Banana Republic Expands Partnership With Style Ambassador Kevin Love And Announces Fall Debut Of Limited-Edition Men’s Capsule Collection

NEW YORK CITY — February 14, 2018 — Banana Republic and pro basketball power forward Kevin Love are excited to expand their partnership in 2018 to include a design collaboration, BR/K.LOVE-18 – a limited-edition men’s capsule of clothing and accessories, launching on September 18, 2018.

As a build to the three-year partnership, Banana Republic will release a first-ever Fall 2018 capsule collection designed in collaboration with Love. BR/K.LOVE-18 is inspired by Banana Republic’s utility heritage with a twist of Love’s favorite tailored performance pieces, highlighting his personal style grounded in American sportswear.

“I jumped at the opportunity to evolve my partnership with Banana Republic and was honored to team up with them to create a Fall collection,” says Kevin Love. “This is an incredible opportunity for me to express myself and reflect my personal fashion sense, which I describe as classic, tailored and versatile.”

Building up to Fall’s highly-anticipated collection launch, Love’s role as Banana Republic’s men’s style ambassador continues this month at All-Star Weekend with Love meeting customers in Los Angeles, his old University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) home turf.

To kick off All-Star weekend, Banana Republic will host an in-store event at The Grove. Fans can meet, get autographs and take photos with Love on Thursday, February 15, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. PT.

“Kevin has been the pinnacle expression of our tailored performance innovation and we’re excited to push that further with a collaboration that’s true to Kevin and Banana Republic,” said Banana Republic Chief Marketing Officer Mary Alderete. “From February’s All-Star event to Fall’s capsule collection launch, it’s been a truly collaborative partnership with Kevin, and we look forward to seeing everyone sporting their BR/K.LOVE-18 this year.”

Love will continue starring in Banana Republic’s seasonal men’s advertising campaigns, including Spring 2018 which breaks during All Star Weekend, and will personally launch his Fall capsule collection in September 2018.

Posted February 14, 2018

Source: Banana Republic

Epyllion Group Implements Intellocut To Boost Top-Line

DHAKA — February 14, 2018 — Threadsol, is delighted to share that the Epyllion Group, Bangladesh, has implemented Threadsol’s flagship product intelloCut.

Headquartered in Singapore, ThreadSol provides software solutions for apparel manufacturers. ThreadSol’s intelloCut is the World’s first AI based fabric planning system. intelloCut is aimed to boost topline by enabling manufacturers to cut more and ship more with the same fabric

Since its inception in 1994, Epyllion Group has grown to produce 92,000 pieces of RMG per day. The scale of operations within its reigns came with a challenge of managing fabric for the company. Fabric constitutes for 60 to 70 percent of cost for any RMG manufacturer.

ThreadSol’s intelloCut facilitated Epyllion Group’s fabric management by optimizing fabric usage and reducing wastage, thereby resulting in significant topline benefit.

“intelloCut helped us in proper calculation of the raw material and reduce the wastage and also optimize our processes”, says Shajedur Rehman Mithu, COO, Epyllion Group. “Our fabric warehousing is sorted and the fabric tracking is also now much easier.”

This partnership was equally cherished by ThreadSol. ThreadSol’s Country Head (Bangladesh) Anas Shakil said:” It was a pleasure to work with such a forward-thinking business group, led by Mr. Shajedur Rehman. Their speed of adoption and eagerness to evolve made our combined success that much sweeter. “

ThreadSol’s products, IntelloCut and IntelloBuy, together offer complete Enterprise Material Management that assists manufacturers in saving their fabric costs while boosting their top line and bottomline by up to 10 percent.

Posted February 14, 2018

Source: ThreadSol

Monforts Montex 8500 Stenter Benefits Hugotag — Renowned French Finisher Of Silk Fabrics

MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany — February 14, 2018 — Quality is the number one requirement for Hugotag, a specialist France-based finisher of silk fabrics for many of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands.

Now a member of the Chanel Group, the company in its present form represents the merging five years ago of two former silk businesses — Tag, founded in 1974 in Fourneaux, close to Lyon; and Hugo Soie, a St Etienne-based company with a 200-year history.

Investment in new equipment has followed the merger and consolidation of the companies at the Fourneaux site, including advanced digital printing machines, as well as the installation of a finishing line centerd on the latest Monforts Montex 8500 tenter and a Matex padder.

