Huntsman, Pantone Collaborate On Dye Palette

Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects has released 210 new dye formulations that were developed with input from Carlstadt, N.J.-based Pantone Inc. The new colors are based on Huntsman’s Avitera® SE reactive dyes, and extend the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System®. According to Huntsman, the new formulations help designers and brands choose on-trend colors that also meet performance requirements and address environmental concerns. The 210 colors include pale, medium, dark, intense dark and brilliant shades, as well as deep black.

September/October 2015

Shaw Invests In Polyester, Nylon Production

Dalton, Ga.-based Shaw Industries Group Inc. reports it will invest a minimum of $45 million in its Lexington County, S.C., carpet fiber plant to add capacity for both polyester and nylon fiber. Shaw acquired the facility, which employs 290 people, from Honeywell International Inc. in 2005. The capacity increase will add 50 jobs.

The new polyester extrusion equipment to be installed during the fourth quarter of 2015 in Lexington County will process recycled plastic beverage bottles. Shaw currently recycles some 3 billion bottles annually at its joint-venture Clear Path Recycling facility in Fayetteville, N.C., and looks to expand its use of recycled materials, which are used in Shaw’s ClearTouch® residential carpet products.

“By continuing to invest in our people, processes and products, Shaw is able to provide a diverse  product mix, innovative design, and the greatest quality and service to our customers,” said Vance Bell, chairman and CEO, Shaw.

“This $45 million investment and plans to create more than 50 new jobs is terrific news for our manufacturing industry, Lexington County and our state as a whole,“ said South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. “We look forward to watching Shaw continue to grow here in South Carolina and around the world for many years to come.”

September/October 2015

Epson Launches New SureColor® F-Series Models

Long Beach, Calif.-based Epson America Inc. has introduced the next-generation SureColor® F-Series dye-sublimation transfer printers. There are three new models in the series — the 44-inch-wide Epson® SureColor F6200, and the 64-inch-wide F7200 and F9200 models.

All three printers utilize Epson UltraChrome® DS ink including the new high-density black ink for improved black density and ink efficiency.

The F9200 model also features dual Epson PrecisionCore® TFP® printheads, which offer high-speed, superior dot control and repeatable performance, among other features, according to the company.

September/October 2015

Invista, Aurizon Collaborate; NSA Acquires Tecgen® Brand

Invista, Wichita, Kan., will work with Aurizon Ultrasonics, Kimberly, Wis., to develop unique ultrasonic bonding equipment and novel stretch fibers for stretch laminates used in hygiene applications. The goal of the joint project is to improve the fit and comfort of hygiene products such as diapers by producing laminates without using hot melt elastic adhesives.

“Invista is excited to explore the combination of Aurizon’s cutting edge capabilities in ultrasonic bonding with our market leading research and development team that has delivered continuous innovations to our Lycra HyFit® offering,” said Scott Blackadar, global vice president, Invista.

In other company news, Invista Ashburn Hill LLC sold its Tecgen® brand of safety apparel to Cleveland-based National Safety Apparel (NSA). “The timing was good for National Safety Apparel to acquire the Tecgen brand assets,” said Anthony Green, global business director of FR Apparel, Invista. “Invista will continue to focus our capabilities on developing innovative technology based solutions for workwear, military and consumer applications where performance and protection create value for our customers.”

September/October 2015

Sawgrass Industrial Joins JK Group

Charleston, S.C.-based Sawgrass Group has sold Sawgrass Industrial — its industrial application sublimation and pigment inks division — to the Italy-based JK Group, which comprises Kiian Digital and J-Teck3. Sawgrass Industrial offers its portfolio of products, including SubliM and M-inks, mainly to customers in Europe and the Americas.

“Following the combination of Kiian Digital and J-Teck3 last year, the addition of Sawgrass Industrial takes the JK Group into a global leadership position in the digital sublimation sector and at the forefront of the textile pigment inks market development,” said Dennis Wilby, president, JK Group.

“Now that digital mass production is a reality for printing onto textiles, this is a perfect time to form a strong alliance to deliver on what was just a dream,” said Nathan Hale, CEO and founder, Sawgrass.

