Houston-based Company Textile Recycler Increases Recycling Efficiency And Productivity With Automated Sorting Systems

ABINGDON, Md. — June 30, 2015 — Textile Recycler, a member of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART), the international trade association of the for-profit used clothing reuse and recycling industry, diverts more than half a million pounds of clothing and 10,000 pounds of shoes each week from landfills with the use of automated sorting systems.

According to Jackie King, executive director for SMART, for more than 400 years, the used clothing and textile recycling industry has relied heavily on manual sorting and grading processes and has seen little to no technological advances since its inception. In 2009, Textile Recycler installed a patented auto grading system from Smart Innovations to eliminate the manual sorting of recycled clothing, increasing efficiency and productivity, and reducing labor costs. In 2014, Textile Recycler installed an automated shoe sorting system and is the only textile recycling company in the world to use one.

“Unlike others in our industry, with the use of automated conveyor systems to sort clothing and shoes, we are able to gather and measure a vast quantity of information from the items that we collect,” says Munir Hussain, president of Textile Recycler. “With this new technology, we are forging new paths and standards for our industry.”

“With an automated sorting system, Textile Recycler can intake more recycled clothing and shoes, thus reducing the amount of textiles which end up in landfills each year,” says King.

Posted June 30, 2015

Source:
 

Cotlook’s Estimates Indicate Smaller Addition To World Stocks In 2014-15, And Modest Reduction In 2015-16

BIRKENHEAD, United Kingdom — June 25, 2015 — Cotton Outlook’s world production number for 2014-15 has been lowered this month by 63,000 metric tons.

Increases in the figures for Australia and Uzbekistan have been more than offset by reductions for China and smaller markets. The forecast for 2015-16 has been lowered by 206,000 metric tons, owing primarily to a sizeable decrease for China.

World raw cotton consumption has been raised by 49,000 metric tons for 2014-15 and 56,000 for the following season. This has resulted from increases in both seasons for Vietnam, offset partially by decreases for Brazil.

The rise in global stocks in the current season is thus now expected to be slightly less than two million metric tons, while a decline is foreseen in 2015-16 of 570,000 metric tons.
 

Posted June 30, 2015

Source: Cotton Outlook
 

German Minister To Opens ICA Bremen’s, State-Of-The-Art Cotton Testing Laboratory

BREMEN, Germany — June 25, 2015 — The German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dr. Gerd Müller, officially opened ICA Bremen’s new and improved cotton testing laboratory.

Based at its existing location in Bremen’s Cotton Exchange Building, the upgraded laboratory will incorporate a new and improved range of state of the art facilities to meet the growing demands of the global cotton and textile industry.

Jens Lukazcik, ICA Bremen Director said: “Leadership can not only be demonstrated by words, but by innovative action. As the leading institution for HVI testing it is our obligation to ensure that we provide the highest standards possible. We are very proud that this new lab will, once again, raise the bar and set another new level of excellence in HVI testing. We are delighted that Dr. Müller, who started the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles in 2014, is able to join us to open this fantastic new facility.”

Kai Hughes, ICA Bremen’s Managing Director added: “By expanding and improving the existing ICA Bremen laboratory, we are better equipped to deal with the increasing testing and research requests we have been receiving. We are confident that the laboratory now has everything it needs to allow us to offer an even better service to the cotton and textile industry.”

Improvements to the laboratory include the upgrading of facilities for pre-conditioning and conditioning of samples, improved capability to handle large orders and bigger volumes of samples and the capacity for instrument testing and manual classing to be performed in close proximity.

The added space will allow for even more testing equipment in the future.

The new laboratory, which is operated in cooperation between ICA Bremen and the Bremen Fibre Institute (FIBRE), will include important instruments for cotton testing, such as HVI testing, AFIS testing, stickiness testing and gravimetric trash content determination, as well as testing equipment for other natural fibres, such as wool and flax/hemp.

The ICA Bremen collection of world cotton standards will continue to be held in a separate room nearby.

Posted June 30, 2015

Source: ICA Bremen
 

The Rupp Report: The 17th Shanghaitex

The 17th Shanghaitex was organized by Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., Shanghai Textile Technology Service & Exhibition Center and Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd. It took place June 15-18, 2015, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The show 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.
 
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 for the event. Pouring rain for almost the whole show bothered visitors, including foreign visitors. Shanghai’s airport had to cancel more than 200 flights due to heavy rain on Wednesday.
 