The five-chamber Montex 8500 machine at the Fourneaux plant is equipped with newly-developed 24-inch visualization monitors, providing total, intuitive automation and surveillance via the Monforts Qualitex 800 system.

“It’s an excellent machine,” says Hugotag Director General Philippe Magat. “The key parameters for us include homogenous drying over the length and width of the machine and precise control of the tension of the fabric, because the silk has a natural elasticity, even without the addition of elastane. The Monforts stenter allows us to completely control the tension from the fabric entry right through to the winding machines — and we have special units for winding onto small rolls too.”

“The fabrics are very delicate and require a sensitive treatment when being pinned into the stentering chain, as well as very gentle drying — without the fabrics ever touching the nozzles and with absolutely no air turbulence in the dryer.”

“The humidity of the air inside the stenter is crucial for ensuring a perfect quality fabric feel,” adds French representative for Monforts, Christophe Monel, of Monel Industrie Services.

Hugotag is finishing some very fine silk fabrics indeed — sheer muslins that can be as light as 14 grams per square meter (gsm), along with chiffons, and heavier satins and twills. The weights of the more delicate fabrics are usually between 20-50 gsm, and produced in average widths of 90 centimeters to a maximum of 1.9 meters on the 3.2-meter wide Monforts finishing range. In haute couture fine fashion, of course, they command very high prices.

As a result of the extremely specialist nature of handling such delicate fabrics, the Monforts line has been equipped with a number of additional features, including special needle chain devices for dealing with knitted silk fabrics, a steamer unit, a computerized weft-straightening device and associated controls, and a horizontal combined chain.

The tentering chain is completely sealed — to avoid any grease or oil coming into contact with the fabrics at any time — and fitted with long-lasting lubricated bearings.

Special attention has also been paid to energy recovery, with low energy consumption IE3 motors and the integration of a full heat recovery system into the line.

Philippe Magat confirms that this is now providing Hugotag with significant energy savings.

Historic legacy

Like its equally famous counterpart in Italy — Como — Lyon has historically been associated with silk fabric production, and all of Hugotag’s fabrics are still woven locally. Piece-dyeing was introduced in Lyon and became an industrial process in the mid-18th century and for a long time remained a specialty of the region. Screen-printing is meanwhile sometimes known as ‘a la lyonnaise’ because Lyon is acknowledged as the first region to industrialize the process during this same period.

And although there still remain other silk finishers in France, Hugotag is one of only two to carry out the ‘degumming’ of the silk fabrics using ‘Marseilles Soap’ — a chemical-free formulation based on 100-percent olive oil, developed long before the concept of sustainability was even known.

“It’s a very specific treatment and because the fabric is so very delicate it’s very difficult to do on an industrial machine, but we can now do it successfully,” says Philippe Magat. “More than anything, however, zero defects are our objective, and this is something the new highly-automated and computerized Monforts line is allowing us to achieve.

“We don’t need to run at high speeds, and average 15-20 meters per minute, because the priority is perfection. Our customers are very discerning and even the smallest of defects can result in returns, which we simply can’t afford to allow to damage our reputation.”

The human touch

It is reassuring to know, however, that there are still some things that highly-automated and computer-controlled machines like the Montex 8500  still can’t do — and perhaps never will.

Hugotag still relies on the keen eyes of its specialist quality fabric control inspectors who have many years of experience, rather than digital optical inspection systems that are readily-available on the market.

“At this level of quality, it’s a skill machines are simply unable to replace,” Philippe Magat concludes. “Through many years of experience I am able to spot even the smallest detail that the average eye simply can’t see — and so can the specialist team working here. Our exclusive customers would expect nothing less

Posted February 14, 2018

Source: A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG

Clariant Significantly Increases Growth And Further Improves Profitability In 2017

MUTTENZ, Switzerland — February 14, 2018 — Clariant today announced full year 2017 sales of 6.377 billion Swiss francs compared to 5.847 billion Swiss francs in 2016. This corresponds to 9-percent growth in local currency driven by double-digit gains in Catalysis and Natural Resources. The strong organic growth amounted to 6 percent, driven by higher volume contributions by all Business Areas.

