Business & Financial: An Improving Outlook

By Robert S. Reichard, Economics Editor

The U.S. domestic textile and apparel industries’ future is looking increasingly bright. Just how bright can best be appreciated by turning to page 30 where Textile World’s annual forecast feature, “Textiles 2015: More Improvement Ahead,” begins. One fact stands out: There’s now a confluence of positive forces all pointing to continuous performance gains. Key among this list of bullish factors are: expectations of faster macro-economic growth; an import slowdown thanks to rapidly rising foreign labor costs and today’s U.S. energy cost advantage; more interest in reshoring; increasing industry productivity; relatively stable prices; rising consumer optimism as unemployment drops and family net worth increases; more government pressure to level the international playing field; and, last but not least, today’s increasingly savvy management and marketing strategies.

Projected 2015 Changes
Keeping all the above in mind, here’s what TW sees for the next 12 months. Combined textile and apparel shipments should rise about 3 to 4 percent — just about in line with the expected overall gross domestic product increase. Productivity advances should pretty much equal the 3 percent average annual advance of the past decade. But that should be more than enough to offset pay hikes which are targeted to run only in the 2- to 2.5-percent range. Upshot: Another small decline in unit labor costs. Material costs, too, could drop a bit more as a cotton glut keeps the natural fiber under more downward pressure. As for prices, relatively good demand suggests that quotes won’t weaken. But neither are they likely to rise very much since supplies clearly will remain more than ample. Imports, meantime, could slip a small 1 percent or so as domestically produced goods become increasingly competitive. As for bottom lines, they’ll also continue to improve, but at a more modest rate than noted over the past year or two. TW editors also took a look beyond 2015 with longer-term industry projections pointing to additional gains. But they won’t be nearly enough to recoup any meaningful portion of the huge losses incurred over the past two decades.

Role In The Economy
All the above makes it crystal clear that the U.S. textile and apparel industries are no longer a drag
on overall U.S. activity. As pointed out above, growth in both sectors over the past year has been pretty much in line with that of the nation’s overall macro-economic gain. Moreover, when it comes to earnings and profit margins, the industries’ increases were even more impressive — actually surpassing that of many other industries. To sum up then, the domestic textile and apparel firms are alive and well, currently accounting for $72 billion in annual shipments and providing direct employment for more than 360,000 American workers. Add in the fact that each of these jobs probably supports employment for as many as three other workers, and the industries’ role in the overall U.S. economy becomes even more impressive.

Gauging Forecast Accuracy
There are things that could put a damper on the rosy picture just outlined — an unexpected slowing down in general economic growth, another round of Congressional gridlock or some unforeseen global crisis. While odds of such negative developments are quite small, they do preclude 100-percent accuracy. Nevertheless, TW feels that any deviations from forecast levels will be relatively small as indicated by the recent track record. Last year, TW’s projections were in almost all cases quite close to what occurred. About the only area where TW was substantially off the mark occurred in the profit sphere, where bottom line improvement surpassed projections by a significant amount. A year ago, TW predicted only about a 5-percent advance in 2014 mill profits — considerably under the actual 15-percent increase. Blame the underestimation on the fact that fiber costs dropped far more than expected. But to repeat: Aside from this one deviation, TW numbers were pretty much on the mark, and that’s been the case for several years now. Putting all this in the language of statisticians, TW can state with about 95-percent confidence that the new projections will fall within 0.5 to 1 percentage points of forecast levels.

January/February 2015

High Hopes, Low Expectations For U.S. Textile Trade Agenda

In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama made clear his intention to work with Republicans in Congress on trade legislation. Republicans trounced the Democrats in the 2014 midterms.  They won the greatest number House seats since World War II, and the largest Senate majority since 2004. What these Republican majorities accomplish with a Democrat in the White House remains to be seen. But both parties and the Obama administration are poised to consider matters of interest in the textile and apparel business, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Nicaragua Tariff Preference Level (TPL).
 

Ongoing TPP Negotiations
The TPP is a free trade agreement (FTA) — generally modeled after a series of such agreements dating back to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — still being negotiated by the parties expected to sign it. Besides the United States, parties involved in the TPP are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The Obama administration calls it a comprehensive, ambitious agreement, representing a shift in U.S. trade focus towards Asia. The TPP countries are said to represent 40 percent of U.S. international trade.