September/October 2015

Alexium Reports Sales

Australia-based Alexium International Group Ltd. reports Greenwood Mills Inc., Greenwood, S.C. — a manufacturer of woven goods including flame retardant (FR) finished fabrics — has selected its Alexiflam™ halogen-free FR treatment. Alexium anticipates an initial delivery in the third quarter of 2015 will be followed by ongoing deliveries of the FR treatment.

Alexium also will provide FR chemistry to Central Falls, R.I.-based Murdock Webbing Co., which will initially use the formulations for its FR stretch-webbing products. Alexium hopes Murdock also will extend use of the treatment into its rigid webbing products line.

September/October 2015

Shanghaitex: Transformation & Upgrade

Shanghaitex, now in its 17th edition, closed the doors on another successful show. 

By Jurg Rupp, Executive Editor

The recent 17th Shanghaitex was organized by Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., Shanghai Textile Technology Service & Exhibition Center and Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd. The show, held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, is sponsored by ShangTex Holding Co. Ltd., China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai Sub-council and China Chamber of International Commerce Shanghai Chamber of Commerce.

For years, China’s economy has soared with double-digit growth. However, over the past two years, the Chinese economy showed a very slight drop. So-called experts from the West predicted a crisis for China, although this didn’t bother the government very much.

Some governments recorded the growth of the Chinese economy in the first quarter of 2015 to be “only” 7 percent; indeed proof of a solid economy, if one compares this growth with the rest of the world and its approximate 1-percent growth rate.

Shanghaitex 2015 was supported by professional buyers from the textile industry.

Transformation
Slowly, upon the request of the government to have more stable and sustainable growth, Chinese products are coming closer to meeting international standards. Additionally, it was the plan of the Chinese leaders to support the domestic industry to a larger extent. And that happened too. Therefore, it was going to be very interesting to see how Shanghaitex would turn out given this somewhat unusual economic climate.

Even the organizers of the show said: “China’s textile and garment industry has entered the phase of transformation and upgrade. Rising labor costs is becoming a tremendous challenge for the industry, which is intensive in labor. Applying new technology to improve the industry’s productivity, improving product quality and exploring new markets will be the key factors affecting companies’ long-term development.”

The Event
Unfortunately, the weather in Shanghai was not very favorable during Shanghaitex. Pouring rain for almost the whole show bothered visitors, including foreign visitors. Shanghai’s airport had to cancel more than 200 flights on Wednesday because of heavy rain.

To answer the question, “How was the show,” Textile World interviewed some 10 exhibitors about their impressions of the 4-day event. Unanimously, all executives interviewed were positive about the show.

As might be expected, more than 90 percent of the visitors came from mainland China. “Why should foreign visitors come to Shanghaitex, if they can see the whole world in November at ITMA in Milan?” said Dr. Dirk Burger, CEO, Germany-based Trützschler Nonwovens.“

However, some foreign visitors, mainly from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were also welcomed. Overall visitor numbers weren’t huge, but the quality of the visitors was much better said many interviewed executives. “No tourists or brochure collectors,” reported many exhibitors.

Exhibitors conducted meetings with international buyers at Shanghaitex 2015.

New Exhibits
As always, it is expected that machinery will be the center of attention at any exhibition. Some of the Shanghaitex exhibitors showed new products and provided TW with information on the new equipment.

Cem Yalcin, head of sales, Switzerland-based Saurer Ltd., mentioned that Saurer showed the Schlafhorst Autoconer 6 for the first time at an exhibition, and the interest was great. “We welcomed more than 80 potential customers, and they were very pleased with the new machine,” Yalcin said.

Tiziano Sandonini, marketing director, Italy-based Santoni Ltd., mentioned that high speed as well as some deknit products were of the most interest to show visitors. “We can run cellulosic fibers at a very high speeds, and cellulosic fibers are very much demanded at the moment for all kind of knitted products,” Sandonini said.

Reto Thom, director, Switzerland-based Rieter Ltd., mentioned the further development of the Rieter RSB D 24 Draw Frame double-head autoleveler, which drew great interest from Shanghaitex visitors. Thom also reported to TW that the activities from the new business group Rieter After Sales will be reorganized and concentrated.