For the full year, sales growth in local currency was strongest in Asia, the Middle East & Africa and Europe. Sales in Asia rose by 12 percent, lifted by a remarkable sales development in China, Southeast Asia and Japan. Sales growth in the Middle East & Africa was 15 percent and in Europe 7 percent. Sales in North America also increased by 11 percent mainly driven by acquisitions. Latin American sales were flat, however, showing signs of improvement in the second half of the year in an ongoing challenging macroeconomic environment.

The improved sales performance for the full year resulted from growth in all Business Areas. Both Care Chemicals and Catalysis reported particularly strong expansion. Sales in Care Chemicals rose by 8 percent in local currency supported by vigorous Consumer Care and Industrial Applications businesses. Catalysis sales improved by an excellent 13 percent with positive contributions from all Business Lines.

Natural Resources sales accelerated by 14 percent, mainly lifted by the Kel-Tech and X-Chem acquisitions in North America. Organic sales in Natural Resources grew by 3 percent, driven by the solid growth in Functional Minerals and the beginning recovery of the Oil & Mining Services business. In Plastics & Coatings, sales rose by 5 percent with sales expansion in all three Business Units and particular strength in China.

EBITDA before exceptional items rose by 10 percent in Swiss francs and reached 974 million Swiss francs, compared to 887 million Swiss francs in the previous year. The absolute profitability improvement was attributable to the positive developments in all Business Areas.

The corresponding EBITDA margin before exceptional items advanced to 15.3 percent.

Net income climbed by 15 percent in Swiss francs to 302 million Swiss francs from 263 million Swiss francs in the previous year. This increase was supported by the improvement in absolute EBITDA before exceptional items as well as lower finance costs which could offset the one-off costs and higher tax expenses.

Operating cash flow declined to 428 million Swiss francs due to temporarily higher cash out for one-off costs and higher net working capital as a result of brisk demand late in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the anticipated strong demand in the first quarter of 2018, especially in Catalysis.

Net debt remained stable at 1.539 billion Swiss francs versus 1.540 billion Swiss francs recorded at year-end 2016.

The continued improvement in performance allows the Board of Directors to propose a dividend of 0.50 Swiss francs per share to the Annual General Meeting. This sum reflects an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous year. This distribution is proposed to be made from the capital contribution reserve which is exempt from Swiss withholding tax.

Fourth Quarter 2017 – Further expansion in sales and profitability

In the fourth quarter of 2017, sales rose by 6 percent in local currency to 1.679 billion Swiss francs. This expansion resulted from sales improvements in all Business Areas. Organic sales growth was 5 percent in local currency.

Almost all regions contributed to the growth. In Asia, sales in local currency grew by 10 percent with a continuous strong development in China. Sales in Europe increased by 6 percent in local currency and in the Middle East & Africa by 11 percent in local currency. In the Americas, the picture was mixed. Though North America was slightly negative, Latin America showed a notable recovery and rose by a solid 7 percent in local currency.

Sales in Care Chemicals climbed by 7 percent in local currency mainly as a result of higher volumes which were supported by some pricing improvements. Catalysis sales moved up by 1 percent due to forward product shifts from the fourth to the third quarter. Natural Resources sales increased by 5 percent in local currency with positive contributions from both Functional Minerals and the Oil & Mining Services businesses. Plastics & Coatings sales accelerated by a good 8 percent with all three Business Units contributing to the growth.

EBITDA before exceptional items climbed by 9 percent in Swiss francs to 257 million from 235 million Swiss francs in the previous year driven by the improvement in Care Chemicals and Natural Resources as well as by a continuing solid contribution from Plastics & Coatings. As a result, the EBITDA margin before exceptional items on Group level increased further to 15.3 percent from 15.2 percent in the previous year.

Outlook – Continued progression in growth, profitability improvement and operating cash flow generation

Clariant expects the good economic environment in mature markets, which represent a high comparable base, to continue. Emerging markets are expected to be supportive with Latin America showing signs of a recovery.

For 2018, Clariant is confident to be able to achieve growth in local currency, as well as progression in operating cash flow, absolute EBITDA and EBITDA margin before exceptional items.

Clariant confirms its mid-term target of reaching a position in the top tier of the specialty chemicals industry. This corresponds to an EBITDA margin before exceptional items in the range of 16 to 19 percent and a return on invested capital (ROIC) above the peer group average.