Whatever its final terms, the TPP will be anticlimactic in some respects; the United States doesn’t have significant trade with some of the parties, like Brunei, and already has free trade agreements with others, like Mexico. The TPP will nevertheless have great significance in selected areas. American farmers, for example, will gain unprecedented access to Japanese market for their exports. The U.S. textile and apparel industry and its counterparts in Central America will be most affected by imports into the United States of apparel produced in Vietnam, which is already the second largest source, after China, of U.S. apparel imports. Indeed, U.S. apparel imports from Vietnam have increased 40 percent since TPP talks began, likely spurred by the prospect of the TPP’s passage.

The origin rule for most apparel under the TPP will almost certainly be “yarn forward.” Yarn forward is the standard for apparel under all of the FTAs signed by the United States since NAFTA. Preferential treatment will be allowed if the component determining apparel tariff classification is knitted or woven in TPP countries from yarn spun or extruded in TPP countries and the apparel is cut or knit to shape and assembled in TPP countries.

Unlike many FTAs, the TPP probably will not provide duty-free treatment for all originating apparel immediately after it goes into effect. Instead, the United States has proposed three “baskets” of apparel classifications with different provisions for preferential treatment. The first basket would include classifications for non-sensitive apparel, which would be duty-free right away after the TPP effective date. The second basket would be for relatively more sensitive apparel. Duties would be reduced linearly in stages of 20 percent each year until they became free in the fifth year. The third basket, sometimes called the “X” basket, would be treated specially. Duty rates would immediately be cut by some percentage, perhaps 35 or 50 percent. But then they would remain unchanged for some length of time, perhaps 10 or 15 years, after which they would be changed to free. The sensitive X basket would likely include shirts, sweaters and trousers of cotton and man-made fibers.

The TPP will include a so-called “short supply” feature, but it will not be as flexible as short supply under the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). It will be more like short supply under NAFTA, without NAFTA’s cumbersome, little-used feature that theoretically allows new short supply designations. In anticipation of the TPP, the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) invited interested persons to suggest, or oppose, short supply fabrics and yarns on a website. After considering this input, the United States is proposing that certain classifications of non-sensitive apparel will be either temporarily — probably for three years — or permanently duty-free if made in TPP countries with nonoriginating short supply fabrics or yarns. The list of short supply fabrics and yarns and the apparel for which they can be used will be incorporated in the text of the TPP. Interested persons will not be allowed to request that fabrics and yarns be added to or removed from the list after the TPP is signed and in effect.

Negotiations over the TPP are continuing and many of its provisions are far from final. Vietnam opposes short supply and, in league with many U.S. retailers, but over the opposition of U.S. and Central American textile and apparel producers, prefers a more liberal origin rule that would allow it to make qualifying apparel with nonoriginating fabrics from China or elsewhere. Mexico seeks a shortened short supply list to protect its access to the U.S. market. These and many other issues affecting many different interests must be resolved before a final version of the TPP is signed and can be considered for approval in the 114th Congress. The USTR hopes to conclude TPP negotiations sometime in mid-2015.
 


TPP negotiations continue, but the U.S. textile and apparel industry and its counterparts in Central America already have been impacted by a 40-percent increase in U.S. apparel imports from Vietnam since TPP talks began.

TPA Not A Foregone Conclusion
TPA legislation would give the U.S. president “fast track” authority to negotiate the TPP — and theoretically other free trade agreements — under terms that would require Congress either to approve or to disapprove FTAs, under expedited procedures, without adding amendments and without the opportunity to filibuster the approval legislation. Without TPA legislation, other countries might be reluctant to sign a FTA with the United States. The last TPA legislation expired in 2007. Conventional wisdom says that the administration cannot sign the TPP, and President Obama cannot present it to Congress for approval, without TPA legislation in place.

Interestingly, President Obama has negotiated the TPP as though TPA legislation existed, gambling that the momentum of the TPP negotiations would make TPA legislation a foregone conclusion. But the divided 213th Congress, which passed fewer bills than any Congress since records were first kept in 1947, proved that no legislation was certain. Bipartisan TPA legislation was proposed in early 2014; but even members of the president’s party complained that it did not allow sufficient Congressional oversight of the TPP’s terms and support for the legislation fell apart when a key cosponsor, Senator Max Baucus, D-Mont., left the Senate to become ambassador to China. More ominously, from the point of view of TPP supporters, many senators and House members wanted TPA legislation to address currency manipulation, requiring the United States to invoke trade remedies against countries found to be manipulating their currency exchange unfairly to affect trade. Such a feature, with its threat of U.S. sanctions, could give other TPP parties second thoughts about signing the TPP itself.