To inform its readers about the general outcome of the exhibition, The Rupp Report interviewed more than 10 European exhibitors to gather their impressions of the four-day show. Unanimously, all executives were happy with the show. Of course, more than 90 percent of the visitors came from mainland China. However, some foreign visitors — mainly from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh — also were welcomed. Overall, there were fewer visitors, but, so reported many questioned people, the quality of the visitors was much better. “No tourists or brochure collectors,” replied many exhibitors.
 
The question “Did you recognize a difference between the last ITMA Asia and this Shanghaitex?,” was answered very clearly. Everybody said that ITMA Asia attracts more international and larger numbers of visitors than Shanghaitex, and that Shanghaitex is becoming more of a local event. On top of that, some also said that ITMA Asia is much better organized than Shanghaitex; and this event is kind of a contact platform, but nothing more.
 
Most Important Market
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 up to 70 to 75 percent, and some 10 to 15 percent 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 such as India, Indonesia, and particularly Vietnam as one of the most promising markets, but also Korea and Thailand were mentioned. One thing should not be forgotten, said some machinery producers, the Chinese market is guided by semi state-owned companies, while the Indian textile manufacturers are usually private companies
 
The changing market environment for China with regards to labor and energy costs influences the Chinese market heavily. However, thanks to its sheer size, China is still the most important market. In 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.
 
Changing Business Environment
That some Chinese manufacturers already have reacted to the new conditions, was mentioned more than one time. They invest now heavily in foreign countries to get cheaper labor costs and to stay competitive on the global market. Also, the main focus is changing. It is very well known that China is by far the largest man-made fiber producer in the world and much more capacities are on the way to be installed. On the other hand, there are still many millions of tons of cotton in stock. Most of the questioned 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
“Does the market need a show in China every year, like ITMA Asia and Shanghaitex?,” was one of the key questions asked by the Rupp Report. Surprisingly, even Chinese people said no to this. One event every two years would be more than sufficient. In this context, it was very interesting to note that none of the big producers of weaving machines was present at Shanghaitex — none.
 
However, all are expecting a good year in 2015. “China is investing,” said one person, “not in capacity, but in quality.” Despite the fact that India is gaining ground and some other neighbor countries too, everybody is convinced that the strength, purchasing and producing power of China will stay for many years to come. More detailed information about ShanghaiTex will come in a future Rupp Report. By the way, ITMA Asia was an issue that was very much a focus of attention. But that’s another story to be reported on very soon.

June 23, 2015

DOMOTEX Turkey Provided An International Gathering At The Center Of Carpet

HANNOVER, Germany/CHICAGO — June 17, 2015 — Organized in Gaziantep, the center of machine-made carpet manufacturing, DOMOTEX Turkey brought industry leaders together from May 25 to 28, 2015, once again with the support of Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce (GTO), Southeastern Anatolia Carpet Exporters’ Union (GAIB) and Gaziantep Chamber of Carpet Producers (GHO). The exhibition which featured 198 companies and occupied 22025 square meters this year, stood out with increasing international participation as well. Thirty-three of the 198 exhibitors came from different countries including Bangladesh, Belgium, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan to expand their business to new markets.

Alexander Kühnel, General Manager of Hannover Fairs Turkey, said, “Organized with the participation of leading companies in the industry, DOMOTEX Turkey showed the power of Turkey in machine-made carpet manufacturing once again. On the other hand, it also proved its success to become an international platform for the Eurasian region with increasing number of international exhibitors and visitors this year. Totally 8734 people from targeted countries, mainly from Middle East, visited the exhibition where exhibitors showcased their unique designs and new collections produced with state-of-the-art technology.”

Thousands of designs at one platform during the show, the prominent companies of carpet and flooring industry displayed their wide product range under the DOMOTEX brand. Among them, one of the eye-catching products for visitors was a self-cleaning carpets developed by using the nano-technology. The visitors watched the live demonstration of impermeability of nano-technological carpets, where the technology for the production of luxury cars is adopted to the carpet manufacturing.

Dr. Meriç Bebitoğlu, General Manager of Atlas Halı, explained the nano-technology: “This year, we exhibited the new and more stain resistant version of our nano carpet innovation which we launched in 2013. We are delighted for making a global invention. As it is known very well in the market, the nano carpet cleans itself continuously with the energy from light and indoor lighting. We are very pleased for bringing this upgraded version of our invention with the consumers at the exhibition this year.”