Posted February 14, 2018

Source: Clariant

Kayser-Roth Selects Huge As Agency Of Record For No nonsense™ Brand

ATLANTA — February 14, 2018 — Huge, a global experience agency and leader in unified brand experiences, today announced it has been selected by Kayser-Roth Corp. to serve as the agency of record for No nonsense™, a brand known in the legwear category. Huge will be responsible for the entirety of the brand’s marketing efforts spanning creative, strategy, communications and media. The partnership kicked off in January 2018, with the work being led by Huge’s Atlanta office.

“We’re at an inflection point, both in our society and in the role the No nonsense brand can play in the life of today’s modern woman, and we found the perfect partner in Huge who believes in innovation and in empowering people to drive meaningful action in our world as strongly as we do,” said Andrea Angelo, senior marketing director, Kayser-Roth. “Through our joint commitment to innovation, we’re determined to be bold this year and bring our No nonsense attitude to a group of consumers who might not have traditionally thought of our brand this way before.”

From inventing the first control top pantyhose in 1976 to introducing socks to food and drug retailers in 2003, No nonsense has been innovating the apparel and hosiery industry for decades. The brand has continued to evolve without losing their commitment to being stylish, high-quality, low-cost and eco-conscious. The organization plans to expand its brand beyond its loyal following to appeal to a new, younger audience through this partnership with Huge, reaching a digital demographic whose shopping habits differ from their original consumers.

“In a world where being a woman is more empowering than ever, having a brand whose name is ‘No nonsense’ is an amazing thing,” said Carrie Philpott, managing director of Huge Atlanta. “We felt an instant chemistry and connection with the No nonsense team, and we’re excited to partner with the pioneers in the women’s hosiery category to amplify their brand’s strong voice.”

Posted February 14, 2018

Source: Huge

Rice University Scientists Create Patterned Graphene On Food, Paper, Cloth, Cardboard

HOUSTON — February 13, 2018 — Rice University scientists who introduced laser-induced graphene (LIG) have enhanced their technique to produce what may become a new class of edible electronics.

The Rice lab of chemist James Tour, which once turned Girl Scout cookies into graphene, is investigating ways to write graphene patterns onto food and other materials to quickly embed conductive identification tags and sensors into the products themselves.

“This is not ink,” Tour said. “This is taking the material itself and converting it into graphene.”

The process is an extension of the Tour lab’s contention that anything with the proper carbon content can be turned into graphene. In recent years, the lab has developed and expanded upon its method to make graphene foam by using a commercial laser to transform the top layer of an inexpensive polymer film.

The foam consists of microscopic, cross-linked flakes of graphene, the two-dimensional form of carbon. LIG can be written into target materials in patterns and used as a supercapacitor, an electrocatalyst for fuel cells, radio-frequency identification (RFID) antennas and biological sensors, among other potential applications.

The new work reported in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano demonstrated that laser-induced graphene can be burned into paper, cardboard, cloth, coal and certain foods, even toast.

“Very often, we don’t see the advantage of something until we make it available,” Tour said. “Perhaps all food will have a tiny RFID tag that gives you information about where it’s been, how long it’s been stored, its country and city of origin and the path it took to get to your table.”

He said LIG tags could also be sensors that detect E. coli or other microorganisms on food. “They could light up and give you a signal that you don’t want to eat this,” Tour said. “All that could be placed not on a separate tag on the food, but on the food itself.”

Multiple laser passes with a defocused beam allowed the researchers to write LIG patterns into cloth, paper, potatoes, coconut shells and cork, as well as toast. The bread is toasted first to “carbonize” the surface. The process happens in air at ambient temperatures.

“In some cases, multiple lasing creates a two-step reaction,” Tour said. “First, the laser photothermally converts the target surface into amorphous carbon. Then on subsequent passes of the laser, the selective absorption of infrared light turns the amorphous carbon into LIG. We discovered that the wavelength clearly matters.”

The researchers turned to multiple lasing and defocusing when they discovered that simply turning up the laser’s power didn’t make better graphene on a coconut or other organic materials. But adjusting the process allowed them to make a micro supercapacitor in the shape of a Rice “R” on their twice-lased coconut skin.