Some time ago, Uster acquired Switzerland-based Jossi, a producer of equipment designed to detect foreign material in raw cotton at the beginning of the opening section. “Many visitors are interested in this equipment, of course, due to the increasing quality requirements,” said Gabriela Peters, product manager, yarn, for Switzerland-based Uster Technology Ltd.

“Fong’s new atmospheric dyeing machine showed with great interest among our visitors,” said Francis T.M. Wong. Also machines from Fong’s Goller brand were in the spotlight.

“The segments are shifting because the technical, as in quality requirements, are rising,” remarked Saurer’s Yalcin. “However, high-end won’t be high-end anymore. It’s moving closer to the middle range and the future high-end products will be a niche market. The markets are getting more aggressive and the mid-range will grow.”

Most Important Markets
Despite rumors of shrinking Chinese economy, Asia in general, and China in particular, are still the most important markets for the global textile machinery industry. The interviewed manufacturers judged the importance of Asia at 70 to 75 percent, and some 10 to 15 percent of machinery is going to Europe, if Turkey is included in this market region and the balance is the rest of the world. However, some other Asian countries including India, Indonesia, and particularly Vietnam as one of the most promising markets, and also Korea and Thailand were mentioned.

“Asia is still the most important market area, however, the focal points are shifting and moving from cotton to more man-made fibers consumption, particularly in India, but also in China,” said André Wissenberg, vice president of corporate communications, Switzerland-based Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG.
One thing should not be forgotten, said some machinery producers, is that the Chinese market is guided by semi state-owned companies, while Indian textile manufacturers are usually private companies.

Changing Market Environment For China
The changing market environment for China with regards to labor and energy costs heavily influences the Chinese market. Uster’s Peters is convinced that the Chinese market will still grow further. “However, not at the same speed like before,” she said. “Though, thanks to its sheer size, China is still the most important market.” On a scale of 1 to 10, all interviewed exhibitors said China is on top with a rank of between 8 and 10. Though, said many Europeans, because of the still positive economy, for some regional service centers of the European suppliers, it is no easy feat to find qualified employees on the Chinese job market.

That some Chinese manufacturers already have reacted to the new conditions, was mentioned more than one time by the interviewed executives. China now invests now heavily in foreign countries to get cheaper labor and stay competitive on the global market. Also, the main focus is changing. China is by far the largest man-made fiber producer in the world and much more capacity installations are underway. On the other hand, there are still millions of tons of cotton in stock in China. Most of the interviewed people were convinced that in the near future, man-made fibers will play a more important role for the Chinese textile industry than the more expensive cotton fiber.

The Future
All interviewed companies are expecting a good year in 2015. Despite the fact that India is gaining ground and some other neighbor countries too, everybody was convinced that the strength, and purchasing and producing power of China will stay for many years to come. Rieter’s Thom mentioned that the first six months for Rieter were fine. “China is still number one, Bangladesh was surprisingly good,” Thom said. “On the other side, China is investing heavily in new capacities, but with high quality. In Xin Jang, there is a project for 20 million spindles — 7 million are already installed. Despite all talk of overcapacities this is an astonishing project, isn’t it?”

September/October 2015

The Rupp Report: Itema Still Going Strong

Last week, Italy-based Itema — the largest privately-owned manufacturer of weaving machines, spare parts and integrated services — welcomed some selected customers and media people for a press conference. At that time, the company announced its financial results for the first half of 2015, reporting that the result was beyond its own expectations. At the same meeting, the company officially launched a new terry weaving machine, the R9500terry, and inaugurated its new training center, the ItemaCampus.
 
Positive Results
“We are in the sixth semester in a row of a constant and robust growth with a CAGR of 13 percent, said Carlo Rogora, CEO, Itema Group. “I can assure you that our financial background is solid. Our manufacturing facilities are excellent,” he said. Over the past few years, Rogora implemented a drastic reshaping and lean manufacturing implementation at the production facilities at Colzate, and it seems to have worked out well. Rogora mentioned that Itema’s employees are motivated: “Our innovations and R&D twin departments are very active. We want to go beyond our customer’s needs and expectations. I can say that the results speak for themselves.”
 
