Suominen Prepares An Investment At Its Bethune Plant In The United States

HELSINKI, Finland, April 9, 2105 — Suominen, a global supplier of nonwovens, announced in January that it has started a planning process to execute an investment in a new wetlaid production line in North America. Suominen has now decided that, if the planning process proceeds as expected, the location of the planned manufacturing line would be Suominen’s existing plant in Bethune, S.C.

As announced in January, the planned investment constitutes the most significant single initiative in Suominen’s 30–50 million euro investment program and supports Suominen’s growth target for the strategic period of 2015–2017.

“The planned manufacturing line would contribute essentially for the execution of Suominen’s growth strategy. Through successful strategy execution, as we have announced, Suominen would become a company with a net sales of roughly 500 million euros by the end of 2017. Besides, the investment would support our target to further increase the share of products with higher value-added in our portfolio,” Saara Söderberg, Vice President, Marketing & Product Management and the Project Manager of the investment initiative, says.

“We selected the Bethune, SC plant as the platform for this potential investment for several strategic and financial reasons.  Bethune is ideally located in the Carolinas, the nonwovens hub of North America, and is favorably located from a logistical standpoint of serving our customers and managing our raw materials.  Moreover, the Bethune plant already has ongoing operations, a very talented staff, and has considerable infrastructure already in place for the expansion,” according to Larry L. Kinn, Senior Vice President, Operations Americas.

Suominen continues to prepare the investment project, with finalization of the decision still pending. Therefore Suominen cannot yet comment the total value of the investment.

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Suominen
 

Cotton USA Respins 2015 Advertising Campaign

WASHINGTON — April 9, 2015 —  COTTON USA expands on the universal truth that everyone loves cotton in its new global advertising campaign. COTTON USA plans to inspire consumers through the integrated campaign, both in what they wear and how they wear it, and further spread the benefits of U.S. cotton to markets throughout the world. The campaign slogan, “I Love My Cotton,” encourages consumers and brands alike to connect with the campaign, and inspires them to share their own reasons for loving cotton.
 
To demonstrate how U.S. cotton is a medium of personal expression through jeans, dress shirts and everything in between, COTTON USA cast five individuals from different corners of the globe, wearing cotton in different ways.
 
“These portraits reflect the authenticity and passion unique to COTTON USA: the singular mark that symbolizes purity of fiber, quality of fabric and responsibility for the planet,” said Cotton Council International President Dahlen Hancock.
 
The Texas cotton producer said U.S. cotton sets the global standard for quality and purity. With this campaign, he said COTTON USA hopes to show that U.S. cotton is a premium fashion ingredient, pushing the COTTON USA logo to the forefront and encouraging the growth of U.S. cotton worldwide.
 
Shot by renowned photographer Paola Kudacki and styled by the talented Karen Kaiser, cotton garments ranging from T-shirts to dress pants and jeans to towels are worn effortlessly by models Julia Hafstrom, Lais Oliveira, Gaspard Menier, Bregje Heinen, and young Caitlin Espirtu. Produced in-studio in New York City in July 2014, the campaign has a limitless quality and flexibility that allows it to be used in any market in any medium.

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Cotton Council International
 

Södra Reaffirms Commitment To Grow In Textile Market

Sweden-baesd Södra has announced a major growth plan which involves investing in all three of its Swedish pulp mills, including Mörrum, where Södra’s TextilePulp is made. TextilePulp is the name given to the company’s dissolving pulp for the textile industry.

The SEK-700 million ( $80 million) investment at Mörrum is crucial to the mill’s future and the company’s development of Textile Pulp. The mill has two lines, one for paper pulp and one for textile pulp. The upgrade will mean the capacity of the latter can be increased from 150,000 to 170,000 tpy, but it is the quality improvements that Dag Benestad, Södra’s head of TextilePulp, is most excited by.

“It is of great significance that we will be able to run more birch on the line in the future,” Benestad explains. “An ageing woodyard has been something of a bottleneck and meant that we had to import wood. But with the new investment in state-of-the-art technology, we will be able to use more of our members’ own birch. This makes environmental and logistical sense and will see an increase in the quality and purity of our pulp.”