Defocusing the laser sped the process for many materials as the wider beam allowed each spot on a target to be lased many times in a single raster scan. That also allowed for fine control over the product, Tour said. Defocusing allowed them to turn previously unsuitable polyetherimide into LIG.

“We also found we could take bread or paper or cloth and add fire retardant to them to promote the formation of amorphous carbon,” said Rice graduate student Yieu Chyan, co-lead author of the paper. “Now we’re able to take all these materials and convert them directly in air without requiring a controlled atmosphere box or more complicated methods.”

The common element of all the targeted materials appears to be lignin, Tour said. An earlier study relied on lignin, a complex organic polymer that forms rigid cell walls, as a carbon precursor to burn LIG in oven-dried wood. Cork, coconut shells and potato skins have even higher lignin content, which made it easier to convert them to graphene.

Tour said flexible, wearable electronics may be an early market for the technique. “This has applications to put conductive traces on clothing, whether you want to heat the clothing or add a sensor or conductive pattern,” he said.

Rice alumnus Ruquan Ye is co-lead author of the study. Co-authors are Rice graduate student Yilun Li and postdoctoral fellow Swatantra Pratap Singh and Professor Christopher Arnusch of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Chair in Chemistry as well as a professor of computer science and of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research supported the research.

Posted February 13, 2018

Source: Rice University’s Office of Public Affairs

Columbus McKinnon Names Bert A. Brant Vice President Of Global Manufacturing Operations

AMHERST, N.Y. — February 12, 2018 — Columbus McKinnon Corp. — a designer, manufacturer and marketer of motion control products, technologies and services for material handling — announced today the appointment of Bert A. Brant for its newly created role of vice president, Global Manufacturing Operations.

Mark D. Morelli, Columbus McKinnon’s president and CEO, noted: “Bert brings over 35 years experience in building world class operations and enhancing customer experience through on time deliveries and value-focused manufacturing. He has excelled at reducing lead times and improving profitability through value engineering, supply chain management and by driving operational efficiencies. Bert is an integral component to the execution of Blueprint 2021, our strategy to build a better business model and drive stronger earnings power. I am excited to welcome Bert to our executive team.”

Prior to joining Columbus McKinnon, Brant was senior vice president of Global Operations for Colfax Fluid Handling where he was responsible for global plants and distribution centers in the U.S., EMEA and India since 2014. Prior to that he was vice president of North American Operations for Apex Tool Group, a $1.6 billion global manufacturer and distributor of industrial hand and power tools. He held other manufacturing and operational leadership roles at Pergo LLC, Rexnord Corp. and Denso Manufacturing in Maryville, Tenn., where he was trained by Toyota in Japan on the Toyota Production System. He began his career at Texas Instruments. Brant is a graduate of Georgia Southern University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in technology.

Posted February 13, 2018

Source: Columbus McKinnon

HanesBrands Completes Acquisition Of Australian Intimate Apparel Seller Bras N Things

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — February 13, 2018 — HanesBrands — a worldwide marketer of underwear, intimate apparel and activewear — today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Bras N Things, a leading specialty retailer and online seller of intimate apparel in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Bras N Things, which had net sales of approximately A$180 million ($144 million) in 2017, will be managed as part of the Hanes Australasia business, which also includes the iconic Bonds basic apparel and underwear brand and Berlei bras.

Hanes Australasia now holds the number one market positions in Australia for bras, sports bras, panties, socks, babywear and men’s underwear. Bras N Things sells proprietary bras, panties and lingerie sets through a retail network of approximately 170 stores and a fast-growing ecommerce platform www.brasNthings.com.

“We are very excited to add Bras N Things to our strong Hanes Australasia business unit,” said Hanes CEO Gerald W. Evans, Jr. “With its highly effective 100 percent consumer-direct business model and strong millennial following, Bras N Things is a strategic and complementary addition to our business portfolio. In addition, we are adding seasoned management depth to our already outstanding Hanes Australasia management team.”

The all-cash transaction valued at A$500 million (approximately $400 million) on an enterprise-value basis closed Feb. 12, 2018. The purchase price is approximately 10 times 2017 EBITDA and is expected to be less than 8 times EBITDA after cost and revenue synergies. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings in 2018.

Bras N Things attracts millennial consumers with on-target core products supplemented by seasonal product offerings. Bras N Things CEO George Wahby will continue to run the business and will join the Hanes Australasia management team led by President and Managing Director David Bortolussi.