Seventeen-Percent More Sales
In the first six months of the year, Itema sold 17-percent more weaving machines compared to the same period the year before. Group turnover from weaving machines increased by 24 percent, and the consolidated turnover — including Spare Parts and other Company transactions — increased by 20 percent on a year-to-year basis. Since the addition of Carlo Rogora in 2012, Itema has continuously grown up, more than doubling the volumes of textile machines sold worldwide. “However, we are anything but a company just in search of volumes,” Rogora said. “We improved considerably our financial indicators, once again exceeding expectations with both EBITDA and EBT up by more than 20 percent on a year-to-year basis with a solid Cash Flow production, month by month. To produce value for our customers and for the stakeholders; this is our commitment.”
 
Increased Productivity And Flexibility
The company is still pushing its investments and process improvements as part of the mentioned lean manufacturing program. And, according to Rogora, the results are positive. “The boost in productivity and increased flexibility is amazing,” he said. We are now more quick and leaner than ever and it really makes a difference, both in terms of response times and the company’s bottom line.”
 
Another output of these activities is the recent time-to-market of new Itema weaving machines; this has dropped from more than 24 months for previous models to less than 12 months for the latest arrival, the R9500terry. The new loom was presented in a series of events in July and September entitled “Weaving Terry Like Never Before” to a select panel of worldwide customers. At its headquarters near Bergamo, Italy, some of the most experienced and top-class terry weavers and media attended the event. Rogora claims that virtually all top companies weaving terry towels around the globe are his customers. And since the launch of the new terry weaving machine, already some 100 fixed orders have been placed.
 
ITMA Exhibits
At ITMA, Itema will present, along with the new R9500terry, five other weaving machines in its own booth, but also some more in partner booths, both rapier and airjets.
 
All of them are said to present new solutions, devices and applications for specific and increasingly demanding expectations. This includes the latest evolution of the rapier, which will be mounted on most of the R9500 weaving machines. The new rapier weaving machine R9500 2.0 — available both for guided and free-flight applications — claims to represent unique solutions in terms of weaving flexibility, and is said to cover the full range of weft types. Furthermore, it should reduce considerably weft stops, increase the efficiency and boost productivity, according to Itema.
 
“With the R9500 2.0, we want to reconfirm our technological leadership in the rapier insertion technology,” Rogora claims. “We think that today the approach of a highly evolved negative rapier to be the best solution for weavers thanks to less complexity, lower costs, higher durability and easier maintenance. Last but not least, with much higher performances.”
 
High Hopes
Itema has high hopes for the upcoming ITMA and beyond. “However, even if the order portfolio looks still quite robust, the outlook for the rest of the year remains uncertain,” Rogora said. “Along with the continuing, and in some cases worsening, political instabilities in some areas, recent economic struggles in China caused significant changes in our Customers attitude on investments, and this is not only in China.” And he thinks that the future, even in the short term is difficult to predict.
 
ItemaCampus
On the occasion of the R9500terry launch, the company opened its doors to present the ItemaCampus, the new, next-generation training center. The initial concept is to render the training center more functional for its customers. Itema started with that in mind, but ended up with a major and complete overhaul of its visitors’ facilities. “We are very proud to launch an open and modern space with a campus feeling,” Rogora said with Italian enthusiasm. “We want everyone visiting us to feel instantly welcome and leave our premises with a richer, more meaningful and comprehensive experience feeling and getting in touch with the ‘Itema Essence.’”
 
The new and enhanced facilities are especially useful for the busy times ahead, as the company is taking bookings for customer visits before, during and after the biggest show of the year, ITMA in Milan.
 
Rogora pointed out the short ride from the ITMA fair ground to visit the campus can offer the opportunity to see first-hand the expertise and the full range. “This is important because we will only show some of the weaving machines only at the company’s show room in Colzate,” Rogora said. “We will show some of our latest rapier and air-jet weaving machines in a wide range of weaving applications. However, we couldn’t bring everything to the ITMA. Therefore some innovative weaving machines can only be seen and touched at our HQ.”
 