GSP Renewal Overdue
The GSP expired last July without renewal by Congress. With some exceptions, the GSP ordinarily affords duty-free treatment for imports from more than 100 designated beneficiary developing countries. Historically, the GSP has been renewed every three years by unanimous vote without delay or controversy; but recent renewals have been delayed and the current renewal is now long overdue. Most textiles and apparel are excluded from GSP preferential treatment; but lawmakers’ failure to renew the GSP in the 113th Congress is an indicator that no trade legislation, including TPA and TPP approval, is certain to make it through the 114th.

The Nicaragua TPL under CAFTA also expired at the end of 2014 without renewal. Unlike the GSP, however, there was no intention, at least at the time CAFTA was adopted, to extend it. The Nicaragua TPL allowed duty-free treatment in the United States of limited quantities of cotton, man-made fiber and certain wool apparel made in Nicaragua from foreign, non-CAFTA fabric and yarn. The TPL was limited to 100 million square meter equivalents (SMEs) per year, with a special sublimit of 1.5 million SMEs for certain men’s wool sport coats. For woven trousers under the TPL, Nicaragua had to export an equal quantity of originating trousers to the United States, up to a cap of 50 million SMEs.

In the last Congress, Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., introduced separate bills to extend the Nicaragua TPL. One bill would have extended it for ten years without change. The other would also have extended it for ten years, but only for trousers and subject to an “earned import allowance” program similar to a program in effect for trousers from the Dominican Republic. Neither bill was passed, and prospects for introduction or passage in the current Congress are uncertain, especially because the administration has expressed no interest in renewal on any terms.
 


 

AGOA Renewal Uncertain
AGOA will expire in September 2015. Its most important feature allows lesser developed AGOA countries to produce a limited annual quantity of apparel with third-country fabric for duty-free importation into the United States. The administration and many members of Congress support renewal; but, like prospects for renewal of the lapsed GSP, prospects for AGOA renewal are not certain.

Will Things Move Forward In The 114th Congress?
Political commentators say that trade is an issue, like tax reform, about which Republicans and Democrats should be able to find bipartisan common ground, suggesting that all of the trade agenda items — TPA, TPP, GSP, Nicaragua TPL and AGOA — could be addressed with legislation in the current Congress. But predictions of such an outcome could be overly optimistic. President Obama’s aggressive immigration initiative, his evident opposition to the Keystone pipeline, his proposal to tie tax reform to increased taxes on wealthy individuals and his plan to offer free community college to all applicants have arguably made him even more unpopular with Republican leaders than before. Indeed, his alleged overreaching in immigration and environmental matters without Congressional backing is perceived by some more conservative Republicans as reason not to give him fast track authority under TPA legislation. Some Republicans may be reluctant to align themselves with any legislation supported by President Obama, especially since many more Republican than Democratic seats in the Senate will be up for election in 2016. Some members of the president’s party, concerned about maintaining U.S. jobs, are less than enthusiastic about the trade agenda. And of course the year 2016, corresponding with the second session of the 114th Congress, is a presidential election year, when attention may turn away from trade and focus on the candidates. It is entirely possible, in this political environment, that none of the agenda items will get attention until sometime after the inauguration of the country’s next president in 2017.

January/February 2015

Man-Made Fibers Continue To Grow

The origins of the man-made fiber (MMF) industry are found in the first commercial production of artificial silk using cellulosics by De Chardonnet in France in 1892. Regrettably the business declared bankruptcy in 1894! However, not to be discouraged, the industry continued to develop other cellulosics and acetates until the arrival of nylon, which was discovered by Wallace Carothers at DuPont in the 1930s. His discovery brought the first truly MMF to the market. Initial applications including military uses during World War II and replacing silk in women’s hosiery. Nylon was followed by the ICI development of polyester, discovered in the early 1940s by two British scientists working for Calico Printers.

From these early beginnings the MMF industry was born, and through continuous development it recorded demand in 2014 of 55.2 million tons (122 billion pounds) of synthetic fiber, in addition to man-made cellulosic fiber demand of 5.2 million tons. The natural fiber industry, including cotton and wool, has a demand of 25.4 million tons.

Figure 1 shows the history of fiber demand in millions of tons, and demonstrates the dominant role that polyester has had in fiber demand growth. The graph also shows the continuing dominance of polyester going forward, as calculated by England-based PCI Fibres in its forecast out to 2030. Polyester demand passed that of cotton in 2002, and has continued to grow at a significantly faster rate than all other fiber types.
 