Bras N Things operates 154 stores in Australia, 10 stores in New Zealand and 7 stores in South Africa and has a growing online e-commerce platform. Hanes believes the Bras N Things business model has the potential to be expanded to additional geographies.

Hanes created its Hanes Australasia business unit with the acquisition of Pacific Brands in 2016. The acquisition featured Bonds, Australia’s top brand of underwear, babywear and socks, and Berlei, the country’s No. 1 sports bra brand and leading seller of premium bras in department stores. Hanes Australasia also sells Bonds basic apparel, Playtex intimate apparel and Champion activewear in Australia.

Hanes supports its commercial business units around the world with the company’s global low-cost supply chain and manufacturing network, which primarily consists of company-owned and operated production facilities.

Hanes has made nine commercial acquisitions in the past eight years. The company now holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position for underwear, intimate apparel or hosiery in a dozen countries, including the United States, Australia, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Posted February 13, 2018

Source: HanesBrands

Hollar Deploys inVia Robotics Mobile Robots To Modernize And Automate Warehouse Operations

LOS ANGELES — February 13, 2018 — inVia Robotics, the provider of the next generation of robotics warehouse automation solutions for e-commerce fulfillment centers, today announced Hollar has deployed its inVia Picker robots and cloud-based Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) management system to streamline e-commerce fulfillment in its Los Angeles warehouse.

As the online destination for cool products at incredible deals starting at $1, Hollar needed a cost-effective, collaborative mobile robotics platform to automate the goods-to-person fulfillment process. inVia Robotics’ patented robots and subscription-based pricing empowers Hollar to boost warehouse productivity and fulfillment, without disrupting warehouse operations. Hollar will initially deploy 100 inVia Picker robots and scale as needed to address seasonal shopping and company growth.

“As an online shopping destination for thrifty shoppers, we are always looking for ways to improve productivity, decrease operational costs and maximize efficiency so that we can offer our customers the best deals,” said David Yeom, co-founder and CEO of Hollar. “Implementing inVia’s cutting-edge warehouse robotics technology frees up our employees’ time, enabling them to focus on projects to grow the business and ensuring they can provide the best possible customer experience for our shoppers.”

The inVia Picker works collaboratively alongside Hollar’s human operators to skillfully pick and move items, automating the storage and retrieval process and minimizing operator risk exposure. Unlike other robotics automation providers, inVia offers a subscription-based model that allows companies of any size to implement robotic automation without the hefty price tag. inVia’s holistic RaaS platform seamlessly integrates with any existing layout and software. As a part of inVia’s discovery process, which includes thousands of simulations conducted by the engineering team, Hollar is expected to increase order fulfillment more than 300 percent.

“Warehouse automation is critical for e-commerce companies competing against behemoths like Amazon, but the overhead cost of purchasing a fleet of robots to streamline efficiency can be crippling,” said Lior Elazary, founder and CEO of inVia Robotics. “inVia’s innovative RaaS technology eliminates this challenge for our customers. We’re excited to support an industry disruptor such as Hollar in deploying our mobile warehouse robots and management system to streamline the company’s logistics workflow without impacting its existing ecosystem.”

inVia Robotics’ systems are deployed nationally across warehouses and distribution centers of all sizes.

Posted February 13, 2018

Source: inVia Robotics

Lenzing Enters New Phase With Launch Of TENCEL™ As Lenzing’s Flagship Brand For Textile

PARIS — February 13, 2018 — The Lenzing Group today redefined TENCEL™, as its textile premium brand at Première Vision Paris. The redefining of the Tencel brand is a key milestone of Lenzing’s new brand strategy to enhance product brand offerings, foster connection with customers and consumers, and drive consumer demand. Tencel is well positioned to be a major growth engine in the textile sector, with a brand portfolio that caters for distinctive usage — Tencel Active, Tencel Denim, Tencel Home, Tencel Intimate, and Tencel Luxe, all enabled by two versatile and highly compatible fibers, Tencel Modal and Tencel Lyocell.