Also, diversified designs that are developed based on consumer trends attracted attention during the fair. The visitors found the opportunity to see thousands of modern or traditional carpet designs made of different materials such as wool, silk, cashmere, bamboo fibers, and polyester.

On the other hand, various machinery technologies were also exhibited for the carpet manufacturing. The products demonstrated technological superiority of the industry renewed with robotic equipments.

Patrick Rieth, Area Sales Manager of SUPERBA which is one of the global leaders in yarn continuous heat setting, expressed their opinion about the exhibition: “DOMOTEX Turkey is a very good exhibition for us and Gaziantep as the place for DOMOTEX is ideal because most of the companies are here. For us, so far the exhibition is very interesting. We had very good contacts. There are some projects emerging in 2016. So over all it is very interesting for us.”

DOMOTEX Turkey provided a more comprehensive platform in terms of product variety, as well. Besides machine-made carpets, the other product groups in the flooring industry such as rugs and hand-made carpets, mats and resilient floorings and laminate were showcased in the show.

The exhibition has put in a strong performance, consolidating its position as the  leading trade fair in Turkey and Middle East for the carpet industry which offers an important opportunity for companies to improve their business volume. As a result of fruitful four days, the majority of exhibitors expressed their willingness to exhibit at the show next year, again.

Posted June 23, 2015

Source: Domotex
 

Solvay Investing In Innovative Textile Fiber Technology

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — June 17, 2015 — Solvay Group is investing in fiber and smart polyamide textile yarn production technology to meet the growing market demand for innovative textile products. The investment, of around R$50 million, is being made in the latest equipment in texturing area and the modernization of textile weaving machines in Santo André (Brazil).
 
The investment is aligned with the growth strategy for the Solvay Fibras Global Business Unit, under a plan that includes increased productivity and competitiveness of its activities through a series of actions related to industrial and commercial operations, while reinforcing the development of sustainable innovations in yarns and fibers – a segment in which this area of the company is recognized nationally and internationally.
 
Sustainable Innovations
“Innovation is a key axis for our growth and the development of the textile sector, considering the market demand for new products that effectively create value,” says Renato Boaventura, who is as of July 1 will take over as CEO of the Solvay Fibras Global Business Unit.
 
“While consumers previously wanted quality and comfort, they now want textiles that combine these characteristics with features that can boost well-being and performance, and which are aligned with sustainability. These benefits can only be offered by smart textile fibers,” says Boaventura.
 
The Fibras Global Business Unit has a number of projects in its pipeline of textile innovations with a sustainable footprint. Research and innovation is driven by large global trends, related to increased demand for health and well-being, climate change combined with the scarcity of resources, the challenges of increasing urbanization, and to the advancement of technologies that increase connectivity among people.
 
“We have a big goal to double the sales volume of our innovations. Today, the products launched less than five years now account for 20% of our revenues and by 2018 we want to reach 40%,” adds Renato Boaventura.
 
Emana®, Amni® Soul Eco And Amni® Sustainable White
The company was a pioneer in the launch of all the synthetic fibers and yarns in Brazil and was also the first to develop polyamide micro-fibers and smart yarns that incorporate functions aimed at improving the wearers’ well-being.
 
The latest textile innovations created in Brazil are Emana, a textile yarn which reduces the signs of cellulite and slows muscle fatigue, and Amni Soul Eco, the first polyamide textile yarn in the world that is biodegradable and which has been formulated to allow clothing made from it to decompose quickly when disposed of in a landfill.
 
At the Brazilian Fashion Show (June 21 to 23 in São Paulo) the company will launch Amni Sustainable White — a white yarn that increases productivity and saves water, energy and products used in its manufacturing processes. As an added benefit, the new white yarn is resistant to the natural yellowing of textile fibers.
 
Markets
In addition to primarily supplying the Brazilian market, the Fibras Global Business Unit also works on exports, mainly of Emana, which has been a success in several countries in Europe and Asia and which is being introduced to the North American market.
 
“The Brazilian textile industry has a huge capacity to produce innovations,” says Boaventura, adding that Amni Eco Soul, launched at São Paulo Fashion Week by designer Ronaldo Fraga, will be launched globally at the next ITMA – the world’s leading textile trade show and congress, held every four years and which in November this year will be held in Milan, Italy.

Posted June 23, 2015

Source: Solvay
 

NCTO Praises House For Passage Of Trade Promotion Authority

WASHINGTON — June 18, 2015 — The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) applauds House passage of legislation to renew Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) earlier today. TPA establishes congressional negotiating objectives and consultation mechanisms involving international trade agreements currently being negotiated by the U.S. government.
 
