Xaar 128 and its relevance in today’s market is testament to the cutting-edge technology it deployed 20 years ago,” said Graham Tweedale, Chief Operations Officer at Xaar.

“The fact that we are celebrating its birthday and even seeing new applications, is a real source of pride for us and demonstrates the impact of Xaar’s investment and lead in industrial inkjet technologies.”

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  Xaar

SSM Innovations At ITMA 2019: World Premiere Of Powerblade Winder And The SSM Preciforce

HORGEN, Switzerland — July 15, 2019 — SSM showed several new product launches for the first time ever at the ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, from June 20-26, 2019. Large interest was generated by the powerblade winder and the SSM preciforce which had their world premieres.

This year’s exhibition attracted a large number of visitors. SSM impressed the visitors by showing a wide range of applications and latest technology solutions to help textile producers to become more competitive.

The highlight of the show was the introduction of the worldwide unique backpressure system: preciforce, for a guaranteed package consistency. The precise density control ensures that an optimal package can be produced, which leads to improved properties in the subsequent process. This feature will be optional available for selected XENO machines only. Furthermore, SSM combined the advantages of blade winding and electronic yarn traverse into powerblade: exclusively available on XENO-PB. With the SSM XENO machines, producers got the right tool in their hand for a perfect winding result and maximum productivity.

In the filament sector SSM had to offer yarn manufacturers more possibilities; such as fancy effects made on air texturing or different features in air covering. Therefore, SSM provides a tool to fashion unique fabrics and increase the yarn producers’ competitiveness.

In addition, SSM provides a wide range of renowned textile machines. A detailed overview about SSM machinery and supported applications of the textile process chain can be found under Winding Solutions at www.ssm.ch.

SSM would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who visited the booth and is looking forward to future partnerships and collaborations.

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  SSM Schärer Schweiter Mettler AG

Honor Technical Go-Getters: Nominations Open For The INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award

CARY, N.C. — July 15, 2019 — INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry seeks industry nominations for one of its most prestigious awards — the Lifetime Technical Achievement Award — before August 12, 2019. The award honors individuals whose technical achievements over a career of 20 years or more have meaningfully contributed to the growth of the nonwovens industry.

All nonwoven and engineered fabric industry professionals are strongly encouraged to nominate technical leaders whose career contributed to new products and processes, or the industry as a whole. Nominations are easily submitted online on the INDA.org website  https://www.inda.org/awards/lifetime-technical-achievement.html, or email info@inda.org. Nominations will be reviewed by INDA’s Technical Advisory Board consisting of technical professionals from member companies.

Last year, the INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award was presented to Ralph Moody, PE, senior director, R&D at Berry Global Inc., for authorship of 11 patents, design of multiple machine start-ups, and leadership on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Nonwovens Institute at North Carolina State University.

In 2017, the INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Bryan Haynes, senior technical director in Global Nonwovens, Kimberly-Clark Corp., for his authored publications, 43 U.S. Patents, and 13 Trade Secrets during his Kimberly-Clark career and for his leadership role for the front-end innovation portfolio and prototyping capabilities supporting Kimberly-Clark’s various businesses. Prior year winners include: educator and Managing Editor for the Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics, Dr. Edward (Ed) A. Vaughn, Professor Emeritus, Clemson University, (known as “Mr. Nonwovens of the US”).

A full history of INDA’s Lifetime Technical Achievement Award winners can be viewed on https://www.inda.org/awards/lifetime-technical-achievement.html

This year, the award will be presented before 500 industry professionals at the fifth edition of Hygienix™ — the premier event for absorbent hygiene & personal care markets, November 11-14 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, in Houston, Texas. The Hygienix conference will present world-class innovators concerning the latest breakthroughs, challenges, and megatrends reshaping the world of absorbent and personal care hygiene. The event includes tabletop exhibit displays, a diaper and adult underwear workshop, and the presentation of the INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award. For registration information on Hygienix 2019, visit https://www.hygienix.org/index.html

Posted July 15, 2019

Source:  INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

Canadian Textile Plant Auction, Tuesday, July 16 — Complete Lines, Individual Assets Of Dyeing, Finishing And Quilting Facility Operated By Doubletex Inc., Up For Bid In Online Auction

MONTREAL — July 13, 2019 — Tiger Group and International Textile Machinery Sales are accepting offers for Tuesday’s online auction of a complete dyeing, finishing and quilting facility operated by Doubletex, a Canadian textile company. Closed just prior to the auction, the professionally maintained plant features nonwoven, quilting, dyeing, finishing, and fabric laminating machinery, and state-of-the-art laboratory and quality control equipment. Bidders can inspect the assets today.