Faster Operation
Once the new woodyard is installed, as well as using more birch from Södra’s members’ forests, the mill will be able to run its lines at higher speed. This will increase capacity and produce a premium-quality, consistently-pure textile pulp.

The most significant wood handling technology being installed is the deicing. Mörrum will use process water from the pulp mill to deice the logs in winter time. Even in Southern Sweden temperatures can remain below zero for several months of the year.

The recycled water is applied at around 50˚C. Water at this temperature is of little use elsewhere in the process, and will have fallen to that temperature having already been reused in another part of the mill. But for deicing this otherwise-redundant heat is ideal to make debarking much more effective. This is most significant for the production of dissolving pulp, for which the absence of impurities is particularly important. “Purity is vital for dissolving pulp for the functionality and runnability of the customer’s process,” said Woodyard project leader Ulf Jimson.

Since wood handling including de-barking was a bottleneck, this investment will have a real impact on product quality, on both lines. It will take chipping and debarking to a new level, resulting better chips and even better pulp properties.

Process Improvements
Another motivation for the investment is to create a better working environment and for the mill to be “a better neighbour.” “We are within the permissible limits for noise for those living near the mill, but only just,” said Elna Håkansson, head of environment at Mörrum. “The new woodyard will improve the situation considerably and be beneficial for operators, too.”

Håkansson also points to the wider environmental aspect of improved debarking efficiency: “We will be able to sell more bark as biofuel as there will be an excess of bark over our needs in the mill,” she said. “Mörrum is close to being fossil fuel-free – we just need fossil fuel occasionally for the lime kiln. Our ambition is to be 100 percent free of fossil fuels.”

“It has always been our intention to secure our position among the top three producers when it comes to quality,” said Benestad. “We need to be there if we are to secure good margins for the long term, and this investment will be a big step towards achieving that goal. We intend to be the last one standing when the competition gets tough.”

The fact that the raw material will come from Södra’s members’ forests adds peace of mind to the environmentally-conscious buyer. Södra is a unique cooperative of more than 50,000 members who together make up the largest private landowner in southern Sweden. In many cases, their forest holdings have been in the same family for generations and sustainability is at the heart of the business. Forests are certified to FSC and PEFC standards and each member receives a green plan from Södra laying out best forest management practices and areas of conservation.

Competitive Market
There was a time when paper pulp producers hopped on the dissolving pulp wagon in search of higher prices and better returns. But when too many had the same idea, the market became oversupplied and prices dropped, with the result that some producers switched back to paper pulp. Benestad is keen to point out that Södra has no intention of exiting the dissolving pulp market: Quite the opposite, as this new investment confirms. “Despite falling prices, we are committed to this market,” he explained. “The viscose market continues to grow at 8- to 10-percent per year and we believe that will continue over the next three to five years at least. Prices are now so low that up to half of the producers in this market are losing money, compounded by the duties inflicted on exports to China, which is still the biggest market for viscose: The country accounts for two thirds of the world’s viscose production, both for a growing domestic market and for export.”

Imports of dissolving wood pulp to China increased by 15.6 percent in 2014 after growing by 14 percent in 2013 – a total increase of around 500,000 metric tons.

The world’s production of textile fibers is estimated to have increased by slightly less than 5 percent in 2014, reaching 93 million metric tons or four million metric tons more than the previous year. Reason enough for Benestad to believe that textile fiber production will continue to advance ahead of world gross domestic product (GDP) growth, maintaining the positive differential seen since the global recession. “Our forecast shows the textile fiber market continuing to grow faster than GDP in 2015-2016, although slowing slightly compared to the pace of the last four years,” said Benestad. World textile fiber output is projected to reach 101 million tonnes by 2016 after rising 4.4 perecent annually from 2014.

On the plus side for dissolving pulp producers, the fact that returns are currently low means investment in new capacity is limited and there are not many startups planned for 2016-2017 — another reason for Benestad’s optimism that the market will start to pick up by the end of 2015.
 