Additionally, TPA formalizes consultation mechanisms between Congress and the Executive Branch on trade agreements as they are being negotiated. It is critical that the Executive Branch work closely with Congress to develop trade agreements that fully incorporate the interests of American textile workers and the middle class.
 
“We want to thank those members of Congress who supported the passage of Trade Promotion Authority,” stated NCTO President Augustine Tantillo. “These members are helping to ensure that we have direct and meaningful input into trade negotiations and thus helping to provide a strong outcome for U.S. textile manufacturers.”
 
With House passage of TPA, the bill goes to the Senate for consideration.  As TPA continues to work its way through Congress, NCTO looks forward to continued collaboration with both the Executive Branch and Congress to develop trade agreements that fully represent the interests of U.S. textile manufacturers, which employ 499,500 workers nationwide.
 
Posted June 23, 2015

Source: NCTO
 

Techtextil North America 2015 Exceeds Records From The Last Three West Coast Editions.

ATLANTA, Ga. — June 22, 2015 — The twelfth edition of Techtextil North America took place June 2-4, 2015 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. This was the fourth edition of Techtextil North America hosted outside of Atlanta held in the even years, and the first show hosted in Texas. The change of venue has proven to have been better suited for visitors and exhibitors.
 
The two in one event showcased the co-location with JEC Americas resulting in a dynamic synergy creating the largest technical textiles, nonwovens, textile machinery, composites show in the United States during 2015.
 
The 2015 Techtextil North America show hosted 145 exhibitors from 18 countries. The co-located event with JEC Americas attracted 2,821 visitors from around the world representing SpaceX, Nike, Yeti Coolers, NASA, Dow Chemical, Varsity Sports and more. Techtextil North America 2015 produced an 98% increase in net square footage, 96% increase in exhibitors and increased 39% in visitors over the last edition held in Anaheim, California in 2013.
 
World-Class Symposium 2015
Held concurrently with the exhibition, the 3 day symposium contained 10 sessions with 33 industry expert presentations that covered the topics of new fiber developments, protective textiles, medical textiles, aerospace, tensile structures, and nonwoven advancements, smart textiles, and raw materials/sustainability along with graduate student poster presentations.
 
The symposiums received high marks and many were standing room only. Visitors had the opportunity to interact with the presenters during Q&A providing an open dialog exchange of knowledge.
 
“The sessions were simply fantastic. We had a full house all the time, with some people standing in the back during some sessions. Some of the speakers I invited were first-time speakers for Techtextil, and our speakers were incredibly impressed with the organization and professionalism — the whole event!” declared moderator Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Executive Director, The Nonwovens Institute.
 
Attendee Statements
“Techtextil North America embraces multiple disciplines in the Technical Textiles markets, offers visual confirmation of innovation at its accompanying trade show, while sparking ideas and project proposals during the concurrent Symposia.  It is amazing how much you can learn at one venue in such a condensed timeframe.  Thank you for advancing my education!”  Mary Lynn Landgraf, Senior International Trade Specialist, OTEXA, U.S. Department of Commerce
 
Scott Carroll, JX Nippon ANCI, Inc., states “The Techtextil North America Symposiums in Houston were outstanding. Each session was very informative.”
 
Exhibitors were pleased with the high quality of attendees
Fernando Merino, ERT says “We are here promoting automotive solutions and it’s working. We have made lots of contacts with Latin American visitors and those from New York too. The show was very good.”
 
Karl Kitze, KSL/DAP America Inc., adds “We have had a bunch of new customers interested in our textile machines that we are showing at Techtextil North America. The past two days have been good and we have gained new welding customers. We will definitely be back next year in Atlanta exhibiting in the German Pavilion.”
 
Greg Braxton, Zimmer Austria comments, “Techtextil North America in Houston has produced quality leads and contacts. We will be back in Atlanta in 2016.”
 
Techtextil North America 2016
The thirteenth edition of Techtextil North America, the only trade show in the Americas dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens, will be co-located with Texprocess Americas and JEC Americas, May 3-5, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas are set to attract more than 8,000+ visitors, host 700+ exhibitors and feature two world-class symposiums with more than 20 sessions over the 3 day event.

Posted June 23, 2015

Source: Messe Frankfurt Inc.
 

