Thermaltech’s jackets feature a patented solar-powered smart fabric.
Los Angeles-based ThermalTech has patented a solar-powered smart fabric featuring a stainless steel yarn. According to the company, the fabric collects energy from the sun or an artificial light source and can keep a wearer warm with reduced bulk. The technology can generate up to 10°C of heat in two minutes even when it is cold outside. In order to commercialize the technology, ThermalTech has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds.
The first product to feature the fabric is a jacket available in three styles — Street, Explorer and Extreme — and each style will be available for men or women in a choice of black or gray.
“We believe that by introducing this solar-absorbing fabric into the apparel marketplace, the next generation of outerwear will provide the consumer with even more of an optimal temperature & fit,” said Carlos Cortes, CEO of ThermalTech. “This will allow everyone from the snowboarder to the fashionista to be warmer in colder climates.”
Newly independent Covestro is excited about waterborne Insqin™ polyurethane technology and partner program.
By Rachael S. Davis, Managing Editor
C
ollaboration, investment and strong — three words combined to create the name Covestro, the new identity given to the Bayer AG company Bayer MaterialScience after it was separated from the parent company last year. Covestro AG is now a legally and economically independent entity with its headquarters in Germany. It is very much a global company however with manufacturing and research locations all over the world.
The separation from Bayer allows the company to leverage its existing strengths more rapidly and flexibly across the globe. Additionally, as a separate entity, direct access to capital markets allows the company the strategic freedom to capitalize on growth opportunities.
Covestro is divided into three business units: Polyurethanes; Polycarbonates; and Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties. The company operates three main global innovation centers — one in Germany, one in Pittsburgh and one in Shanghai. Covestro is involved in many areas of polymer science, and has a group dedicated to textile innovations. Its global Textile Coatings business unit is headquartered in Shanghai, and at the Polymer Development & Research Center in Shanghai the Textile Coatings group focuses on Insqin™ technology for polyurethane (PU)-coated textiles.
Polyurethane-coated textiles are suitable for a variety of end-uses including fashion and sport shoes, bags and fashion garments.
Insqin™: PUD Technology
Covestro offers polyurethane dispersion (PUD) chemistries to both enhance and transform textiles. PU can enhance textiles when used as a waterproof coating and is commonly used in T-shirt printing inks. Used in a different way, PU can transform fabrics into materials suitable for bags, shoes and fashion garments. The transformed textile is soft and durable and offers endless possibilities for design and color not available with natural materials like leather, according to Covestro. Effects such as glitter, metallics, as well as deeply embossed patterns are just some of the design possibilities.
Traditional PU technology requires the solvent dimethylformamide (DMF) to be used during processing, which creates occupational health risks, as well as environmental pollution risks. Production involves a three-step process that creates a base layer, prepares a skin layer using a transfer coating process, then laminates the two layers together. The traditional process also requires large amounts of water during the washing stage, and high levels of heat to dry the substrate and recover the DMF. It is an energy- and resource-intensive process.
According to Nick Smith, vice president and global head of Textile Coatings, Covestro (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., the textile industry’s agenda is increasingly dominated by sustainability. Organizations such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Roadmap to Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) group, and Afirm Group that share visions of reduced environmental impacts caused by the textile, apparel and footwear industries encourage textile companies to rethink they way they operate.
Covestro was driven to develop a more environmentally friendly process and DMF-free chemistry for PU products. The company’s goal was to create a product that was sustainable, but one that did not hinder innovation. That idea resulted in the launch of Insqin, which is a ZDHC, bluesign® and Oeko-Tex® compliant product.
Insqin encompasses a range of waterborne PU dispersions and offers three principal benefits according to Covestro: it results in a safer working environment; eliminates the pollution risk; and is more efficient. The company was able to retool the manufacturing process into a sequential build-up on the same line, thereby eliminating the traditional three-step process. Covestro also engineered waterborne chemistries that took DMF out of the equation, removed the need for post-treatment washing, and reduced the total drying time to make the whole process much more environmentally friendly and less energy intensive. According to Rolf Irnich, head of Global Technical Development Textile, Covestro Polymers (China) Co. Ltd., the Insqin process saves 95-percent of the water required in the traditional DMF PU production process and 50-percent in energy costs.