April 14, 2015

Brother Direct To Garment Printers Are Turning 10

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — April 7, 2015 — In celebration of its 10 years of Direct-to-Garment (DTG) product innovation, Brother is offering a special limited time instant rebate on its popular and reliable Brother GT-3 Series DTG printers. This enticing offer reflects up to $5,000* off the purchase of a new Brother GT-341/GT-361/GT-381 printer. This limited time offer is available April 1, 2015 through July 31, 2015 on all new units purchased in the US and Canada.

“We’re celebrating this truly amazing decade with our current and potential Brother DTG customers,” says Peter Holland, Vice President of the Industrial Products Division at Brother International Corporation. “This exceptional offer will provide current customers with the ability to add a new DTG to their facility for even more productivity and will also provide potential customers with the opportunity to explore the game-changing market of direct-to-garment printing. We’re seeing great interest from individuals in the fashion market that want to bring their stylish fashion sense and new fashion trends into a burgeoning business with the help of DTG technology. Our innovative, user-friendly DTG printer can help them produce clothing with the stringent color demands of the fashion industry. This first decade is only the beginning. We are committed to the garment decoration industry and our customers for many years to come.”

Over the past 10 years, the Industrial Products Division of Brother has experienced continued growth and built its presence in the DTG market with a wide swath of customers from the screen-printing, custom embroidery and promotional product markets to companies and organizations of all sizes. Serving multiple business segments including licensed sports apparel as well as large volume and contract sales, the Brother GT-3 product line provides its customers with high quality and low cost digital printing for all of their color requirements.

“The GT-3 Series is an excellent option for startups or for those looking to expand to the convenience of digital printing,” states Holland. “Brother brings superior product support and training, intuitive, durable machine design, capability for unique applications and day-to-day reliable operation. Coupled with this generous promotion for our 10 year anniversary and our no interest financing offer, now is the time for those considering direct to garment technology to make the GT-3 Series the natural choice for their business.“

The GT-3 Series of machines offers a CMYK-only printer, a CMYK with two white print heads, and a CMYK with four white print heads and single pass printing for higher speed and performance. These feature-packed DTG printers also offer:

  • Up to 16” x 18” print area*
  • Up to 1200 dpi for photo quality printing
  • Up to eight print heads for faster throughput
  • One pass printing with both CMYK and white ink printing simultaneously for higher productivity (GT-361/GT-381)
  • USB memory stick compatibility to load designs without a computer
  • Simple user interface
  • Interchangeable platens for printing on t-shirts, caps, hoodies, coasters and more.
  • Inks certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Class I and are CPSIA Compliant▪
  • On-site training and support (may require additional purchase).

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Brother International
 

Hills Inc. To Open Office At CETI

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — April 10, 2015 — Hills Inc., a leader in specialty fiber extrusion equipment is pleased to announce the opening of a Hills office located inside the Centre of European Textile Intelligence (CETI).  Located near Lille in Tourcoing France, the CETI technical center offers its customers the latest innovations in fiber and fabric research and development capabilities.  The new Hills office will provide technical advice with trials at CETI as well as perform marketing and service activities to support Hills’ European Customers. The office is set to open Summer 2015. 

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Hills Inc.
 

Business & Financial: Healthy Bottom Lines

By Robert S. Reichard, Economics Editor

Textile and apparel industry profits are a pretty good bet to at least equal last year’s strong levels. Credit this positive outlook to a combination of modest demand gains, the absence of any significant cost pressure, and fairly firm prices. Indeed, given the current business climate, earnings could well inch a bit higher. Nor are TW editors alone in looking forward to another good year. The economic consulting firm Englewood, Colo.-based IHS, in its latest industry projections, is pretty much telling the same story. Its analysts, for example, see 2- to 3-percent profit gains in 2015 for both basic textile mills and apparel manufacturers with mills making more highly fabricated products showing a small fractional advance. Moreover, these increases will be coming on top of the much larger double-digit advances racked up over the past year when sharply lower cotton costs gave producers’ bottom lines a big boost. And the outlook beyond 2015 as seen by IHS analysts seems to be equally bright. Next year, for example, continuing modest earnings gains are projected averaging out at near 4 percent for all three of the just noted industry subsectors. Moreover, go further out into the future, and the economic consulting firm anticipates further small profit gains. That’s hardly a bad future for an American manufacturing sector that many had seen headed for the scrap heap as recently as just five years ago.