Established in 1910, Doubletex was one of the largest privately-owned textile manufacturers in North America. While building upon their historical expertise in quilted, non-woven (wadding) and laminated fabrics, Doubletex assembled a world class dyeing and finishing facility that served the North American garment industry for the past 50 years. During the past 20 years, as low-cost garments flooded into North America from third world countries, Doubletex shifted its focus to concentrate on technical fabrics for the outerwear, uniform and protective clothing markets. For decades, the company served as a trusted supplier to such Canadian agencies as the Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Post, the RCMP, Forest and Fisheries, emergency medical services, and various police forces. For many years, Doubletex was also the sole supplier to Canada Goose for its “Arctic Tech” and “Baffle” fabrics, which were used in the company’s iconic parkas.

As imported fabrics and garments continued to flood in from Asia, however, Doubletex management made the decision in the fall of 2018 to discontinue its operations following the completion of its sales and production program in early June 2019.

“Textile manufacturers, North American contract textile firms, as well as dealers, agents and end-users in the quilting, laminating, dyeing and finishing industries now have an outstanding opportunity to purchase the exceptionally well-maintained equipment that enabled Doubletex to be the highest quality North American fabric producer of flexible lot sizes,” said John Coelho, Senior Director of Tiger’s Commercial & Industrial division. “Doubletex was known as one of the most forward-thinking textile companies in North America. Complete manufacturing lines or individual items will be available for purchase at competitive prices.”

Bidding commenced July 10 at www.SoldTiger.com and will close in rapid succession, online auction style, tomorrow, July 16, at 10 a.m. (ET). All bidders are required to register prior to the sale at SoldTiger.com. Previews of the assets are available today by appointment only at Doubletex headquarters, located at 9785 Jeanne Mance St. in Montreal.

Dyeing and finishing equipment up for bid includes late model THEN Airflows, pressure beams, Thies TRD, fully automated production dispensing systems for chemicals and dyestuffs in both the dyehouse and finishing areas, an Osthoff Senge cold pad bleach line, a Benninger wash line, a batch mercerizing system, eight-bay gas stenters, a Ramisch calender, a Monforts sanforizer, and Lafer sueding. The extensive laboratory and quality control equipment includes Technorama automated lab recipe dispensing.

Lamination equipment includes a 2009 WEB polyurethane reactive hot melt laminator with back-up generator that produced Doubletex’s technical waterproof breathable soft-shell fabrics for the technical outwear market.

Key non-woven lines up for bid include spray bonding equipment by Hunter, including a Hunter Garnett line and tacker.

The auction also features an automated Akab cut and sew line that was set up to produce heavyweight utility and furniture pads; one of only two machines like this in the world. A wide variety of other quilting machines (lock stitch, chain stitch and automated) are also available.

For further information, visit: www.soldtiger.com or contact John Coelho, jcoelho@tigergroup.com

Posted July 13, 2019

Source:  Tiger Group

Groz-Beckert Welcomes Over 6,500 Visitors At Its Booth At The ITMA 2019 In Barcelona

ALBSTADT, Germany/BARCELONA, Spain — July 12, 2019 — June 20-26, Groz-Beckert welcomed more than 6,500 international guests at its booth at the ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. This year, 1,717 exhibitors from 45 countries presented their products to over 100,000 visitors from 137 countries at the world’s leading trade fair in textile machinery construction.

The Groz-Beckert booth also attracted an international audience: the guests came from 94 different countries. The majority of the visitors came from Italy (12 %), followed by Germany (10 %), Turkey (9 %), India (8 %), Spain (7 %) and Portugal (4%).

Over the seven days of the trade fair, Groz-Beckert presented its product and service highlights from the fields of Knitting, Weaving, Felting, Tufting, Carding and Sewing. The company also presented its cross-divisional and cross-product range offered by the Groz-Beckert Academy and the Technology and Development Center (TEZ).

In addition to the individual exhibition areas, the new trade fair concept also included an innovation hub, where the latest innovations from all divisions were presented together. Visitors could encounter the entire range of products in an extremely small space – both in real life and virtually thanks to Augmented Reality. This virtual system does more than just present the same information in a new way. It ensures that visitors leave the Groz-Beckert booth having enjoyed the kind of unique experience that builds real positive associations. Guests also had the opportunity to take away their own personal memento at the Selfie Station in the tunnel at the booth, enabling them to become part of the Groz-Beckert campaign motifs.

The numerous expert discussions during the ITMA provided important stimuli for the textile industry. The ITMA 2019 in Barcelona was a real success for Groz-Beckert and opened up new perspectives.

Posted July 12, 2019

Source:  Groz-Beckert

VEOCEL™ Launches New Certification Criteria To Elevate Sustainability And Biodegradability In Personal Care And Beauty Products

FRANKFURT, Germany/LENZING, Austria — June 27, 2019 — Lenzing Group (Lenzing) today unveiled the new co-branding certification criteria for its specialty nonwoven ingredient brand – VEOCEL™. From July 1, 2019, the VEOCEL logo will only be featured on personal care and beauty products made from 100-percent cellulosic and biodegradable fiber materials. This is an industry-first approach to establish a fiber ingredient brand as a label of trust, which aims to facilitate consumers in identifying sustainable nonwovens personal care and beauty products such as wipes, moist toilet tissues and facial sheet masks.