Additionally, the waterborne PU can be coagulated without the need for DMF, so this chemistry may be implemented by a traditional PU producer using the three-step process.
The Covestro Polymer Development & Research Center in Shanghai recently installed a state-of-the-art pilot coating line with a 12-meter-long oven and built-in embossing line. This 3 million euro investment is used for Insqin product development and partner company trials.
Insqin Partner Manufacturer Program
According to Smith, Covestro discovered through dealing with brands that they were concerned about transparency in the value chain. The company saw a chance to improve and promote transparency, which led to the creation of its Partner Manufacturer Program. Launched in July 2015, the program helps brand owners find reputable manufacturers of sustainable materials.
“A growing number of brands and retailers are becoming interested in sourcing sustainable materials, and further, they need more assurances about the origins and integrity of those materials,” Smith said. “The program was developed to link these brands with manufacturers capable of efficiently delivering innovative materials and sustainability best practice.”
The program is voluntary, and a manufacturer must submit to an audit performed by a third-party testing house to join. The incentive for the manufacturer to be highly scrutinized in this way is to gain access to proprietary Covestro technology and be represented downstream by Covestro with the brands looking for responsibly produced PU products.
Nick Smith (left), global head of Textile Coatings at Covestro, and Xue Taiwen, general manager and director of Kunshan Xiefu New Material Co. Ltd., at the recent signing ceremony for the Insqin Partner Manufacturer Program.
Covestro developed an integrated approach to the market with its Insqin Partner Manufacturer Program. As the chemical supplier, Covestro does not deal directly with the brands, but feels the relationship is important. “The brand owners will never buy a single kilo of product from Covestro, but we want that relationship,” said Smith.
Smith reports strong interest from brand owners in the technology, and even more interest from the manufacturers. “However, we’re in the early stages of the market introduction of the technology, and many wait for market demand before getting involved,” Smith said.
Korea-based Duksung Co. Ltd. was the first company to sign an Insqin partner agreement. Established in 1966, the company specializes in man-made and synthetic leather production. Some of its latest innovations have extended to PU-coated yarns, which are woven into fabrics with improved abrasion resistance.
Covestro recently welcomed China-based Kunshan Xiefu New Material Co. Ltd. (Xiefu) as the second member of the partner program. A signing ceremony was held to officially welcome Xiefu into the program.
The two companies will collaborate to develop and promote sustainable PU materials for fashion and footwear markets, among other applications. Xiefu’s customers include H&M, Zara, C&A and Emmaljunga, a Sweden-based manufacturer of high-end baby buggies and prams.
“We are proud to welcome Xiefu to the program and look forward to supporting the growth of sustainable PU-coated textiles for the fashion apparel and footwear market worldwide,” Smith said.
“Xiefu is committed to customer-centric innovation and sustainability to serve the world’s most demanding brands,” said Sun Guohao, chairman, Xiefu. “We are pleased to be recognized as a key partner of Covestro, with the technology, processes and skills to deliver exciting new PU products through sustainable manufacturing.”
“Xiefu can use the Insqin name when showing products to customers,” Smith said. “Though we did not conceive of this as a branded product in the beginning, I’d be delighted to see the Insqin name show up on a consumer label.”
“It’s an evolving story,” Smith said. “Demand is rising with brand owners, and let’s see where it goes!”
The Switzerland-based International Oeko-Tex® Association has developed Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex, a new certification system through which producers of textile processing chemicals and chemical compounds can corroborate that their products are suitable for sustainable textile production. Currently in a pilot period, the program launches in early summer 2016.
The program features three sequential assessments, and products that pass all three steps are granted the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification. This label allows those products to be used in Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified products and by STeP by Oeko-Tex certified manufacturing plants.
The International Oeko-Tex Association and its 16 member institutes will host webinars and other learning opportunities to educate companies about the Eco Passport certification.