World of Wipes® International Conference Attracts Record Attendance To Atlanta

CARY, N.C. —  June 23, 2015 — INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, wrapped up its ninth annual World of Wipes® International Conference, June 16-19, with the presentation of the World of Wipes Innovation Award to The Clorox Company and record conference attendance.  
 
This year’s event held at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta Hotel drew over 500 people to Atlanta to discuss their business in wipes and attend the valuable presentations, surpassing all prior WOW conferences.  
 
The successful WOW 2015 explored topics, issues, trends, forecasts, regulations, and advances affecting the global nonwoven wipes market with a focus on flushability, specialty materials for industrial wipes, fragrances, and wet wipe preservatives. WOW is the only event of its kind devoted solely to the entire wipes value chain.
 
“We are delighted with this year’s record attendance demonstrating the vibrancy and strength of this important nonwovens segment,” said INDA President Dave Rousse. “Both industry veterans and newcomers to WOW 2015 benefitted from the many networking opportunities, educational presentations, and panel discussions on the very latest topics affecting the industry. Attendees took away in-depth knowledge on the drivers impacting wipes now and into the future to take their wipes businesses to new heights.”
 
WOW conference speaker highlights included a presentation on game-changing consumer trends and forecasts by Carman Allison, Vice President of Consumer Insights, Nielsen Canada; and a panel of experts discussing the latest in flushable wipes and legislation, moderated by Jan O’Regan, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Cotton Incorporated.
 
Participants connected face-to-face with hundreds of wipes professionals during receptions, table top displays, networking breaks, and Dining with Thought Leaders.
 
Preceding the conference, INDA’s WIPES Academy was presented by Rob Johnson, PE, Principal, Smith, Johnson & Associates. The Academy is the first and only comprehensive wipes training for the entire wipes supply chain.
 
World of Wipes Innovation Award Presented to Clorox ScrubSingles
INDA also presented the winner of the World of Wipes Innovation Award to Clorox ScrubSingles Kitchen pads, selected by conference attendees in voting, following presentations by each of the finalists. Other finalists were Brawny Industrial® FLAX Cloths from Georgia-Pacific and DuraDry® by Polymer Group Inc. (PGI).
 
The winning ScrubSingles Kitchen pad is a hybrid wipe and sponge loaded with Clorox® cleaner. The ScrubSingles formulation and nonwoven has been optimized for generating foam, allowing users to clean while minimizing fear of damaging surfaces.
 
The annual award recognizes the product that most expands the use of nonwovens and demonstrates creativity, novelty, uniqueness, and technical sophistication within the entire nonwoven wipes value chain.
 
INDA announced WOW 2016 will be held June 7-10, 2016, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, in Chicago.

Posted June 23, 2015

Source: INDA
 

Gerber Technology And Speakers From Aeropostale And Randa Accessories To Present At PI Apparel

NEW YORK CITY — June 23, 2015 — Gerber Technology is excited to announce that guest speakers Meg Munits, director of application development at Aeropostale, and Robyn Howard, senior PLM manager at Randa Accessories, will speak about the benefits of PLM for businesses at this year’s PI Apparel 2015 Conference in New York on June 23 and 24. The annual conference attracts many of the world’s leading fashion, apparel and footwear brands and executives. Over the two-day event, industry experts will discuss how modern technology can help address opportunities and challenges surrounding product lifecycles.

Meg Munits is a guest speaker for the session entitled, “How Can PLM Help Facilitate Fast Fashion?” on June 23 at 11:15 a.m. in Room 1 at the Union League Club. Munits will speak about how Aeropostale is leveraging YuniquePLM to shorten cycle times by centralizing and sharing data. Implementation of the software with the company’s cross-functional product development teams enabled Aeropostale to bring its collections, namely the Bethany Mota line, from concept to delivery in a matter of months.

On June 24, Robyn Howard from Randa Accessories will speak in the session, “How can PLM Facilitate a Truly Global Brand?” In the session, delegates will learn how global companies are able to navigate uncertainty, innovate and adapt to changing realities as well as new market opportunities. Randa Accessories, the leader in lifestyle accessories, has taken a comprehensive and enthusiastic approach to align the people, processes and technologies across its departments in 11 countries.

YuniquePLM is web-based product lifecycle management software that helps the fashion and apparel industries communicate effectively, accelerate workflows and eliminate errors. Its latest enhancements include a new development calendar and line planning function, as well as 3D file support and mass sample request development.

Posted June 23, 2015

Source: Gerber Technology
 

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