American Merchant Inc. — a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Merchant House International Ltd. — reports it will invest $19.9 million to open its first U.S.-based operation in Bristol, Va. The operation will focus on home décor products, including embroidered hand and bath towels, and bring 405 jobs to the area. The company cited abundant cotton supplies, cleaner and more sustainable energy as well as lower taxes as reasons for selecting the United States for its investment.
“The addition of over 400 new jobs and the revitalization of a former manufacturing facility is a big win for the City of Bristol, and we welcome American Merchant as Virginia’s new corporate partner,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore.
“With retailers increasingly challenged by e-commerce competitors, speed-to-market is vital,” said Loretta Lee, chairwoman and founder of Merchant House International. “Therefore, manufacturing and warehousing in Virginia will be a great advantage, and we are delighted to return our industry to this beautiful state. “
Columbia, S.C.-based Home Fashions International — a supplier of decorative pillows, comforter sets, drapery and outdoor cushions — has announced a $5.5 million expansion investment in Cherokee County, S.C. The company has purchased a new 350,000 square foot facility in Gaffney that will function as a manufacturing and shipping plant named Gaffney Manufacturing. According to the company, the expansion is in response to exponential growth in the outdoor cushion market over the past two years. It is anticipated the expansion will create 60 new jobs.
The company hopes it can quadruple its business over the next five years, and wishes to reduce its reliance on imported and out-of-state raw materials.
“I have been very happy with both the caliber of the workforce and the business-friendly environment in Cherokee County, S.C.,” said David Li, owner, Home Fashions International.
“When the business conditions dictated expansion, we considered other locations, but determined that the best course of action was to stay right here where we knew the labor force and business climate would allow us to be successful.”
“South Carolina’s world-class workforce and positive business climate have made our state the ideal location for industry; and, as a result, the manufacturing sector in South Carolina continues to thrive,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “Home Fashions International’s expansion is a testament to that, and I look forward to watching them succeed here for many years to come.”
Dalton, Ga.-based Shaw Industries Group Inc. has acquired Scotland-based carpet tile manufacturer Sanquhar Tile Services (STS). The company — which has offers tufting through cutting capabilities — joins Shaw’s commercial flooring division and carpet tile manufacturing plants in Cartersville, Ga., and Adairsville, Ga., as well as in Nantong, China.
“This acquisition positions Shaw as a global carpet provider,” said Vance Bell, chairman and CEO, Shaw. “STS will be an important part of our commercial business, and we will make substantial capital investments to enhance and modernize their operations.
“Shaw’s continued in STS will ensure that we are poised to advance our position in the market and to provide our people with rewarding careers as we focus even more heavily on advanced manufacturing techniques that allow us to best meet current and future customer needs,” said Frank Williamson, managing director, STS.
England-based industrial thread manufacturer Coats has acquired Kings Mountain, N.C.-based Patrick Yarn Mill, a producer of high-performance, cut-resistant and flame-retardant yarns. Coats reports Patrick Yarn Mill’s unique expertise will expand its Performance Materials portfolio and offer opportunities in innovation.
“Patrick Yarn Mill becoming part of the Coats family creates many opportunities for both companies as there is a lot of synergy between our product offerings and technology,” said Gilbert Patrick, president, Patrick Yarn Mill. “A key one is being able to leverage Coats’ unrivaled global footprint and strong corporate brand to accelerate market growth, which will benefit not only Patrick Yarn Mill, but also our employees and our community.”
“Patrick Yarn Mill is an exciting acquisition that supports a key aspect of our growth strategy: to identify innovation synergies that build scale in high technology sectors,” said Rajiv Sharma, group chief executive, Coats. “It is a dynamic, customer focused company and its unique spinning systems combined with our existing technology portfolio will provide a strong market offering. The opportunity to collaborate with a market leader in areas such as innovation and R&D is extremely exciting and very positive, not only for Patrick Yarn Mill’s future, but also for our customers’ future”
Germany-based Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik has opened the Karl Mayer Digital Factory GmbH. The new business aims to offer flexible and quick solutions to support and add value for customers as well as complement ongoing and future Karl Mayer activities.
“In the digital world, too, only those offers are successful which can best satisfy the consumer demands,” said Antonia Gottschalk, head of digitization, Karl Mayer, and managing director, Karl Mayer Digital Factory. “This is the reason why we consistently focus on customer benefits, and combine our long-standing experience as leading textile machinery manufacturer with new, digital know-how.”
Poland-based EcoWipes, a producer and convertor of private-label hydroentangled nonwoven products, has ordered a third production line for its growing business. The company selected machinery from Germany-based Trützschler Nonwovens and Voith including a wet-laid spunlacing (WLS) concept designed for flushable, recyclable and biodegradable products. Trützschler Nonwovens will supply the hydroentangling, drying, reeling up equipment and high-speed card. Voith will supply the HydroFormer, which allows nonwovens to be produced using entirely cellulose materials. EcoWipes will use the new line to manufacture a variety of wet-laid/spunlaced or carded/spunlaced nonwoven products.