Other Upbeat Signs
There are also a host of other signs that would seem to indicate solid bottom-line progress over the next few years. For one, there’s the optimism of mill executives. They would hardly be earmarking more than a billion dollars a year for new plant and equipment if they did not expect a decent return on their investment. Also supporting a rosy earnings picture is the fact that this improving profit scenario is not just something that has suddenly cropped up. Indeed, IHS numbers for the current 12-month period — numbers that factor in all the industry’s profit determinants — have consistently been in the plus column for well over a year now. Still another positive sign: The new 2015 forecast for both textile mills and apparel makers actually are a bit higher than they were six years ago — a time when demand was considerably higher than it is today. Still another indication of stronger earnings is the fact that the percentage of the revenue dollar needed to cover production costs had been declining steadily. Latest 2015 numbers, for example, show combined labor and material costs accounting for 44.6 percent, 56.5 percent and 84.3 percent of the sales dollar for basic textiles, more highly fabricated mill products, and apparel, respectively. They are well under levels prevailing just two year ago. Other things being equal, such declines would clearly suggest that profit margins — profits per dollar of sales — are now also moving higher. Indeed, a look at Uncle Sam’s latest margin numbers would clearly seem to confirm this trend.

The Improving Demand Impact
A few further words also are in order on the demand influence on profits. As point out above, anticipated higher industry activity should be an important contributor to better bottom-line performance. Indeed, improving activity already is apparent, with early 2015 retail apparel sales running upwards of 3-percent above year-ago levels. And TW would expect to see these sales continuing to increase because of a combination of factors: expectations of a 3- to 3.5-percent-advance in 2015 gross domestic product, about 0.5-percent more than last year; a falling jobless rate that could slip to near 5 percent by next fall or winter; a substantial boost in consumer purchasing power engendered in large part by the recent sharp drop in gasoline prices; and the strong recovery in household net worth combined with a significant decline in the household debt/disposable income ratio from 130 percent just before the recession to 107 percent currently. Add in the fact that consumer confidence is now near its highest level in years, and TW now expects the buying of apparel and other textile products to actually accelerate a bit over the remainder of the year and well into 2016. Point to keep in mind here: The pickup in buying is almost certain to have a positive effect on industry earnings. To be sure, just how much of an impact is difficult to precisely quantify. But throw all of today’s profit-enhancing factors into the consumer hopper and TW feels fairly certain that as much as half of any near-term bottom-line improvement will probably be because of improving industry demand.

April 14, 2015

Gerber Technology’s AccuMark 10 Now Available

TOLLAND, Conn. — April 8, 2015 — Gerber Technology announces the availability of the AccuMark 10 intelligent pattern design, grading, planning and marker making software solution. In addition to digital printing capabilities and other features that increase productivity throughout the system, AccuMark 10 will also offer a fully integrated 3D solution for garment development and pattern making as an optional module (available later this spring).

“AccuMark 10 truly revolutionizes the design process in apparel and fashion, by improving communication and productivity all along the line,” said Mary McFadden with Gerber Technology. “This next-generation solution helps manufacturers get their products to market faster, smarter and better.”

Gerber was one of the first to introduce CAD Pattern Making Software for the apparel industry. Today, AccuMark CAD systems are used by more than 15,000 customers, including many of the world’s leading fashion brands. Gerber has a history of bringing forward innovations and technologies that optimize customers’ design and manufacturing processes. Gerber has launched technologies that have become the benchmarks for CAD pattern making, grading planning and marker making software, and automated spreading and cutting machines.

AccuMark 10 automates the entire production process while providing significant advances in quality control, communication and efficiency. The system helps manufacturers reduce raw material and labor costs, and generate fewer samples and prototypes. Users will find that AccuMark 10 is easy to use, improves collaboration and helps to automate every day tasks in pattern design, grading, marker making and production planning.

AccuMark 10 elevates pattern design and streamlines the production process at every level. Features of this system help users in a variety of areas:

Pattern Design: Artwork images that represent fabric textures, appliques, logos, trims and other visual details can now be added to patterns in PDS. This enables the ability to provide partners with visual instructions for pattern placement. Pleats can now be edited, deleted and folded, and the patterns can be modified while the pleats are folded, providing major productivity improvements.