In 1980, polyester demand was only 5.2 million tons globally and by 2000, it had reached 19.2 million tons. In 2014, demand is put at 46.1 million tons. Looking at the period from 1980-2014, total fiber demand growth has been 55.7 million tons — 73.4 percent of which is down to polyester. The message is clear that polyester has gained significant share from all other fibers, both man-made and natural, and that anyone in the fiber business has to be aware that polyester producers are constantly looking at other fibers and their markets to determine if polyester can take further market share.

A very large part of the growth in polyester has come from China with India and Southeast Asia also contributing. In the case of China, both polyester production and apparent domestic demand for the fiber have been very strong. China accounts for 69 percent of all polyester fiber production globally, and if India and Southeast Asia are added, these three regions represent 86 percent of global production.

Polyester is dominant, but nylon, the oldest MMF, still plays an important role in the fiber business with 4 million tons of global production in 2014. Production is more broadly based by regions than for polyester, and the China, India, Southeast Asia group accounts only for 52 percent of total nylon fiber, with the Americas contributing 20 percent. Nylon has developed into a niche fiber, in that it is focused on a limited number of end uses, but some of these are quite large markets. Carpet is a significant application for nylon and accounts for 17.5 percent of total usage globally and 72 percent of North American nylon production. Other applications where nylon is very successful include airbags, heavy-duty tires, cap ply for radial tires, intimate apparel, sheer hosiery and swimwear. However, the nylon industry has to be aware that polyester is threatening a number of these markets. There has been remarkable growth in polyester bulk continuous filament (BCF) for carpet in North America. Polyester also is now making inroads into the airbag market — particularly for the larger curtain air bags.

Cellulosics have been a surprising success story over the past 10 years, primarily through gains in usage of viscose rayon staple fiber as both spinning fiber for apparel and in nonwoven end uses. Following a steady decline in market share and volume from 1980 to 2000, cellulosics made a remarkable recovery doubling consumption in the last 10 years to 5.2 million tons. Much of this increased demand has come from China where cellulosic staple mill consumption in 2000 totaled 0.6 million tons, and in 2014 totaled 3.0 million tons. Rayon staple received a significant boost in demand in 2010-11 as a result of the high price of cotton. Rayon provided a lower cost substitute for higher-priced cotton and the fiber has held on to its market share gain.

Forecasting
PCI Fibres provides forecasts of production and mill consumption in its annual World Synthetic Fibres Supply/Demand Report (Red Book). In developing these forecasts it is important to look at regional patterns of consumption at the final consumer level. Consumer demand ultimately drives production and mill consumption. In the 2013 Red Book, it was determined that in 2014 the world final consumer demand for all fibers averages 11.4 kilograms per capita (kg/capita) (See Figure 2). Volumes vary from North America with a high of 37 kg/capita; to Africa, the Middle East and India at 5 kg/capita. In taking the data forward as a forecast to 2030, it is necessary to look at global demographics where there is a significant shift taking place in the relatively near future. China has been the most populous country in the world, but following the single child policy introduced in the 1970s the rate of population growth has contracted significantly, and even as China relaxes its policy, it can be seen that the growing middle class generation is not returning to the multi-children family structure of previous generations. As a result, in the next 12 years India will overtake China as the largest population country in the world. This shift in demographics also is significant because as the average age of the Chinese population increases dramatically, buying patterns are changing. In 2000, the 15-34 year old demographic represented 35 percent of the population, whereas in 2030, the same demographic is forecast to represent 23 percent of the population. The 65 plus group represented 7 percent in 2000 and is forecast to represent 17 percent in 2030. Buying patterns could well shift from fast fashion to comfort and senior care.
 


 

In contrast, the Indian demographic changes only slightly with the 30 and under group growing in absolute numbers, but losing share of the total population as life expectancy increases.

North America
MMF mill consumption in North America — the United States and Canada — peaked in 1999 at a total of 4.7 million tons. The acceptance of China into the World Trade Organization in 2001 and the increased global structure of the supply chain using MMF led to a severe decline in mill consumption in North America, which reached a low in the recession year 2009 at 3 million tons. Slow recovery from this point has seen growth to an estimated 3.25 million tons in 2014, according to the latest PCI Fibres Red Book.