Wakefield, Mass.-based antimicrobial solutions provider Sciessent LLC has announced strategic partnerships with the Netherlands-based Tanatex Chemicals, and 10X®, a Walls® brand owned by the Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., Fort Worth, Texas.
Tanatex will represent Sciessent’s Lava technology in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The odor-trapping, natural and non-toxic Lava product features zeolites, a mineral-based substance born from volcanic ash. “This is a unique partnership for Tanatex Chemicals as this is the first time we will present an external product to our customers,” said René Hermse, manager, Functional Finishing, Tanatex Chemicals. “Sciessent’s Lava product fits in our functional finishing portfolio and matches perfectly into the mineral technologies for which Tanatex is known.”
Technical hunting gear company 10X will feature Sciessent’s Agion Active XL™ odor-control technology in a new line of hunting apparel.
“We are thrilled to announce 10X as our newest brand partner,” said Paul Ford, CEO, Sciessent. “Scent control is crucial to any hunter’s success, and the addition of Agion Active XL to the 10X line will add superior performance with a leading odor-management technology to help hunters win their prize.”
Ireland-based Proxy Biomedical Ltd. has announced a significant expansion plan, driven by new business and continued growth in revenues. The company will double its cleanroom manufacturing space with the expansion reaching completion during the second quarter of 2016.
Over the past 12 months, the company debuted a number of products to serve unmet market needs. Proxy expanded its range of resorbable and non-resorbable biomaterial solutions for vascular indications; launched the Proxy Bio-XT process that reinforces resorbable implants; and introduced the custom synthesized ProTEX Med polypropylene resin that is suitable for use in implantable textiles.
The company expects continued new product introductions in 2016 along with a coating capacity expansion and pre-clinical trials on antimicrobial implantable materials.
“It has been an exciting year for Proxy Biomedical, as we have expanded our technology portfolio and enhanced both our facility and our team, to better accommodate market needs and the growing demand for our product solutions,” said Peter Mulrooney, CEO, Proxy Biomedical. “We continue to see substantial year-on-year revenue growth and we look forward to maintaining this momentum in the years ahead.”
Turkey-based Mogul Co. Ltd., a nonwovens producer with plants in Turkey and South Carolina, has announced plans for a third location in Turkey. According to the company, the new plant will feature state-of-the-art technology — including complex fiber and filament equipment for splittable bicomponent filaments, cross-lap spunlace web forming machinery and chemical treatment and printing machinery — for the production of performance-based nonwovens for a variety of technical end-uses. The plant is scheduled to go online during the second half of 2016. The investment marks the first step in three-phase investment plan for the plant, which Mogul plans to eventually triple in capacity.
“With our new venture, we aim to obtain more durable, efficient and natural comfort fabrics, which will open new frontiers for us,” said Serkan Gogus, CEO, Mogul.
Spinners foresee a continuation in 2016 of the solid business conditions that have existed for the past few years. Despite this optimism, January was the slowest month many have seen in some time.
“Our orders got really sluggish after Christmas,” said one spinner. “More than anything, I think it was due to an inventory correction.” Another spinner agreed: “Ring-spun yarns have been in high demand for a long time. I think a lot of customers held on to their ring-spun positions just so they would have them. Then, after the holidays, they found themselves with a load of inventory.”
Said another spinner: “One day we have orders coming in like normal, and then, the next day, it turns into a trickle, drip, drip, drip. I don’t think this is a long-term deal; I think it is just customers using their yarn inventory. Knitters and weavers tell me they are still running full schedules, so we expect business to return to normal soon.”
Another observer commented: “At this point, we expect 2016 to be a very solid year, unless something unexpected arises. New jobs are being created, demand is strong, raw material prices are falling and energy prices are decreasing.”
Added one industry executive: “We see no reason for the momentum we have established over the past several years to slow. Continued prosperity will enable us to continue to invest in the most modern equipment.
This will further increase productivity and reduce costs for the manufacturer, its customers and the end-consumer.”