Grading: Allowing users to create Points of Measurement between pattern and chart, provide pattern details to production. With automatic grading updates, intelligent calculations and pre-set size tables, users are able to make pattern changes on the fly and create made-to-measure garments from basic sizes.

Marker Making: AccuMark 10 simplifies the marker ordering process while offering the capability of such advanced technologies as generating digital printing files directly.

Production Planning: Work orders can be imported from ERP systems and automatically planned, nested, plotted, and have reports and cut data generated without human interaction. This ability greatly increases productivity and reduces human error.

“Digital printing will bring dramatic increases to the creativity and production speed of the industry, and we’re happy to be able to offer that capability within AccuMark 10,” said McFadden. “Not only will it offer a more creative range of design options, digital printing will also allow for development of short run “fast fashion” lines – all with lower production costs. When combined with our optional 3D module, users can generate virtual samples and then bring them to life with digital printing. AccuMark 10 is truly next-generation technology, and will help apparel manufacturers unleash their creative vision in design and production.”

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Gerber Technology
 

Emerald Kalama Chemical Makes Multi-million-dollar Investment In Production Of High Purity Benzoic Acid-based Products In Rotterdam

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — April 9, 2015 — Emerald Kalama Chemical, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, announced approval for final design engineering and the initial purchase of key long lead time process equipment for the addition of a second benzoic acid purification and finishing process at its facility in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Final approval for full construction is expected in third quarter 2015. The expansion, slated for completion in 2016, will support the group’s benzoic acid production unit, adding capacity to process an additional 100,000 metric-tons per year of high purity material and supporting output from the company’s two reactor trains in Rotterdam. This project is the group’s seventh multi-million-dollar investment in the last several years at its Rotterdam site.   

The added purification and finishing capacity will support growing demand for the company’s high purity Kalama® and Purox® brands of benzoic acid flakes, sodium benzoate granules and liquid benzoic acid, which it provides to the market and utilizes for the production of downstream products, notably K-FLEX® non-phthalate plasticizers and coalescents. Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are used as antimicrobials to produce a wide range of products, in markets such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, personal care and industrial applications, including paint, coatings, down-hole drilling and plastics.

“This latest investment is a part of our long-term strategic plan to enhance operations and build the infrastructure needed to support our core global business,” said Hubert Degens, vice president of the Emerald Kalama Chemical Benzoates and Intermediate business. “The current project will support increasing demand for our high purity products by our customers in the core food and beverage segment, as well as in growing segments such as personal care, where benzoates are increasingly used as a non-paraben, non-formaldehyde antimicrobial. The added capacity will also meet our internal consumption needs for downstream products.”

Engineering and design for the project are underway. Construction will begin later this year and continue through 2016, with a planned start-up in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The company has been producing benzoic acid at its Rotterdam and U.S. operations for more than 50 years. In addition to the current benzoic acid investment, the company commissioned a second 75 kilo-ton benzoic reactor train in 2014, new flaker production unit for its Purox® B benzoic acid line in 2013 and a new K-FLEX plasticizer operation in 2012. The company also completed an expansion of its aroma chemical product line capacity in 2013 and several K-FLEX expansions at its Kalama, Wash., facility.        

Emerald Kalama Chemical’s portfolio of benzoic acid products is FDA-approved and GRAS-classified. The Rotterdam operation is also certified to a number of important quality standards, including ISO-9001, ISO-14001, HACCP, FamiQS and FSSC22000.

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Emerald Kalama
 

Proxy Biomedical Introduces Custom Synthesized ProTEX Med™ Medical Grade PP Resin

GALWAY, Ireland — April 14, 2015 — Proxy Biomedical, a leading global innovator in the design, development and manufacturing of biomaterials, today announced the release of ProTEX Med Polypropylene Resin, a unique custom synthesized resin, available exclusively for Proxy Biomedical partners, leveraging downstream textile conversion processes. ProTEX Med can be provided as a textile component, sub‐assembly or finished device.  Qualification of the device, for long-term implantation, is undertaken by the device owner themselves, with the assurance that the constituent material is not contra-indicated for long term human implantation.