The dominant application for MMF in the region is carpet and rugs. Nylon, polyester and polypropylene all see significant volumes consumed in this sector. It is also an industry sector which, as carpet rather than rugs, is relatively unaffected by import competition. In 2005, the carpet and rug industry in the United States reached a MMF consumption peak level of 1.62 million tons. It is reckoned that total MMF consumption into this sector in 2014 will slightly exceed 1 million tons. The potential for solid growth has been expected over the past three years as the economy has generally improved, but the housing market remains stubbornly depressed. The carpet industry has anticipated a return to better times and invested heavily in changing its product mix, with an increasing focus on filament yarns, polyester seeing most of the investment. Capacity for BCF in polyester, including polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), has grown from 85,000 tons in 2008 to a forecast 400,000 tons in 2015. As polyester BCF has gained market share, nylon and polyester staple as well as polypropylene BCF have all lost market share. Since 2005, the share of nylon staple into carpet has dropped from 16 percent to less than 1 percent, and polypropylene BCF has dropped from 24 to 10 percent, while polyester BCF has increased from 3 to 36 percent (See Figure 3).
 

Carpet is not the only sector that has made investments. There are a number of nonwoven expansions and investments, as well as announcements of increases in polyester staple capacity. Perhaps the most surprising development is the level of investment in cotton and blended fiber spinning with eight new or expanded plants with a total investment of more than $800 million.

At the time of the TW Innovation Forum, the potential impact of increased oil production from innovative drilling techniques was discussed with the possibility of lower oil prices and therefore cheaper raw materials for MMFs. The speed and the scale of price reductions has taken the industry by surprise, and 2015 holds the promise that MMFs will be at a lower average price level than in 2014.
 

Alasdair Carmichael is president: Americas, PCI Fibres. The article is based on Carmichael’s presentation given at the 2014 Textile World Innovation Forum.

January/February 2015

SDL Atlas Develops Second-Generation MMT®

Rock Hill, S.C.-based SDL Atlas Ltd. has engineered a second-generation model of its MMT® moisture management tester. The new model was designed with an open test area, which allows larger samples to be tested including portions of complete garments; as well as facilitates cleaning the test sensors. Other improvements include a motorized upper sensor and sample positioning light for simplified testing, and a more robust metal housing.

“While the MMT has been around for a number of years, it is still considered an innovative test instrument,” said Chuck Lane, president, SDL Atlas. “We feel the improvements in this second generation model will make the MMT a feature instrument in any laboratory.”

January/February 2015

Epson Hosts Digital Couture Event At NY Fashion Week

Long Beach, Calif.-based Epson will partner with 11 fashion designers from North and South America during New York Fashion Week for the Digital Couture project. The event will feature collections from each designer created using fabrics printed on the Epson® SureColor® F-Series dye sublimation printing machine. The fashion show aims to illustrate the capabilities and design possibilities offered by the technology.

“We’re excited for today’s fashion designers to bring their creative visions to fabric in new and versatile ways with advanced digital technologies during New York Fashion Week,” said Agustin Chacon, vice president, subsidiary sales and operations, Epson America. “Epson’s dye sublimation printing technology provides another level of creativity and functionality for young fashion entrepreneurs and well established fashion brands looking to produce their art in a more efficient and affordable manner.”

January/February 2015

Yarn Market: Spinners Have High Hopes For 2015

By Jim Phillips, Yarn Market Editor

As 2015 begins, the U.S. textile industry and its yarn spinners find themselves in a highly competitive global marketplace — one in which quality, customization and supply chain optimization are likely to play ever-more important roles.

Even though 2014 had more bumps in the road for some spinners than much of the previous two years, yarn manufacturers, overall, reported solid results.

“The first half of the year was super-solid,” commented one spinner. “The last half was a bit spottier — but it still wasn’t bad.” Added another spinner: “If 2013 was, say, an A, I would put 2014 at an A-. The order pipeline became shorter, but we still managed to stay busy.”

One spinner noted that the continuing decrease in cotton prices played a large part in the shorter order pipeline the last part of the year. “As cotton prices began dropping, I think a number of companies began aggressively moving any inventory that had been built up, temporarily saturating the market in some instances. At the same time, customers were acutely aware of falling prices and placed shorter orders.”

As has been the case for much of the past four or five years — mainly due to capacity — ring-spun yarns were in very high demand, and there were times, especially earlier in the year, where positions were hard to come by.

As one yarn broker commented earlier this year, “I’ve lost a number of contracts simply because I could not find the yarn. I have even had a lot of inquiries about OE yarn, and that usually doesn’t happen in my business. When customers are asking if I can find OE for them, I know that the market is very tight.”