Worldwide efforts advancing towards eco-friendly plastic alternatives have skyrocketed in recent years, as different stakeholders are eager to make a difference in their field of expertise. For example, the 2019 United Nations Environmental Assembly commenced in a Ministerial Declaration to significantly reduce single-use plastic products by 2030 and move closer to environmentally friendly alternatives. When it comes to personal care products, fiber transparency becomes an important benchmark in determining the sustainability of products such as wipes and facial sheet masks. The soon-to-be published European Union Single-Use Plastics Directive had identified wipes as one of the ten most polluting items found on European beaches and calls for clearer marking requirements, which shall disclose the presence of plastic materials in wipes and disposal options on the product packaging.

Lenzing, as a nonwovens fiber producer and advocate for sustainability, has taken an industry first step to enable consumers to make eco-conscious choices. Brands and retailers who intend to feature the VEOCEL logo on their personal care and beauty products may now only use blends of raw materials that are entirely cellulosic and biodegradable. Such valiant move further represents Lenzing’s commitment to offer sustainable solutions for consumers who would like to enjoy the convenience of single-use products with a clear conscience.

Reinforce the VEOCEL™ brand promise and the new certification criteria

“Natural circularity” – the brand promise of VEOCEL, is based on three main pillars: botanic origin, environmentally sound production and biodegradability. VEOCEL branded fibers are made from the renewable raw material wood and produced through environmentally responsible processes. The fibers are fully biodegradable, endowed with the ability to break down safely and quickly and fully revert back to nature after disposal.

VEOCEL branded products range from fibers in personal care and beauty wipes, moist toilet tissues to facial sheet masks. The introduction of new certification criteria further upholds the VEOCEL brand’s label of trust promise, allowing only 100% cellulosic and biodegradable materials such as LENZING branded viscose, cotton and wood pulp to blend with VEOCEL branded fibers. Such stringent measures safeguard the label of trust commitment and benchmark of the VEOCEL brand, and consumers can be ensured that VEOCEL co- branded products are free from fossil-based materials and bio-plastics.

“VEOCEL promises to bring the essence of nature into nonwoven products through the beneficial properties of cellulosic fibers, and continues to combat against the use of synthetic materials which have a negative impact on our environment. The new certification criteria provide consumers with a label of trust that allows informed and sustainable product choices,” said Jürgen Eizinger, Vice President of Global Business Management Nonwovens, Lenzing AG. “As we gear towards the second half of 2019, Lenzing will continue to innovate and drive consumer awareness on fiber transparency of nonwovens products and we are excited for what’s yet to come. Amidst the challenging industry environment, we are confident that our brand partners will support the new co-branding criteria and continue to work closely together to create a greener future.”

Posted July 12, 2019

Source: The Lenzing Group

CHTC Fong’s Group Makes Huge Investment Required For Manufacturing Next-Generation Dyeing And Finishing Machines In China

SCHWÄBISCH HALL, Germany — July 12, 2019 — The CHTC Fong’s Group is currently making a huge investment in the infrastructure and advanced automation technology required for manufacturing next-generation Industry 4.0 dyeing and finishing machines in China.

With sales of 399 million euros in 2018 and 4,500 employees worldwide, CHTC Fong’s is currently the world’s largest manufacturer of dyeing and finishing equipment.

It produces some 250 to 300 tenter frames and between 1,000-1,200 discontinuous dyeing machines every year, including those made by its European companies and brands Monforts, THEN, Fong’s, Goller and Xorella, all of whom will contribute their know-how to the new developments in China.

Speaking during the ITMA 2019 textile machinery show held in Barcelona, Spain, from June 20-26, CHTC Fong’s CEO Ji Xin said the company was making a very substantial investment in infrastructure in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, as the base for its new subsidiary, CHTC Fong’s Intelligent Printing and Dyeing Machinery.

CHTC Fong’s has purchased some 76,000 square metres of land in Shaoxing City as the base for this new company, and in addition has recently completed the second phase of construction at its new Monfongs plant in Zhongshan, Guandong.

The new Zhongshan plant contains a dedicated Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) for customer trials, as well as a miniature smart dyeing factory.

“The trade wars that have recently been taking place between the US and China have had a significant impact on the world economy and led to uncertainty in the market, but we believe high efficiency, energy savings and environmental protection — enabled by full automation and smart manufacturing processes — are the way forward in the long term,” Mr Ji said. “Fully intelligent dyeing and finishing equipment will provide the high quality and inexpensive textile products of the future.”

New technologies presented at ITMA 2019 by the members of the CHTC Fong’s Group included:

  • The new Monforts CYD yarn dyeing system, Montex stenter with integrated MonforClean exhaust air treatment and the latest texCoat coating unit.
  • The Fong’s Tecwin hydraulic high temperature dyeing machine
  • The THEN Smartflow TSF hydraulic high temperature dyeing machine.
  • The Goller Knit Merc for the highest quality mercerization of knitted fabrics.
  • Advanced automation concepts for conditioning and heat setting from Xorella.

Posted July 12, 2019

Source: Fong’s Europe GMBH

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