ProTEX Med is certified to technical specifications and ISO 10993-5 (cytotoxicity), with proven equivalency to currently implanted Polypropylene grades. The material has undergone comprehensive testing and characterization performed in resin, fiber and mesh forms, to demonstrate physical, chemical and biocompatibility equivalency. A file registration for ProTEX Med is in place, with a unique FDA Device Master File reference, available to resin users in support of associated product qualification.

“There are serious concerns about companies implanting textiles that are not composed of materials sourced specifically for medical applications; Proxy Biomedical aims to address these concerns with ProTEX Med polypropylene resin,” said Caitriona Conneely, QA & RA manager, Proxy Biomedical. “At Proxy Biomedical, we believe strongly in traceability, accountability, quality, consistency and safety of supply chain, from initial precursor substances to final materials production. ProTEX Med reduces the risks associated with a contraindicated resin, overcoming issues related to material regulatory compliance, while ensuring security and continuity of the supply chain.”

Proxy Biomedical has extensive expertise in homopolymers and compounds of both resorbable and non-resorbable materials, along with their respective characteristics, including mechanical performance, degradation profile and biocompatibility. Proxy Biomedical can also offer a custom synthesization service for partners looking for an exact match to specific polypropylene resin grades used in existing products.  The service includes comprehensive testing and characterization, to demonstrate physical, chemical and biocompatibility equivalency, in resin, fiber and processed textile forms.  This approach addresses material regulatory compliance for existing products, while ensuring long term security of supply.

Posted April 14, 2015

Source: Proxy Biomedical
 

Messe Frankfurt And Milano Unica Extend Their Cooperation In New York

FRANKFURT — April 1, 2015 — Messe Frankfurt, market leader for the planning and organization of textile fairs worldwide, and Milano Unica, organisers of the trade fair of the same name in Milan, extend their collaborative activities. The collaboration, which began in 2012, is further strengthened by the presence of Milano Unica in the Javits Convention Center during the NYC Textile Week in July 2015. This means that there will be a greater concentration of apparel fabrics on show from manufacturers and brands in the premium and luxury segment. The intention is to strengthen the presence of Italian fabrics in America, one of the most important markets in the world.
 
“Milano Unica exhibits premium and luxury fabrics in Milan twice yearly and is the world’s leading trade fair for the luxury segment. As a result of the collaboration with Messe Frankfurt’s Intertextile Apparel Fabrics, we will be able to introduce and promote valuable Italian fabrics and accessories to the market and, at the same time, bring with them the unique image of style, culture and design,” says Silvio Albini, President of Milano Unica. “It was already clear to us, back in 2012, that this is just the beginning of our successful cooperation with Messe Frankfurt. Our new commitment during the NYC Textile Week means that we will be bringing the image and the atmosphere of Milano Unica and the Italian excellence in textile to New York, too.”
 
Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt explains: “Our partnership with Milano Unica represents a great success for the sector. The strategic alliance within the context of Intertextile in Shanghai has absolutely proved its worth and, by extending our collaboration to New York, we offer the textile industry an even larger portfolio of outstanding events. Like our Texworld USA, first established in 2004, and Apparel Sourcing, Milano Unica will also be held in the Javits Convention Center. As already experienced in Shanghai, the Milano Unica New York exhibition will take place in a separate and exclusive pavilion with entrance on invitation.”
 
The next NYC Textile Week begins in July 2015. Besides Texworld USA, other trade fairs that will be participating include, inter alia, Kingpins and MRket.
 
As well as the joint venture in the USA, Messe Frankfurt and Milano Unica are also firming up their collaboration in China. The partners have signed the cooperation agreement, extending it for another two years, during Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, which was held from 18 to 20 March 2015. “We are very satisfied with what we have developed together with Messe Frankfurt. The Chinese market is very important to us. In our exclusive pavilion, we have concentrated the best of the Italian textile industry which are interested in the penetration of this market,” adds Mr Albini. As a result, Milano Unica has continued to be represented with a pavilion in the SalonEurope premium zone during the world’s largest trade fair for apparel fabrics.
 
Posted April 7, 2015

Source: Messe Frankfurt
 

Sponsors