Spinners Optimistic About 2015
Looking ahead, spinners say the conditions are conducive — barring unforeseen economic issues — for a very good 2015. “It looks like it could be a very solid year,” quipped one industry observer. “The economy is continuing to shake off the hangover from the 2007 recession, raw material prices are falling for many industry segments, and energy prices are decreasing.”

Another spinner said, “Cotton prices are falling to the point where we believe that some customers that moved to blends a few years ago might come back. Additionally, reduced fuel costs make it more efficient to get yarn to customers in both a timely and cost-efficient manner.”

Added one industry executive: “We see no reason for the momentum we have established over the past several years to slow. Our industry is in the midst of one of its most stable periods in recent memory. If this continues, it will provide only the opportunity to build profitability, but will also enable us to continue to invest in the most modern equipment. This, in turn, will further increase productivity and reduce costs for the manufacturer, its customers and the end-consumer.”

Despite the optimistic stance of many in the industry, several potential issues could create significant challenges by the end of the year. As advantageous as low cotton prices are for manufacturers and their customers, they can be devastating for cotton farmers. “The past year has not been a good one for cotton farmers,” commented one expert. “In fact, it was a bad year for many row crops. The likely outcome is less acreage planted in the next few years, which could eventually lead to a raw material shortage and sharply escalating prices.”

Additionally, the U.S. dollar has increased in value versus other currencies. Since June 30, the dollar has jumped 16 percent against the Japanese yen, 18 percent against the euro and nearly 20 percent against the Brazilian real. “This is a causing a significant hit in profit to those companies with substantial overseas business,” said one observer. “Additionally, it means imported goods can be bought even more cheaply in the United States, compared to domestically produced products.”

As a result, spinners agree that maintaining the competitive advantage of yarn produced in the western hemisphere will be contingent upon maintaining superior quality, creating innovative new products and maximizing the inherent advantages of the domestic supply chain. “Going forward, quick-turnaround and delivery of superior products will be our best weapon in an environment in which pricing could be a major issue.”

January/February 2015

DOE Announces $2.5 Million Grant For NatureWorks

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies has awarded a grant to Minnetonka, Minn.-based NatureWorks LLC. Worth up to $2.5 million, the grant will be used to support an ongoing joint development program between NatureWorks and Calysta that aims to sequester and utilize the problematic greenhouse gas methane as feedstock for NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymer and its intermediates. The collaboration is researching how to transform renewable biomethane into lactic acid — the building block for Ingeo — through a fermentation process, leveraging Calysta’s Biological Gas-to-Chemicals® platform for biological conversion of methane to high-value chemicals.

Calysta has already demonstrated lab-scale production of lactic acid from methane, and the companies are hoping to reach pilot-scale production in the next three to five years.

“If proven through this collaboration, methane to lactic acid conversion technology could be revolutionary, providing sustainable alternative feedstocks for Ingeo,” said Ken Williams, NatureWorks, and program leader for the Calysta-NatureWorks collaboration. “When coupled with NatureWorks’ proven commercial process for lactic acid to Ingeo, the methane to lactic acid process would transform a harmful greenhouse gas into useful and in-demand consumer and industrial products. This disruptive platform could support high-value chemicals and liquid fuels.”

January/February 2015

Pharr Yarns Invests In Space-Dyeing Technology

McAdenville, N.C.-based Pharr Yarns LLC reports it has purchased space-dyeing technology for its carpet division from Mount Holly, N.C.-based Belmont Textile Machinery. The machinery gives Pharr the ability to offer its customers improved styling, versatility and color clarity.

“Pharr’s new technology will allow us to provide a broader range of color and patterns to create distinctive atmospheres for residential and commercial spaces,” said Joe Rankin, vice president, Pharr’s Carpet Yarn division. “Just like a new spice can improve an old recipe in the kitchen, colors and patterns created with space dye technology enhance carpeting’s aesthetics in ways consumers have never imagined.”

“The new technology will maximize production flexibility resulting in more rapid product launches, improved manufacturing efficiencies and superior quality,” said Rich Pattinson, business director. “This important investment is yet another demonstration of Pharr’s continuing commitment to our associates, communities and customers …”

January/February 2015

Innovations In Textile Machinery: Wet Processing

As the 2015 ITMA in Milan approaches, a review of the current offerings in textile wet processing machinery is in order. A representative group of manufacturers of preparation, dyeing, printing, and finishing equipment provided current innovations on offer from their companies. As might be expected, most of the machinery changes are incremental and evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but a few manufacturers have come forth with truly new ideas.