TPP Provisions Revealed
Spinners have other reasons for optimism as well. The text of the long-negotiated, but highly secret Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was released in late 2015. The agreement contained most of the language U.S. textile leaders had hoped for. “Based on our generalized understanding of the final agreement reached last month, we believe that many of the U.S. textile industry’s key objectives have been met, including a yarn forward rule of origin for most products and reasonable duty phase-outs for sensitive textile and apparel items,” industry trade organization NCTO said in a news release. “While we need to thoroughly familiarize ourselves with the fine details of the agreement, we feel that the U.S. government was able to achieve a well-balanced outcome for all parties, including U.S. textile manufacturers and our partners in the Western Hemisphere.”
USTR’s Take
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office says TPP will be a boon for U.S. manufacturers. “TPP’s Textiles and Apparel chapter will create export opportunities for Made-in-America clothes, fabrics, and yarns and support jobs in the United States. This objective is advanced by a “yarn-forward” approach that requires use of yarns and fabrics from TPP countries in end products qualifying for preferential treatment under TPP — with some flexibility so that American businesses and workers whose products depend on inputs not available within the TPP region can still benefit. The yarn-forward approach also will help to develop a regionally integrated supply chain that will promote long-term growth and investment in this sector in the United States. The Textiles and Apparel chapter also secures close customs cooperation among TPP Parties to facilitate effective enforcement of the rules; and ensures that U.S. companies have access to temporary relief if an import surge causes, or threatens to cause, serious damage to their business.
Further, the Trade Representative office maintains that “TPP will eliminate tariffs on U.S. exports of textiles and apparel to the other TPP markets, with many tariffs going to zero on day one, and others being phased out. We have reached a carefully crafted U.S. tariff elimination package with our TPP partners that takes into account the specific sensitivities of the United States.”
Regular readers of Textile World will notice some changes to the long-running Business & Financial column in future issues.
TW’s long time Economics Editor Robert S. Reichard has announced after many years of service to the industry that he intends to cut back on his contributions to TW magazine and begin a semi-retirement from the Textile Industries Media Group, LLC. As such, TW editors currently are working with Reichard to redesign an extended Textile Barometers data page, which should be ready for publication in the March/April issue.
“Bob has been a great contributor to the magazine and his monthly commentary will be missed,” said Jim Borneman, TW’s owner and publisher. “Luckily, Bob has agreed to continue aggregating the textile economic data indicators that are widely used by the industry, and those indicators will be presented in an expanded format.”
“Bob is well respected in the textile industry and hopefully TW editors can convince him to tap into that long economic history for a look into his famed crystal ball in the future,” Borneman added.
Look for the redesigned Textile Barometers in the March/April issue of TW!
Registration for the 2016 FloorTek Expo is now open. The event — organized by the American Floorcovering Alliance (AFA) — will be held October 18-20, 2016, at the Dalton Convention Center, Dalton, Ga. The exclusive flooring industry event is a showcase for domestic and international machinery, technology, suppliers and services for the floor covering industry.
“A rising urban population and a resurgence of construction in developing economies is contributing to renewed enthusiasm in the flooring industry,” said Wanda Ellis, executive director, AFA. “It’s estimated that this market will exceed $330 billion by 2020.”
ITMA Asia + CITME owners — CEMATEX; China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA); the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; and China Exhibition Centre Group Corp. — report nearly 1,000 machinery manufacturers have applied to exhibit at the show, to be held October 21-25, 2016, at the new National Exhibition And Convention Centre in Shanghai.
“We have seen a greater number of Chinese manufacturers signing up to exhibit at the combined show this year,” said Gu Ping, vice president, CTMA. “Interestingly, nearly 30 percent of the applicants are first-time participants.”
China’s textile industry is driven to remain competitive, and continues to invest in new machinery and technology. According to CTMA, there were a total of 15,235 projects in 2015 amounting to an investment of 1.09 trillion yuan.
In 2014, the event hosted approximately 1,600 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors.
“In view of these positive trends, which will spawn demand for better technologies, and the resounding success of the 2014 combined show, we are confident that participation in the upcoming show will be outstanding,”Gu Ping said.
Space applications for ITMA Asia + CITME 2016 close at the end of February.