The Italian Trade Agency and its partner the Vietnam-based Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) recently celebrated the opening of the Italian training center for textile machinery on the HCMUT campus. The project — financed by the Ministry of Economic Development through the Extraordinary Program for the promotion of Made in Italy — Country Project Vietnam — supports the local textile industry with a technology center dedicated to the production of men’s socks and hosiery featuring machinery from companies including Loris Bellini S.p.A., Fadis S.p.A., Gavazzi, Lawer S.p.A., Lonati S.p.A. and Mesdan S.p.A.
“The training center provides a further opportunity to consolidate the presence of Italy’s textile machinery sector in this emerging market,” said Alessandro Zucchi, president, Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT). “With the start of operations for the training center, our sector lays the groundwork for further business opportunities in an emerging market for the entire global textile machinery industry.”
Switzerland-based Oerlikon reports it has received two large orders totaling approximately $562 million from two of the top 10 global man-made fiber manufacturers both located in China.
The orders, for Barmag’s WINGS POY and Wings FDY polyester yarn spinning technology, will be delivered in 2019 and 2020 as part of a two-year delivery plan.
“These orders confirm the strong recovery in the filament equipment market and the continued trust our market-leading customers have in us and our technologies,” said Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO, Oerlikon Group. “Given the size of these contracts and Oerlikon’s strong manmade fibers project pipeline, we expect the Segment’s business to continue developing well and the mid-term prospects to remain positive, with the opportunity to structurally converge the Segment’s business toward mid-teens EBITDA margin again.”
France-based Lectra has unveiled a new brand identity designed to highlight the company’s digital strategy centered on Industry 4.0 concepts. While maintaining the same red and black colors, the new logo was designed to emphasize the company’s four values — Caring, Committed, Insightful and Visionary — and suggest the idea of innovation.
The branding also includes a new tagline — “Empowering customers through industrial intelligence” — which confirms Lectra’s commitment to its customers, according to the company.
“Lectra’s new branding identity is a direct reflection of the company’s evolving strategy, its expertise and rich history,” said Alexis Noal, vice president, ComCorp., the agency that helped develop Lectra’s new brand identity. “The new branding is the fruit of a close collaboration with Lectra’s teams, at every level, and nourished through our recent exchanges with Lectra’s customers and partners.”
Firefighter jackets made by Innotex using fabric woven by Monterey Textiles, feature FilSpec™ FireFil™ corespun yarn comprising para-aramid, glass and Vectran®.
Produced using proprietary modified air-jet spinning technology, FilSpec™ FireFil™ glass-core yarn offers unique flame, cut and tear resistance.
By Janet Bealer Rodie, Contributing Editor
FireFil™, developed by FilSpec Inc., Quebec, is a corespun yarn featuring glass filaments in the core surrounded by high-performance textile fiber selected to address the particular needs of the intended application. The company reports the yarn is flame-, cut- and tear-resistant — offering advantages including no after-flame, no melting or dripping, no shrinkage in extreme heat, and 200-percent higher tear strength than is required by the NFPA 1971-2013 standard.
FilSpec developed the FireFil yarn technology and potential applications over a period of about four years. The company was already making a corespun yarn of nylon and polyester, and the idea of developing a flame-resistant (FR) yarn for knitted mattress ticking led to the idea to replace the nylon core with a glass core. FilSpec worked with weaver Monterey Textiles, also based in Quebec, to develop woven fabrics for firefighter applications, and woven fabrics for other applications soon followed.
“Making and certifying the fabrics was a truly invested effort by us working with our partners,” said Dominique Quintal, partner and vice-president sales and marketing. “But making a corespun glass yarn on our air-jet spinning machines was a tougher challenge.”
Sébastien Couture, partner and R&D manager, explained that the makers of FilSpec’s air-jet machines said the machines weren’t designed for and wouldn’t work for processing such a yarn. In response, Couture and his team came up with their own proprietary solution. “We had to modify the spinning machines, and now, all of our machines are modified to be able to do the glass-core yarn,” he said.
In addition to having high strength and FR properties, the glass acts as an insulator. In this regard, because of what Quintal described as “a kind of micro-swelling” of the glass filaments during washing — which creates air pockets among the filaments — the thermal barrier performance improves with washing rather than deteriorating, as is typical in conventional thermal-barrier fabrics. Also, the very low elongation of the glass filaments must be considered in the dyeing process, as there is no shrinkage during processing.
For the firefighter fabric, Filspec worked with Monterey and firefighter gear maker Innotex, Quebec, to develop a fabric comprising two-ply yarns of para-aramid spun around a glass core, and periodically inserted yarns that include one ply of para-aramid spun around a high-strength, melt-resistant Vectran® core in order to add further strength.
Another woven application, for a welder’s suit, features Lenzing™ FR and wool spun around FireFil’s glass core to provide protection against metal spatter. The company has also made glass-core yarns blended with Kevlar® or polyester for cut-resistant knitted gloves.
For more information about FilSpec™ FireFil™, contact Dominique Quintal +819.573.8709; dquintal@filspec.com; filspec.com.