Preparation Machinery
Switzerland-based Benninger AG has redesigned its Fortracta prewasher to maximize removal of surface contaminants. A novel vertical counterflow arrangement optimizes use of water and energy. Trikoflex, Benninger’s low-tension washer, is intended for elastic knits and crease prone wovens. Improved washing efficiency is provided by the unique grooved drum surface.

Dyeing Machinery
The new Pulsar package-dyeing machine from Italy-based Loris Bellini S.r.l. comes with a circulation pump and hydraulic circuit that can provide 70-percent energy savings with 30-percent fewer chemicals and water while operating at a liquor to goods ratio of 3.8:1.

Italy-based Brazzoli S.p.A. offers Innowash, an enhanced washing process for its 3.8:1 liquor to goods ratio Ecologic translational flow piece-dyeing machine. The amount of washing required is determined automatically to minimize water usage.

Dyeing polyester in supercritical carbon dioxide has been commercialized by The Netherlands-based DyeCoo Textile Systems BV. Both Nike and adidas have developed programs using fabric dyed in the DyeCoo process with dye press cakes from Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects. Significant savings in energy and process time have been realized by both companies — 60 percent and 40 percent respectively.

Germany-based Erbatech GmbH has optimized its Scout Color® cold pad batch dyeing system for low utilities use. Additional improvements include adjustable nip pressure to insure uniform wet pickup.

Italy-based Flainox S.r.l. has declared a focus on sustainability with its NRG-DL garment dyeing machine. The NRG-DL processes garments at a low 5:1 liquor to goods ratio and can measure energy, water, and chemical usage in real time, allowing for process optimization with minimal utility and chemical use. Flainox has introduced a novel dyeing system designed for use with natural dyes. The AOM/C-WOOL, is actually an extraction-dyeing-dyebath recycle system where the chosen plant material is extracted just prior to application. After the textile has been dyed, the dyebath is recovered for further use, a typical practice with natural dyes. Flainox has demonstrated a further commitment to sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint in its manufacturing plant by 50 percent.
 


NRG-DL garment dyeing machine from Flainox S.r.l. dyes at a low 5:1 liquor ratio.

Fong’s National Engineering Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, offers the Allwin, a package-dyeing machine with a very low 4:1 liquor to goods ratio and expected savings of 50 percent in process time and water usage. The Jumboflow piece dyeing machine from Fong’s claims 40-percent savings in water and steam, 50-percent less energy requirements, and a 33-percent process time savings while dyeing in a 5:1 liquor to goods ratio.


Fong’s National Engineering Co.’s Jumboflow piece-dyeing machine was designed with water, energy and time savings in mind.

The use of air to dilute dyes and chemicals prior to application has been championed by Gaston Systems Inc., Stanley, N.C. Its CFS® Chemical Foam System enables denim to be dyed with indigo and sulfur dyes at 8- to 15-percent wet pickup while cotton can be continuously dyed with fiber reactive dyes at 10- to 40-percent wet pickup without tailing.

Germany-based Then Maschinen GmbH, a Fong’s Europe GmbH company, has improved upon the Then-Airflow Synergy® system with two machines, the DSYN G2 for dyeing under pressure and the SYN A G1 for atmospheric pressure dyeings. Both machines provide significant savings in water, energy, steam and salt.

The iMaster series from Thies GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, includes the iMaster H2O designed to dye elastic containing cotton and cotton blends at a 3.7:1 liquor ratio at temperatures of up to 140°C. An improved internal support reduces fabric tensions during processing and a combined cooling and rinsing system significantly reduces process time. The iMaster F was specifically designed to dye terry cloth at a 4.5:1 liquor to goods ratio with vat dyes using the proVAT system. Thies’ soft-TRD SIII is said to be a universal dyeing machine with flexible liquor to goods ratios from 10:1 to 4.5:1. For package dyeing, the iCone was redesigned to minimize floor space requirements while operating at a 3.6:1 liquor to goods ratio. Optimized circulation, rinsing, and heating systems were incorporated into the redesign.

Printing Machinery
Switzerland-based Jakob Müller AG offers the MÜPRINT MDP2 E, an ink-jet printer designed for elastic and non-elastic narrow polyester woven, knit, and nonwoven fabrics. The machine prints with disperse inks and heat sets the printed fabric in one continuous operation.
 