The Rupp Report will further report on the new campus in one of the next columns.
 
Itema is located in Hall 1, Booth A101.

September 15, 2015

 

Covestro Up And Running: Former Bayer MaterialScience Now Legally And Economically Independent

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — September 1, 2015 — From September 1, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience is operating under the Covestro name. The company is now legally and economically independent, but will remain a 100 percent subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer wants to float Covestro on the stock market by mid-2016 at the latest in order to concentrate exclusively on the life sciences businesses.

“Independence will enable us to bring our strengths to bear in global competition more quickly, effectively and flexibly,” said Covestro CEO Patrick Thomas.

“Making The World A Brighter Place”
Covestro has a new, colorful logo. Its vision is also new: “To make the world a brighter place.” “We fulfill this vision by inspiring innovation and driving growth through profitable technologies and products that benefit society and reduce environmental impacts,” said Thomas.

Covestro supplies key industries around the world, such as the automotive, construction and electronics sectors, as well as the furniture, sporting goods and textiles industries. With its products and applications solutions, the company is helping to meet the major challenges of our time, from climate change and resource depletion, increasing mobility and urbanization to population growth and demographic change.

Versatile Products For Key Industries
Products include raw materials for premium polyurethane foam, which in flexible form is used primarily in furniture, mattresses and automobile seats; as rigid foam, it serves to insulate buildings and refrigeration equipment. Covestro also produces high-performance polycarbonates, which are also very versatile materials for automotive components, roof structures, medical devices and much more. Rounding out the portfolio are specialty chemicals, including raw materials for coatings, adhesives and films.

Covestro is managed by a four-member board of management. Members of the Board chaired by CEO Patrick Thomas also include Frank H. Lutz (Finance, Labor Director), Dr. Klaus Schaefer (Production and Technology) and Dr. Markus Steilemann (Innovation).

Posted September 15, 2015

Source: Covestro
 

Picanol Hosts Successful Open House For The Presentation Of Its OptiMax-i Rapier Machine

IEPER, Belgium — September 11, 2015 — Picanol looks back on a successful Open House at its headquarters in Ieper where it presented its new rapier technologies. From Tuesday, September 8 to Friday, September 11, 2015, the Picanol team gave a live demonstration of the OptiMax-i, its new rapier machine. This open house also saw Picanol providing a sneak preview of its new TerryMax-i rapier weaving machine for terry cloth. Almost 300 visitors from more than 25 different countries attended the Open House in Ieper. The new rapier machines will be making their international debuts at the ITMA Milano fair in November 2015, where Picanol will be presenting its new technologies in Hall 1, Booth D 101.

“It has been a pleasure to be able to demonstrate over the past few days our new rapier technologies to our many European customers. Following the strong interest of our customers in our new rapier offerings, we decided to organize a pre-launch event in anticipation of ITMA Milano. With the new OptiMax-i we have set a new benchmark in the rapier industry because this is the fastest industrial rapier weaving machine in the world. Thanks to its innovative design, the OptiMax-i is also the most versatile and user-friendly rapier machine with the lowest energy consumption on the market! It can be adapted to a wide range of fabrics, which means that it provides weavers with a great deal of flexibility in reacting to changes in market requirements” explained Johan Verstraete, VP Sales, Marketing & Services at Picanol. Another highlight of the Open House at Picanol was the sneak preview of the TerryMax-i, a new machine for weaving terry fabrics that is for the first time available in a rapier format.

In line with its new marketing campaign ‘Let’s grow together’, in which Picanol uses visuals of children during their different stages of growing up in life, a group of children of some of the Picanol employees had the honor of collectively unveiling the new OptiMax-i rapier machine. “At Picanol, we live up to the slogan ‘Let’s grow together’ as we are convinced that we can help our customers to grow. We’ve done it in the past and we are very determined to continue to do so in the future. We offer a wide variety of machines and services that enable weavers to create every type of fabric imaginable. As growing is the essence of doing business, this is why we endeavor to make our machines more energy-efficient, more versatile, user-friendly and easy to set.”

Posted September 15, 2015

Source: Picanol
 

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