Designed and based on the findings and insights of an extensive market research, the brand architecture is an important step for Lenzing to transform from a business-to-business (B2B) fiber producer to a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) brand. The brand architecture not only addresses the growing trend amongst retail brands and consumers to seek out for products that make them look good and feel good, but also do good via sustainable and transparent production processes, like the processes used for producing Tencel Modal and Tencel Lyocell fibers. According to research findings, while LENZING™ Modal is known as a fiber with good quality and long-lasting exquisite softness, Tencel is a well-recognized and appreciated brand name among stakeholders, customers and consumers in key target regions of Lenzing. Hence, Tencel is adopted as Lenzing’s textile specialty brand for apparel and home applications, and is aimed to help create a unique and differentiating brand in the Modal and Lyocell fiber markets. The redefined Tencel product brand, along with the tagline “Feels so right”, will enable Lenzing to embark on communication around messages that move beyond fiber types and characteristics towards everyday use and benefits that brands and consumers value.

“With a longer-term strategy to enhance connection with customers and consumers, 2018 will be a game changer year for Lenzing,” said Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer of Lenzing Group. “Since rolling out our sCore TEN business strategy in 2015, Lenzing has been migrating into a specialty fiber business with a strong focus on innovation, quality and sustainability. The redefined Tencel brand underlines our core principles of trust, transparency, reliability and amicability, and by leading technology innovation in the textile sector, we will continue to enable our industry partners and consumers to feel good, look good and do good.”

Under the new brand strategy, Tencel Modal and Tencel Lyocell fibers will be key ingredients in the Tencel branded product portfolio. Derived from certified and controlled wood sources, both Tencel Modal and Tencel Lyocell standard fibers are produced via responsible production processes and are compostable and biodegradable under industrial, home, soil and marine conditions. Enabled by industry innovations, including REFIBRA™ technology, Eco Soft technology, Eco filament technology and Micro technology, textiles produced under the Tencel brand offer premium standards of sustainability and natural comfort to meet evolving consumer demand.

“We are charting a bold new course to simplify our product portfolio and elevate our brand to bring more value to consumers and industry partners,” said Harold Weghorst, director of Global Brand Management. “As Lenzing’s flagship brand in the textile sector, Tencel will grow beyond fiber types and functional characteristics, it will become a true consumer-focused brand with a promise of something more functional and emotional. By elevating Tencel to a promise to the consumer rather than a product message to the value chain, we can start to excite consumers, retailers and brands about the holistic benefits of botanic fibers. Guided by the brand promise of ‘Feels so right’, Tencel brings greater degree of comfort and higher performance to consumers while making them feel good about the choices they make. We hope to create a stronger connection with the industry value chain and consumers through our expertise around sustainability, especially in Tencel Modal and Tencel Lyocell fibers. In the long run, we plan to build Tencel not only into a trusted B2B brand, but also a preferred consumer brand, which provides B2B customers with ease to maximize marketing effectiveness and enables consumers to identify ‘feel-good’ products made with sustainable materials.”

Moving beyond fiber to distinctive everyday usage or application in consumer-focused-branded offer, Tencel Active, Tencel Denim, Tencel Home, Tencel Intimate and Tencel Luxe have been created under the Tencel portfolio. New swing tags and marketing materials will be launched on a retail level to provide clarity on product benefit claims containing Tencel branded fibers. The swing tags, along with more detailed guidelines on B2B and B2C usage, are now available on Lenzing’s new e-branding service platform, which caters to B2B customers and retail partners, offering faster, more sustainable and more user-friendly solutions for certification and licensing.

“By applying the new brand strategy, we will take a more personalized and targeted approach to reflect the Tencel brand essence of ‘softness’ and ‘feeling good with a natural touch’ with B2B customers, retail partners and consumers,” added Amit Gautam, vice president of Global Business Management in Textile. “We will work closely with the industry value chain and retail brands to educate consumers about Tencel featured value propositions like product quality, functional benefits and sustainability. Co-branding programs such as swing tags or packaging, and co-marketing campaigns with retail brands will enable us to reach out to consumers directly. With more brand exposure and ongoing consumer education from this year onwards, consumers will see more of us through the Tencel brand in apparel and home textiles and/or in our partners’ retail outlets in different regions.”

The redefining of Tencel as Lenzing’s textile flagship brand will be effective from today onwards. This will be the first step of Lenzing’s new brand exercise, where the same approach will also apply to nonwoven and industrial applications, which will be announced at a later stage.

Posted February 13, 2018

Source: Lenzing Group

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