Jakob Müller’s MÜPRINT MDP2 E is an ink-jet printer for narrow fabrics.

An ink-jet printer from Reggiani Macchine S.p.A., Italy, the ReNOIR-Compact, was designed to print paper for transfer printing. The ReNOIR-Compact is capable of printing paper at a production speed of 4,000 square feet per hour.
 


Reggiani’ Macchine’s ReNOIR-Compact ink-jet printer prints paper for transfer printing.

The Netherlands-based SPGPrints BV has announced an as yet unnamed digital printer that was shown to select customers in December 2014 and displayed at ITMA 2015. The six- to nine-color high-speed single-pass printer is predicted to provide the lowest cost ink-jet printing cost per linear meter.

Digital ink supplier Xennia Technology Ltd., England, has announced two new lines of inks — the Agate® line of acid dye inks for nylon, wool, and silk; and the Corundum® line of disperse dye inks for transfer printing paper. These inks join the fiber reactive Amethyst® and ultraviolet curable Moissante® inks in Xennia’s product line.

Austria-based J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH has expanded its Colaris digital printing system to tufted carpet — up to a 4.2 meter width at 5 meters per minute (m/min) — terry towels — a 2.2 meter width with up to 16 colors at 72 dpi and 120 square meters per hour (m2/hr) — and needlepunch polyester nonwovens — up to a 4.2 meter width at 1,000 m2/hr. The Zimmer Chromojet provides 10-color digital printing of blankets at 6.3 m/min. Zimmer reports it soon will introduce a digital printer for yarns.


Zimmer recently extended its Colaris digital printing system to tufted carpet.

Finishing Machinery
Italy-based Biancalani S.r.l. offers the Airo®24, a tumble dryer with processing speeds to 2,500 m/min with evaporation rates of 750 kilograms per hour. The Brio® from Biancalani, a relaxation dryer for knits, sports high-capacity drying without causing pilling.

Germany-based Brückner Trockentechnik GmbH & Co. KG is promoting the Power-Frame, a tenter frame that claims 33-percent energy savings with redesigned nozzles, automatic lint screen cleaning, and independent upper and lower air flow controls. Brückner’s Leonberg, Germany, location houses production scale machinery for customer evaluation of finishing, coating, heat setting, and laminating processes.

The Allround® Coating Head from A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, provides multiple coating options on full-width fabrics. The Thermex Econtrol T-CA process for dyeing polyester/cotton blends reduces the number of processing steps while providing high quality dyeings with significant cost saving. The Matex ECO applicator allows for precision low wet pickup application of chemical finishes with the potential of producing dual sided treatments. The Montex 8000 tenter frame incorporates the Eco Booster HRC heat recovery system and a split thermal system to allow different upper and lower fabric temperatures. Production trials can be run at the Monforts Advanced Technology Center in Mönchengladbach, Germany.


Monforts’ Allround® coating technology offers multiple options for full-width fabrics.

Morrison Textile Machinery Co., Fort Lawn, S.C., has announced Morrison On Call, a web based remote access system to allow software and firmware downloads and remote diagnostics and machine monitoring.

Textile processing from liquid carbon dioxide is available from Tersus Solutions from CO2Nexus Inc., Littleton, Colo. Textiles can be cleaned and treated with high value chemical finishes with using less water and energy.

From a sampling of the current textile wet processing machinery, ITMA 2015 should be a very interesting and exciting event. The textile machinery industry is sure to continue to introduce textile wet processing equipment that will reduce the industry’s use of water and energy while providing high quality textiles.
 

Dr. Peter J. Hauser is a professor and Interim Head at North Carolina State University’s College Of Textiles, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science. This article is based on Hauser’s presentation given at the 2014 Textile World Innovation Forum.

January/February 2015

Atlas Copco Compressors Save Energy

Rock Hill, S.C.-based Atlas Copco Compressors LLC estimates its variable speed drive (VSD) technology has saved customers $300 million in energy costs since 1994.

“According to greenhouse gas calculations by the Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of kilowatt-hours saved annually by our VSD compressors is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of 51,029 homes’ electricity use, or removing 78,101 passenger vehicles from the road,” said Robert Eshelman, vice president, Atlas Copco’s Industrial Air division.

According to the company, based on the number of VSD compressors operating in the U.S., approximately 538 million kilowatt-hours and $53 million in energy savings are realized annually.

January/February 2015

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